Your Step-by-Step Guide to Handling Insurance Claims and Understanding Your Rights as a Renter

As a renter, dealing with an insurance claim affecting your apartment can be a daunting and confusing experience. In fact, one of the most common questions we receive is what this process looks like for renters and what their rights may be in such a situation.

While being a renter will affect the claims process and coverages that may be available to you, knowing the right steps to take and understanding your rights can help streamline the process and ensure you receive the support you need.

Here are some answers to common questions that we receive as well as tips you can take during, or even before, a claim occurs to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Notify Your Landlord Right Away

Inform your landlord or property management company about the damage as soon as possible. They may need to take immediate action to prevent further damage, such as contacting their local Disaster Blaster to begin Mitigation or Board Up Services that may be necessary.

Additionally, your landlord’s insurance may cover certain aspects of the damage, especially to the structure or building, so your landlord may choose to report a claim to their insurance company. Under renter’s rights, your landlord is responsible for maintaining the property and ensuring it is habitable, so they will want to get this process started as quickly as possible.

Inspect Your Personal Property and Contents for Damage

While your landlord’s insurance policy should cover the mitigation services and repairs that may be necessary to your apartment or the building itself, it will not cover damage that may have occurred to your personal property and contents.  This can be an area of frustration for tenants, as they are then responsible to go through all of their contents to determine what can be saved, what may need to be cleaned or restored, and what ultimately may need to be disposed of.  If you do have Renters Insurance (and it’s highly recommended that you do), you may need to submit an insurance claim under your Renters Insurance Policy in order to address damage that may have occurred to your property.

It’s important to keep in mind that it is extremely important to address your contents as quickly as possible, not only to prevent further damage to your personal property, but to also allow your landlord, their insurance company, and contractors to complete the necessary mitigation services and repairs to your apartment or the building.

Document all Damage to your Apartment and Contents

Once it is safe to do so, document the damage to your apartment and personal belongings. Take clear photographs and videos from multiple angles, and make a detailed inventory of the affected items. This evidence will be essential when filing your insurance claim with your Renters Insurance Company for cleaning or replacement.

We understand that experiencing damage to your home is extremely stressful and upsetting, but it is important work as quicky as possible to document damage effectively so that your renters insurance company is able to process your claim fairly and accurately.

Is Your Apartment Livable?

Depending upon the nature of damages that may have occurred to your apartment, it may be considered unlivable for a variety of reasons including not having a useable kitchen or bathroom or the property itself not being safe for habitation.  This can be extremely frustrating for tenants as your landlord’s insurance policy doesn’t cover hotel or living expenses that you may incur if you’re unable to live in your apartment.   Depending upon your landlord’s insurance policy, they may have “loss of use” coverage that will reimburse them for lost rental income if your apartment is deemed uninhabitable as a result of the claim.  This may mean that you won’t have to pay your rent until you’re able to move back in, but often the cost of a hotel stay and meal costs will be greater than your standard living expenses, which may create an additional burden.

If you do have Renters Insurance, there will often be coverage under your policy for living expenses that you may incur as a result of damage to your apartment, such as hotel stays and meal costs.  It’s important to note however that these costs, are reimbursable by your insurance company, so you will be responsible for upfront costs and will generally have to submit those receipts to your insurance company and wait to be reimbursed.  This can still create a burden for some tenants that may be on a budget, as these unplanned expenses can stretch your budget while waiting to be reimbursed.

What Can You Expect from the Claims Process?

Unfortunately, it’s very likely that the process to restore your apartment and get your lives back to normal will take longer than you expect.  A local mitigation company like Disaster Blaster may need to address water damage or boardup needs, your landlord’s insurance company will need to review and approve the repairs necessary at the property, your renters insurance company may need to review the contents damage to determine what will be covered for replacement and what may need to be cleaned, repair contractors will need to obtain work permits, the necessary repairs to the property will need to be completed, and then you’ll need to clean or replace your contents.  This process takes some time and, while everyone will work to resolve the claim as quickly as possible, a claim can be a significant disruption to your life.

The best way to ensure that the process runs smoothly and you’re able to get back into your home as quickly as possible is to promptly address contents that may be damaged or in the way.  Believe it or not, delays in addressing contents can dramatically delay repairs to your apartment and even cause further damage.  For example, if your content items are water damaged and aren’t removed or dried effectively, this wet content can actually cause further water damage or mold growth to the apartment or building.  Even if none of your contents were damaged as part of the claim, it may be necessary for you to move your property out of rooms that require repairs in order to facilitate that work.  While we completely understand that a claim leaves your life in disarray, the best way as a tenant to ensure that you’re able to get your life back to normal as quickly as possible is to be a constructive part of the process.  Not only does this allow you to save as much of your personal property as possible, but it also allows your landlord to get the repairs completed as quickly as they can.

How Can You Be Prepared for a Claim?

As a tenant, there are a few great ways to be prepared in the evet that a claim could occur in the future.

Purchase Renters Insurance – Many tenants don’t realize that their landlord’s insurance policy doesn’t cover their contents or expenses that may be incurred following a claim.  In fact, it is necessary for tenants to have their own Renters Insurance Coverage to protect themselves should something happen.  As always, we recommend contacting a local Insurance Agent that is able to assist you with your Renters Insurance needs as they are able to review different coverage options with you and find the perfect insurance policy to protect you in the event that a claim occurs.  As a general rule, we recommend a policy that covers the cleaning and / or replacement of your content items and personal property, as well as living expenses in the event that you can’t live in your apartment as a result of a claim.

Develop an Emergency Response Plan – Damage to your apartment, whether it’s a Pipe Break or a Fire, is never something you expect.  As a result, it’s always a good idea to have an emergency plan in place, and practice it with your family, to ensure that everyone knows what to do in the event something happens.  We strongly believe that everyone should have an Emergency Escape Plan and review it every year.  Here are more tips about developing an Emergency Escape Plan.

Ensure you have Working Smoke Detectors – When something happens, time is of the essence, which is why an early warning from smoke detectors is so important.  It’s recommended that you have smoke detectors on every floor, including in hallways, bedrooms, and in areas that have a high risk of fire, such as basements, garages, and kitchens.  Ensure your smoke detectors are working properly by testing them twice a year and replacing their batteries.

We hope this information was helpful and answered some of the questions you had about Renters Insurance and what you can expect from the claims process as a tenant.  While we hope you’re never in a situation where you’re dealing with an insurance claim, please don’t hesitate to Contact Your Local Disaster Blaster in the event you do need us.  We’re always happy to help!

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