Does McKinney, TX Renters Insurance Cover Mold?
That actually depends on how, why, and when the mold occurred. As we noted, mold is excluded from the policy form and then carved back with limited coverage. Why would they do this, instead of just making it part of the policy form? Because the amount of coverage for mold is limited, and to make sure that the specific coverage and exclusions are carefully set out in great detail. McKinney Renters Insurance offers some limited coverage for mold, but here’s the real truth:
In the vast majority of circumstances, you as an insured should never, ever need this coverage. If you do need it, you’re potentially looking at an exclusion. Let’s clarify a bit.
Sudden And Accidental
Renters insurance is designed to cover sudden and accidental losses which could not reasonably be covered by the insured. Sudden and accidental means that you couldn’t predict the loss and that there was little you could have done to prevent the loss. It does not cover things that you look at and say “I’ll deal with it later.”
Duty to Mitigate
Your renters insurance covers you for a loss caused by a peril named in the policy (or in an endorsement), but you have duties as well under the policy. Obviously, you have a duty to report the loss in a timely manner. But you also have a duty to mitigate the loss. What does that mean in plain English? It means that, to the extent you may safely do so, you must do what is in your power to stop the loss, or stop the loss from getting worse.
Obviously if the building is on fire, you can’t safely do anything at all to mitigate that loss. But mold is potentially a different set of circumstances.
Does McKinney, TX Renters Insurance Cover Mold?
Is the loss sudden and accidental?
Generally, no. Most residential mold losses not associated with a natural disaster arise over a period of time. More specifically, the conditions for mold to grow must exist over a period of time. That could mean that you have a leaking pipe or a leaking air conditioner, or that you continually fail to use normal care to clean up water from a shower. If the leak continues for a long time – as it generally must for a serious mold problem to exist – the loss is not sudden and accidental and therefore there is no coverage.
Did you attempt to mitigate the loss?
That can take a number of forms. You can place a bowl under a leaking pipe until maintenance can fix the leak, along with notifying them that the leak needs to be fixed. You can take note of the mold and immediately take steps to clean it or report it to maintenance who can do the same and identify the source of the problem. If you just let it continue until it becomes problematic and takes over your home, you have probably failed to mitigate the loss which is likely to jeopardize your coverage.
Mold Losses That Are Sudden And Accidental Often Have Coverage
The leak example clearly is a no coverage situation. However, there are situations which are beyond your control, sudden and accidental, and which carry only a minimal duty to mitigate because of the safety concern. If a pipe were to burst, rather than leak, there’s not much for you to mitigate other than notifying the landlord or shutting off water if you have access. Once the flow of water has been stopped, you likely are responsible to make sure your things are dried out, and you or the landlord are likely to hire professionals to take care of that.
If those professionals miss something, and mold results, or if there’s mold because the pipe and ceiling surrounding it weren’t properly repaired, you could well have coverage.
The answer, as always with insurance, is that it is extremely fact-dependent. To find out more, or to find out how affordable the coverage you family deserves can be, just call (800)892-4308 or click to get covered - whether you need McKinney renters insurance quotes online or coverage anywhere else!
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