Gabby, who has renters insurance in Boulder, CO, writes to us today to ask:
If someone gets hurt in my apartment, does renters insurance cover it?
That’s a great question Gabby. We’ll operate on the assumption that the person injured is neither on your policy nor a household resident, as either would complicate the question.
Does Renters Insurance Cover If Someone Gets Hurt In My Apartment?
Today’s question is whether or not renters insurance covers someone being injured in your apartment. There are actually two types of coverage that might apply, so let’s take a look with the renters insurance experts…
Gabby, going on the above assumption that it was not a household resident who got injured and that it was an accident, there are two ways that a renters insurance policy could respond to something like this.
Does Renters Insurance Cover If Someone Gets Hurt In My Apartment?
Does Renters Insurance Cover If Someone Gets Hurt In My Apartment? Medical Payments To Others
Medical payments to others is a renters insurance coverage that doesn’t take fault into account. What it does is cover injuries to other people (non-resident and not insured under the policy) without having to determine who caused it, or going to the level of a full out liability claim. This type of claim occurs in specific situations. An example of this type of situation could be a college student having some friends over to his apartment for a game of Nerf darts. Unfortunately things got out of hand quickly, and one of the friends took a Nerf dart to the eye. Although it didn’t require emergency room attention, an urgent care visit did occur. Without determining fault, medical payments to others on renters insurance would pay for the visit to urgent care. Although fault wouldn’t have been difficult to find due to there likely being a negligence issue, the medical payments to others claim worked quickly and efficiently to provide for the injured party. Remember, medical payments to others on renters insurance is exactly that: medical payments to others not resident and/or insured.
Does Renters Insurance Cover If Someone Gets Hurt In My Apartment? Liability
Liability coverage on your renters insurance policy can help with larger issues. If someone is injured due to your negligence, on or off your property, renters insurance liability coverage can respond to that injury. For example, if you failed to properly secure a rug and a guest trips over it, resulting in a broken ankle, liability coverage is there to protect you. Liability coverage is attached to the insured, not to the apartment, so if you negligently injure someone off-premises, it can respond to that as well.
In this overly litigious time, there are numerous ways someone could get injured or have their property damaged that would make it your fault, despite your intentions. One of the great things about renters insurance is that most policies also provide for defense costs. Ultimately, if someone sues you for the injuries you caused, they’re also suing your insurance carrier. Your renters insurance policy is written by a company that’s commonly understood to have a “duty to defend” the policyholder. If you couldn’t afford a lawyer and got a million dollar judgment against you because of it, it would cost the insurance carrier ten times what a $50,000 settlement and payment of legal fees might cost them, so it’s logical that they take those steps.
For more information on renters insurance in general, or to ask does renters insurance cover if someone gets hurt in my apartment, call the renters insurance experts at Effective Coverage at (800)892-4308 or click above for a free quote.