Renters insurance doesn’t cover damage and loss due to flooding. Even so, renters make the mistake of skipping flood coverage. Renters often assume they have nothing to cover, but they do. Think of everything you own and the cost of replacing it all. If your home is damaged by a flood and you don’t have flood insurance, your underlying renters policy won’t step in to cover your losses. This includes clothing, furniture, electronics and other personal belongings.
McBride Benefit Solutions, serving Florence, AL, and the surrounding areas, can help you protect your valuables and your budget from many types of damage, including floods.
Not All Water Damage Is Flood Damage
If water drips from the ceiling during a rainstorm or if a pipe bursts unexpectedly, your renter’s insurance should cover it. That’s because these events are not caused by floodwater. The immediate or root cause of an event is what determines whether you’re covered. In short, water damage can be caused by unforeseen mechanical failures, like a burst pipe or an upstairs neighbor’s overflowing bathtub.
How Flooding Affects Renters Policy Coverage
Flooding occurs when water enters your home through foundation seepage or from the ground outside. If your belongings are damaged by floodwater, including mudflow, you’ll need additional flood insurance for it to be covered. Otherwise, you won’t be covered, even though your renters policy covers your belongings. Why? Because flooding was the event that caused the damage, and flood damage is excluded in standard renters (and homeowners) policies. You’d need to add flood coverage or buy a separate flood policy.
Will Your Landlord’s Insurance Cover You After a Flood?
Your landlord might have flood insurance. However, that insurance only applies to damage to the building’s structure and the landlord’s belongings. Your belongings are not covered by your landlord. For example, if you rent a house and your landlord requires you to purchase your own appliances as part of the lease, your appliances would not be covered by your landlord’s flood policy. You’d need to have your own flood insurance to cover anything you own.
Fret not. McBride Benefit Solutions, serving Florence, AL, can help you find flood insurance to complement your renters policy to keep your belongings protected, no matter the weather.
Get Your Quote from McBride Benefit Solutions
Flood policies for renters cost less than traditional flood policies because they only cover your personal belongings and not the home’s structure. Contact us at 256-767-2703 to get your renters flood insurance quote. We’re happy to explain the details.
