One of the benefits of partnering with Western Insurance Associates in Spokane, WA is having access to genuine insurance professionals who can answer your questions.

These queries range across various domains, from car insurance to life, homeowners insurance, and even renters’ insurance. One common question we encounter is whether a tenant can be obligated to carry renters’ insurance. Here’s what you need to know:

Renters insurance is not a legal requirement.

While the law mandates drivers to carry car insurance, there is no such legal requirement in place for renters’ insurance.

Can my landlord require me to carry it?

Property owners, landlords, or property managers can indeed require tenants to secure renters’ insurance. This stipulation is becoming increasingly common in lease agreements.

The landlord’s insurance does not protect your personal belongings.

While the property owner may have their own insurance policy, it likely does not cover the tenant’s personal belongings. This is one reason some landlords mandate tenants secure renters’ insurance.

What does renters insurance cover?

Renters insurance protects personal items such as furniture, kitchenware, clothes, bedding, jewelry, and others from theft, fire, and vandalism. Electronics may be covered according to the specifics outlined in the policy. Personal belongings may also be covered when the insured is traveling.

Another valuable aspect of renters insurance is the liability protection it can provide should a friend, visitor, or delivery person sustain an injury while on the rented property.

Contact Western Insurance Associates for a quote.

One of the often surprising aspects of renters insurance is its affordability. If you would like a quote, contact us at Western Insurance Associates in Spokane, WA. After a few simple questions, we can provide one.

We look forward to assisting you.

In earlier blogs, Western Insurance Associates provided a general introduction to renter’s insurance. In this article, we’ll cover the riders you can add to a renter’s insurance policy to protect the items in your Spokane, WA leased home.

It also protects items that exceed the value of the coverage limits. Adding a rider can cover the amount exceeding the standard policy’s coverage limit. This method ensures you don’t have to pay out of pocket for a loss.

What Can You Add?

The riders, also called endorsements or schedules, cover various items. You can cover expensive jewelry items with an endorsement or hobbyist equipment like a professional 35mm camera. You can also insure a collection, such as guitars or basses, by using a rider for renters insurance.

Other types of endorsements protect all of your belongings, such as a drain and sewer backup rider. If the sewer backs up and floods your rented home, this rider covers replacing your damaged belongings.

You can add a rider to cover nearly any type of equipment or collectible item or items. This includes items you only need temporary coverage for, such as an engagement ring—some riders you can obtain for a limited time.

Contact Western Insurance Associates Today

If you’re curious about what you can protect with riders, contact Western Insurance Associates. Let us discuss the items you want to protect in your rented Spokane, WA home and help you choose the riders that will fully protect your belongings.

Here at Western Insurance Associates, serving the greater Spokane, WA area, our team can help you get the insurance products and coverage you need. One of the products that we are pleased to offer to our customers is renters insurance. Unfortunately, we have found that many renters have questions about insurance, including the common language used in these policies. Here are two questions you may have about renters insurance and the answers.  

What is Renters Insurance?

Renters’ insurance helps to protect you against damage done to their belongings in a rental dwelling, while also covering their living expenses if the space they are renting becomes uninhabitable due to an unexpected event. Many renters think that the owner’s homeowners insurance policy will cover their belongings, but homeowners insurance policies do not cover renters. 

What Does it Mean When It Says Renters Insurance Covers Living Expenses?

When a renters insurance policy states that it will cover living expenses, it means that the policy will help ensure you have a roof over your head if an unexpected event, such as a fire or a pipe bursting, prevents you from living in your rental home. The policy will pay the difference between your current rent and the reasonable cost of a short-term rental until your rental home is repaired or you find a new rental home to live in. 

If you rent a home, an apartment, a condo, or even a room in someone else’s house, you should have renters insurance. If you do not have renters insurance or are unsure if you have enough coverage, let the team at Western Insurance Associates, serving the greater Spokane, WA area, assist you. Call us today to get started. 

Accidents can happen anytime, and sometimes when renting, the dwelling you live in gets damaged. Broken windows are common among renters, and many renters’ insurance policies do cover the damage. However, there are some limitations, and you must ensure you have the proper renters insurance coverage to fully protect you when renting in Spokane, WA.

If you still have questions about renters insurance and if broken windows are covered, call us at Western Insurance Associates today.

What If Someone Else Breaks the Window? 

The liability section of a basic renters insurance policy covers the damage to a broken window if someone else breaks it. Then, the insurance company would go after the person responsible for the damage to recoup their costs, including covering all expenses and legal fees associated with seeking damages from the responsible party.

What If I Break the Window? 

If you break the window in your rental, your insurance will not cover the damages or costs to repair the window. Even if you accidentally break the window by knocking into it, your insurance policy will not cover it.

What If I Break Someone Else’s Window? 

In the event you are found responsible for breaking someone else’s window. For example, if you are playing football in the yard outside someone else’s home and the football flies into the window, breaking it, your insurance will cover repair and replacement costs. However, you may have some out-of-pocket costs based on your policy’s deductible and maximum payout limits.

What If Something Else Causes the Window to Break? 

Renters insurance policies have covered perils listed out, stating if they are covered or not. For example, common perils where a broken window is covered include fire, burglary, or high winds. Also, check with your insurance policy and landlord because some perils might be covered under the landlord’s insurance.

Do you have more questions about broken windows and insurance coverage in Spokane, WA? Call the agents at Western Insurance Associates for more information.

For anyone renting a home, apartment, or other dwellings, having proper renters insurance can help them protect their personal belongings. A lot of renters choose to go without this valuable insurance, but that can put them at risk if there’s a flood, fire, or other types of problems with the property they’re renting. Some renters may also not realize that they need this insurance, or may incorrectly assume that the landlord’s home policy will cover the things they bring with them. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The landlord’s policy only covers the structure, and it is the renter’s responsibility to protect what’s inside it. At Western Insurance Associates, we can help.

If you’re in the Fairfield or Spokane, WA area, our trusted agents are standing by to provide you with information and quotes on the level and type of coverage that will be right for your situation. Getting a policy to protect your belongings when you’re renting generally isn’t difficult and doesn’t take a long time. We can help make the process as streamlined and easy as possible, so you can get your coverage and get back to enjoying your new space. When you rent, you want to feel at home. Part of that is feeling settled and having security and peace of mind. With the right insurance, that settled in feeling comes much more easily.

Often when people are renting an apartment or space, they don’t consider the need for renter’s insurance. If your possessions and belongings are lost, stolen, or get damaged while renting, they will need to be insured to receive compensation on their loss. The landlord may have a policy in place, but this only covers the actual property. You can get personal renters insurance to know that your possessions are protected. 

If someone is injured in the apartment or dwelling, a liability claim that might happen can be covered by this type of insurance up to limits set in the policy. Western Insurance Associates has agents in Spokane, WA that can work with you and help you understand insurance matters.

Are Belongings Covered?

Renters insurance will cover loss of possessions from fire, vandalism, theft, and other incidents. Discussing how much coverage you need for what you own with an agent will help you determine the best policy and limit for your situation. A comprehensive policy will cover more than a basic renters insurance policy.

Other Types of Coverage

Personal liability and incidents where medical bills happen, like someone being injured in your apartment, are where renters insurance can help. If your dwelling is made uninhabitable, renters insurance covers expenses like temporary housing and food. The benefits of having this type of insurance are abundant.

If you are a renter and are interested in coverage, Western Insurance Associates agents can talk with you about your options for renter’s insurance. The agents at Wester Insurance Associates in Spokane, WA have experience with this type of coverage and will be happy to find you a reliable policy. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment to speak with one of our agents.