I am currently deployed to afghanistan, so my apologies in advance if I’m a bit vague. My wife best friend is renting a house. Yesterday, a fire broke out because of the refrigerator. The fire department isn’t doing an investigation on it. They found the cause right away. Now, my question is this. She didn’t have renters insurance and everything is a total loss. If not by the fire, by the water and smoke damage. She lives in Fayetteville, NC. Would the homeowner be responsible for covering any of the replacement of the items since it was caused by his appliances? I’m grasping at straws on this one. I told her that it would probably have to be handled by the court on this one. But, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Brian
Home | Insurance | Blog article: If you don't have renters insurance, does any of the homeowners insurance cover anything?
mbrcatz 6:02 pm on August 30, 2010
No, the homeowner isn’t responsible for any of the items owned by the renter. Unless you specifically insured "property of tenant" on your fire policy, there is no coverage for her.
And regarding handling by court – you realize, that means she has to sue YOU, right? And just because she sues you, doesn’t mean that your policy will pay out, even if she wins. There are exclusions – and one of the exclusions on the policy, is property to a tenant.
tro 6:02 pm on August 30, 2010
the landlord would need to determine if his policy covered the appliances and how much coverage for the renter in the case the damage was due to the landlord
ordinarily personal possession of a renter are their responsibility
S 6:02 pm on August 30, 2010
If the appliances failed due to the home owners negligence, or even due to manufacturing negligence, then the renter could sue the home owner for the value of her property.
The home owner’s insurance may very well provide some form of general liability coverage for this type of suit brought by the tenant.
However, if the appliances failed due to actions on the renter (left a burner on, for example), it is highly unlikely a law suit would be successful.
sashazur 6:02 pm on August 30, 2010
Homeowner’s insurance does not cover damage to the renter’s personal property.
If it did, there wouldn’t be any need for renter’s insurance.
So in this case, the homeowner would presumably be covered for stuff like appliances, repainting, structural damage, etc. – but anything belonging to the renter including furniture, clothes, personal items, etc. would not be covered.
As far as going to court, maybe you could sue the fridge manufacturer? Or the homeowner if he knew the fridge was dangerous? Either way you would probably have to show they knew the fridge was a risk. Best to ask an attorney about this.
Rudy 6:02 pm on August 30, 2010
Simple answer . . .NO.
The insurance the landlord has only covers the home it self and maybe the appliances if they are provided to the renter. It does not cover any renter contents.
Renter insurance is really cheap, only about $200.00 per year.
Just what do you think she will get in court, she will loss. At best it was a act of god. She can not blame the landlord or the refrigerator for her lost.