Renter Insurance for Disaster Damages in California

Getting renter’s insurance is a necessary thing when you are renting an apartment or house, and until you own your own home, you will continue to deal with it. However, when you are in the midst of dealing with a disaster and the damages that have occurred, you will be happy that you have it.

Renter’s insurance can help cover the cost of replacement or repair of items that were broken so that you won’t have to pay out of pocket. However, not all major disasters are covered in California. So, let’s talk about what is covered and how you can get covered for the rest.

Renter’s Insurance Coverage

The main reason that you need to have renter’s insurance is that it will cover the costs of replacement or repairs if the event of a fire, vandalism, or theft. This will keep you from paying the high cost to replace your lost items. However, it is also meant for liability on your part, which covers you if someone were to get injured while on your rented property.

This is something that most landlords will require when you move in, to protect them from being the one to pay for damages or injuries. As long as you are renting a property, you will likely have renter’s insurance, just to be safe.

What it Doesn’t Cover

Renter insurance in California does not cover every possible thing that could occur. Two major things are not covered when a disaster occurs. One thing that is not covered is damage done by an earthquake. If you lose certain items due to a large earthquake, your insurance will not cover and replace it. This means you will be left to pay for it yourself.

Another thing that isn’t covered is flooding. If a disaster occurs and floods your residence, as much as you might think it should be covered, it might not be. Most renter’s insurance policies do not cover your items in the event of a flood. This could cost you a lot of money to fix, and you would have to pay for it with your own money.

This does not mean that you can’t get coverage at all for these types of events, but it does mean that you will have to get additional coverage on top of your renter’s insurance if you don’t want to pay for it yourself.

What Types of Additional Coverage is Needed?

When thinking about adding on extra coverage to your renter’s insurance, you will want to try and pair down on the options that you need. There are lots of extra insurance options that you can add on to your existing policy, but depending on where you live, you will only need a few of them.

In California, and more specifically Los Angeles, there is a higher chance of having an earthquake than in many other parts of the US. So, it is considered ideal for renters to have that additional coverage added to their policy. This will prevent you from needing to pay a lot of money for damages if an earthquake shakes your whole home and knocks over appliances, décor, or even furniture.

However, if you live in an area that is prone to flooding, then you may want to add that to your policy as well. Areas where big bodies or water could overflow and cause issues with your home, or in areas that get frequent rainstorms will be places that you want to add this type of insurance.

The Cost

Adding on additional insurance policies might sound like you are just throwing away money, but this is something that you don’t want to think about when a disaster hits. Having it when times are good might make you feel secure, but being caught with major damages and no insurance to cover it can be a huge mistake.

So, though it will be costing you more now, you want to do all you can to help yourself out in a disaster. That starts now when things are going well, but you will thank yourself later for having it.

Conclusion

Having renter’s insurance in California is a must, but getting damages covered during a disaster can’t be done by this policy alone. Whether you need one or both additional policies, you will want to prepare for the worst, just in case it comes about.

Feature Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay