Did you know that clothes dryers are one of the leading causes of apartment fires?
The worst part is that they’re entirely preventable. Failure of your neighbor to clean his lint trap could result in smoke damage to your apartment, water damage in your apartment, and even a total loss of apartment contents! The highest incidence of clothes dryer fires are in apartments because someone didn’t clean his lint trap!
You may be a reponsible person, but that doesn’t mean your neighbors are!
Modern apartments and townhomes are built with fire walls between the. If a fire makes it to the roof or the siding, fire walls are not always a perfect solution. Studies show that fifty-six percent of American tenants don’t have renters insurance. If you’re among that number, your only recourse for a fire someone else caused would be his liability coverage. If he is also among that fifty-six percent and does not have renters legal liability coverage, or he only has an RLL waiver for apartment liability, you have nothing left.
The landlord isn’t responsible for your property.
Personal property coverage is included on every tenant insurance policy sold by Effective Coverage. This is critical for renters so that you have coverage even if the person responsible for a loss isn’t able to make you whole. It only takes one mistake by “someone else” to lose everything you’ve worked so hard to obtain. Don’t let yourself be forced to start over!
Around 2,900 clothes dryer fires in rental units are reported to fire departments annually in the US.
The damage? $35 Million, says the US Fire Administration in its report Clothes Dryer Fires in Residential Buildings. The report reviews types of dryer fires in multi-family housing and was based on national fire data. 84% of dryer fires were accounted for in rented housing. Lint is extremely flammable and also can get stuck in the vent as well as in the trap. This stops air flow and causes fires.
According to the report:
- Clothes dryer fire incidence in residential buildings was higher in the fall and winter months, peaking in January at 11 percent.
- Failure to clean (34 percent) was the leading factor contributing to the ignition of clothes dryer fires in residential buildings.
- Dust, fiber, and lint (28 percent) and clothing not on a person (27 percent) were, by far, the leading items first ignited in clothes dryer fires in residential buildings.
- Fifty-four percent of clothes dryer fires in residential buildings were confined to the object of origin.
Once again, remember that your own fastidiousness does not prevent the oversight of others in your building!
Many managed communities require renters insurance so that liability coverage is available if someone does negligently start a fire or otherwise harm his neighbors. Even when it’s not required, Effective Coverage recommends coverage and can help you protect yourself and your property for less money than your daily cup of coffee!