When you’re reading a policy, some of the coverage might seem designed for events that just aren’t your problem. Sudden and accidental tearing apart, cracking, or burning of plumbing is one of those events. Many people with Lincoln, NE Renters Insurance live far from work and spend much of their time away from home. A plumbing problem can quickly turn into a disaster when you’re gone for an eight hour day and an hour commute on each end.
The plumbing itself belongs to the landlord. It’s also the landlord’s responsibility, but resulting damage to your personal property is your problem. That’s what you insured against. Why is it important to have this coverage as part of your policy?
What Is The Renters Insurance Peril Of Tearing Apart, Cracking, Or Burning? How Does The Policy Protect Me?
The peril is defined as follows:
This peril means sudden and accidental tearing apart, cracking, burning, or bulging of a steam or hot water heating system, an air conditioning or automatic fire protective sprinkler system, or an appliance for heating hot water.
Quite a mouthful, right? Insurance policies have to be specific, but sometimes they’re a bit difficult to read.
Sudden and accidental is important. The loss has to have occurred all at once. For example, continuous and repeated seepage of water over time would be excluded. Accidental means that it wasn’t caused intentionally. It’s important to note that accidental doesn’t mean “without fault.” If you or the landlord missed the signs of a problem, that doesn’t make it intentional.
Tearing apart is the separation of pieces of the system from each other. An example of this would be when excess pressure causes a pipe joint to separate. The integrity of the pipe isn’t compromised, but the integrity of the joint is.
Cracking is self-explanatory. From time to time, plumbing and heating systems can develop cracks in the pipe or the system itself. These cracks cause leaks, often significant because of the pressure.
How Does Renters Insurance Protect Me From Tearing Apart, Cracking, or Burning? Painful Perils Explained Easily
Burning is also self-explanatory. Of course, your gas boiler is supposed to burn gas. It is not supposed to burn the insulation around the tank. The latter would be a covered loss if it caused damage to your personal property.
Bulging is when a pipe or tank weakens and expands in a place that it shouldn’t. This reduces the strength of the pipe and opens the risk of further damage or escape of contents.
Steam, hot water systems, and appliances for heating water are included because they are the most likely to be under high pressure or suffer this type of loss. If you have steam heat and a pipe joint separates, there will be damage to any property in the area from the sudden escape of steam. Hot water heaters have a limited lifetime. They also are usually hidden from view.
If your hot water heater is in a closet and begins to leak while you’re at work, water will continue to flow through the system and the leak will continue. If you’re gone for hours, you’ll find that a significant amount of water has passed through the leak in your hot water heater. The damage can be devastating. If you live on the ground floor, consider the result of a foot or more of water contained inside your apartment by the floor and wall. Your Lincoln, NE Renters Insurance can make things right again.
Air conditioners often leak. A sudden leak can release a surprising amount of water into your home, causing damage.
Fire sprinklers are another source of major water damage. Tearing apart or cracking of a fire sprinkler is worse than a water heater leak because the sprinklers are under more pressure. Hundreds or thousands of gallons of water spraying a room for hours causes major damage. These systems are tested, but often not monitored for pressure changes.
If you’re not at home and no one notices the water leaking out of your apartment, the damage can go on until you get home. Worse, the shutoff valves for sprinklers sometimes are locked in the “on” position for safety. If someone with a key isn’t immediately available, it can be even more difficult to mitigate the damage.
When there’s a loss from any of these broad causes, your policy responds by replacing your personal property that was damaged. That could well be everything you own, if the leak went on for a long time because you were at work. This is why it’s so important to have a home inventory and to know the value of your property. That way you can make sure that you have enough coverage for a total loss from water damage or fire.
How Can I Get Renters Insurance With Instant Proof Of Coverage?
Did you know that some companies can’t sell you a renters insurance policy the same day? If you call Effective Coverage, you can get a policy the same day in most cases. Instant proof of coverage can be sent directly to your landlord. We’ll help you comply with all of their requirements, and our insurance experts can help you to get the right coverage for your needs and your budget.
Just call (800)892-4308 or click to get covered - whether you need Lincoln, NE renters insurance quotes online or coverage anywhere else!
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