Ashley, who has renters insurance in Fort Lee, NJ wants to know, Does renters insurance cover fire? There are several moving parts to that answer. Let’s dig into them and find out.
Ashley, who has renters insurance in Fort Lee, NJ, wrote to the renters insurance experts at Effective Coverage because she wanted to know,
Does renters insurance cover fire?
Does Renters Insurance Cover Fire?
Your renters insurance comes with several different types of coverage. Each might respond to fire in a different way, and it’s important to remember that each has separate limits and coverage. This impacts how you use the coverage. Because coverages respond differently and to different types of losses resulting from fire, it’s important to understand how each coverage helps you, as part of understanding does renters insurance cover fire.
Does Renters Insurance Cover Fire: Personal Property
Fire is a covered peril under contents or personal property coverage on your renters insurance. That means that you have coverage for property that is lost as a result of a fire. Most renters insurance policies include replacement cost vs actual cash value coverage. This means that you get the amount necessary to replace the property, not just the current depreciated value. Make sure to check your policy for “replacement cost contents” or similar phrasing. You really don’t want the actual cash value of your ten year old couch!
Whether you negligently start the fire or someone else causes it doesn’t really come into play here, aside from the criminal acts exclusion. Fire is fire, and fire is a covered peril. So the answer is yes. Renters insurance does cover fire.
Does Renters Insurance Cover Fire: Liability
Does renters insurance cover fire liability? Absolutely. If you inadvertently cause a fire through your negligence, renters insurance liability coverage can kick in. If you want to know does renters insurance cover fire liability, you’ll be happy to find out that your coverage can respond to any third party (i.e. not a named insured) who is injured or suffers property damage as a result of that negligence. That’s why you don’t list the landlord as additional insured. Renters insurance covers fire for things like a neighbor with smoke inhalation and damage to the building.
Does Renters Insurance Cover Fire: Medical Payments To Others
Does renters insurance cover fire under medical payments to others? Yes, though it’s a small coverage. Medical payments to others is a small no-fault coverage for when someone is injured by you but fault is not required to be proven or worth proving for a small injury. If your kitchen fire is rapidly extinguished but causes the smoke alarms to go off and someone turns his ankle as he evacuates the building because of your fire, medical payments to others could quickly respond to that sort of need.
Does Renters Insurance Cover Fire: Loss Of Use
Loss Of Use is a coverage on your renters insurance policy designed for situations like a fire where the apartment is uninhabitable. It pays for additional living expenses when you suffer a covered loss, like a fire. Things like a hotel while your apartment is being repainted after a fire, for example, are covered under renters insurance loss of use.
Does Renters Insurance Cover Fire?
Yes, renters insurance covers fire from many different angles. The best way to find out more is to ask the insurance provider recommended by your neighbors, Effective Coverage. With a focus on the insurance needs of renters, Effective Coverage can help you get the coverage you need at the price you deserve. Call (800) 892-4308 or click above for a free, instant online renters insurance quote!