Welcome to our Winston-Salem, NC renters insurance guide. At Effective Coverage, we know that even with the recent pullout of many insurance carriers from the state, you still have plenty of choices for North Carolina Renters Insurance. We create these city and state renters insurance guides to help ensure that you’re making educated choices about the insurance options you have as a renter. Too many people go in blind and either buy a policy without understanding what it covers, or don’t understand the importance of Winston-Salem renters insurance. Nationally, fifty-six percent of Americans aren’t covered, and studies have shown that the primary reason those people don’t have renters insurance is because they don’t understand why it’s important to them or relevant to their lives.
If your neighbor started a fire accidentally, would you be able to afford a hotel with no notice while repairs are being made? What about replacing or cleaning the personal property they caused damage to? Winston-Salem, NC renters insurance would cover both of those things, and much more. Apartment fires happen every single day, and can be devastating. At the risk of referencing a certain popular, long-running television series, could Winston-Salem renters insurance be any more relevant to your life? That same show also, incidentally, features a character taking a dressing-down from her father over not having renters insurance. They made their point well.
Take a moment to review our guide to renters insurance in Winston-Salem and then call Effective Coverage to get protected today by the insurance experts for renters.
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Winston-Salem, NC Renters Insurance
Why Do I Need Winston-Salem, NC Renters Insurance?
The sheer number of apartment fires and other losses in this country are astounding. Almost invariably, it’s not the fault of the tenant who suffered the worst loss, it’s someone else’s fault. Don’t forget that jilted lovers seem to think that burning down their ex’s apartment is still a valid way to get their point across. At least weekly we see examples of that. But it’s not just fires that your property is protected against by Winston-Salem renters insurance. You’re also covered for theft, vandalism, and even water damage from broken pipes.
On top of that, what happens if you injure someone or damage their property? What if it’s your negligence that starts an apartment fire? How would you make those people whole? You wouldn’t be able to do it out-of-pocket, which is why your Winston-Salem, NC renters insurance comes with liability coverage. Injuries or property damage caused to another as a result of your negligence (i.e., accidentally) are covered. Equally importantly, a defense against those claims is covered under the policy. If the UPS driver claims you closed the door on his hand, leading to an injury, you simply notify your insurance company and tender your defense to them. They have the lawyers and the experience to defend you (and themselves) vigorously against those claims, and you don’t have to spend your life savings just to defend a claim that would be covered by the policy. Even if the claim is frivolous, you’re still entitled to the defense because the claim would still be paid if you were found to be the negligent one.
All of those things combine to make Winston-Salem renters insurance well worth having, and an incredible value. At an average price of $135 for the year, or about eleven dollars monthly, North Carolina Renters Insurance is more than worth the cost.
My Lease Says I’m Waiving Something About Responsibility For Damages – Does that Mean I Don’t Need Renters Insurance In Winston-Salem?
Ah, the fabled and oft misunderstood “tenant can’t be liable to the landlord” provision. Well-intentioned, we’re sure, but an odd piece of legislation. The section you’re asking about can be found here. Better known as NCGS 42-10, it reads in part:
“A tenant for life, or years, or for a less term, shall not be liable for damage occurring on the demised premises accidentally, and not withstanding reasonable diligence on his part, unless he so contract.”
At a quick glance at the black letter law, the above provision of statute would suggest that you don’t need liability coverage on your Winston-Salem renters insurance because accidental damaged to the demised premises (your apartment) isn’t your problem and you can’t be held liable for it.
That would be a very serious mistake. Every residential lease in North Carolina written by a lawyer with even an ounce of sense contains language that, by your signature, you waive the provisions of the above statute. A landlord would be remiss not to require that waiver, in fact If the provisions of the law were applicable to a tenant who burned the building down, not only would the landlord have no cause of action against the tenant, but the landlord’s insurance company wouldn’t even be able to subrogate against that tenant because their only right of recovery is in the landlord’s stead, which he assigned to them when they paid the claim.
Because it’s so often waived in this fashion as part of the lease, the provisions of NCGS 42-10 are utterly irrelevant. You still need liability coverage on your Winston-Salem renters insurance.
Renting In Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem, NC is a city in Forsyth County, NC, as well as the county seat. It’s located just west of Greensboro and High Point, and is home to almost a quarter of a million people. Since 2000, the population has grown by more than twenty-seven percent, so the city must be doing something right to attract people that quickly! Slightly younger overall with a median age of 34 years than the rest of the state (median age of 37), Winston-Salem has attracted a wide spectrum of younger residents who bring vitality and cultural depth to the community.
The average home only costs $145,000 here, and the median rent is just $680 a month. It’s difficult to beat that cost of living inside a major city, especially one so close to everything. Winston-Salem is dedicated to both the fine arts and high-tech research. The city, of course, was named for two brands of R.J. Reynolds cigarettes, and is also known as the “Camel City”, a reference to Joe Camel and his iconic presence in generations of magazine and television advertisements. According to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, just twenty-nine percent of the adult population of this town were smokers in 2001, but that doesn’t change the fact that RJR is a large part of the city’s history and economy. That rate is actually down to twenty percent as of 2013, according to Forsyth County.
Reynolds actually built several hundred houses and sold them to its workers at cost in order to attract employees, which started a period of rapid growth that would last until today. With a great climate, plenty to do, and fantastic economic prospects, it’s no wonder so many people choose to make their home here. When you find your perfect apartment, don’t forget to protect it with Winston-Salem, NC renters insurance from the experts at Effective Coverage.