A Few Pointers Needed About Renters Insurance

[jonbon]

Hi ,

We had a fire in our apartment's balcony last week caused by a wastepaper basked in which we were disposing our cigarettes ; the damages were as follows - a minor section of our balcony burnt down ; when the fire department came in they had take down a couple of bricks and undo some carpeting and remove some portion of the flooring to ensure that the fire had not crept in.

Our claims handler is saying that the renters insurance will only pay for the damage to the balcony and that it will not cover the damages to the wall and the floor/carpet.
Our apartment management seems to feel that the renters should cover ecerything (if it doesnt we'll have to pay for everything which will run into 5-6K )

Have you guys ever heard of a similar problem and what is the acceptable solution ; should the Renters cover all the damages!

Any pointers would be much appreciated!

 

[Guest]

Personally, I think since you were throwing Cigarette butts in a trash can, you should have to pay every friggin penny of it out of your own pocket......

You could have burned the entire building down and ruined some peoples lives...........but let me guess, you think it is no big deal?

 

[ahennings]

Hi ,

We had a fire in our apartment's balcony last week caused by a wastepaper basked in which we were disposing our cigarettes ; the damages were as follows - a minor section of our balcony burnt down ; when the fire department came in they had take down a couple of bricks and undo some carpeting and remove some portion of the flooring to ensure that the fire had not crept in.

Our claims handler is saying that the renters insurance will only pay for the damage to the balcony and that it will not cover the damages to the wall and the floor/carpet.
Our apartment management seems to feel that the renters should cover ecerything (if it doesnt we'll have to pay for everything which will run into 5-6K )

Have you guys ever heard of a similar problem and what is the acceptable solution ; should the Renters cover all the damages!

Any pointers would be much appreciated!

A renters policy is meant to cover your personal property (TV, couches, clothes etc.) not any of the building itself. So, the fact that your claims agent will only cover damage to the balcony, isn't suprising. The personal liability limits of your policy is generally $100,000 which usually covers you if you get sued and are legally obligated to pay it. So, that might only pay if the Apartment complex sues you for the damages. I think the apartment complexes insurance policy would be on the hook to fix that portion that your renters policy doesn't cover. They probably don't want to file a claim over it and find it easier to push you around for the money. But it might also depend upon how your lease is worded regarding damage to your unit. I'm just speculating here, but since you're negligent, your lease might say you're responsible for the damages.

Not sure if that adequately answers your question, but hopefully it helps some.