Renters Insurance Safford, AZDo you require your tenants to carry renters insurance? If not, you should. Why? Because it matters. I have a cousin that is a defense lawyer for a large insurance company. He defends them for liability cases. He has seen ALL sorts of crazy situations, and has a way of telling the story. The other day, he was explaining a situation that caught my attention. Landlords rents to a family. Tenants have a dog that would “never bite anyone.” Dog bites a kid. Takes a chunk out of his calf. The landlord was smart, and required his tenants to carry renters insurance. The limits the renters had weren’t high, but the hospital bill was covered. Good for the landlord, right? Wrong. Landlord also gets sued. Why, because while the hospital bills were covered there was some pain and suffering that wasn’t. So, naturally it would be the landlord’s responsibility for having allowed such a vicious dog to be on the premise. The verdict in this case was still pending when I spoke with him. But the outcome is irrelevant. He was their defending the insured, which brings up 3 things we can learn.

  1. The Defense costs provided by your landlord insurance policy are extremely important, without it, this poor landlord would have been footing the bill for this case.
  2. It would appear this landlord would have been on the hook whether or not the tenant had insurance, but because the tenant had insurance, the loss to the landlord was less that what it could have otherwise been.
  3. Ask about them, screen them, maybe don’t rent to people with them, and if you do, please remember Inspector Clouseau (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg0CQKQWLJI). Simply asking if their dog bites, may not be sufficient. If you do rent to people with dogs remember there are certain dog breeds that should be excluded in all cases. These include Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Chows, Akitas, and other aggressive breeds. Yes, theirs might be the gentlest dog ever, but statistics show the bad liability claims are related to these types of breeds. Insurance companies don’t want to take the chance, and neither should you.

For a quote on renters insurance, contact us today.

Home Insurance Exclusions in Safford, AZUnderstanding what’s not covered on your insurance policy lets you know what other insurance coverage you might need. Here are some of the BIG Exclusions.

Section I Exclusions – A Soap Box

What! Not everything’s covered?

Not everything is covered. That’s the bottom-line. Something’s we can find coverage for, while for other things, we are just out of luck. That said, regardless of whether you buy a special policy or not, you need to understand the exclusions, in order to truly understand your policy. Here are some of the most important exclusions found in section one… Why do I say it that way? Because there is a whole other section, just for exclusions. I know, not easy.

  1. Land – insurance doesn’t cover land. Why? ‘Cause you can’t hurt, dirt. This is an important point when you get into the idea of how to value your home.
  2. Ordinance or Law – So, if your local elected officials decide that every new building has to have a statue of Big Bird, but old buildings don’t, and your rental property burns to the ground and you have to rebuild… Guess what? You have to get that statue of Big Bird. Guess what else? The insurance company won’t pay for that. While no one requires Big Bird statues, there are other things, like sprinkler systems, where this happens all the time.
  3. Earth Movement – Now, depending on the state, you may or may not find earthquake coverage available. Even when earthquake coverage is available, things like, landslide, mine cave-ins, mudflow, sinkholes, etc. may not be covered. Can you get this coverage? You can in some states with a separate policy. Learn more about our catastrophic coverage policy here.
  4. Water – We all know Flood, tidal waves, etc. are not covered. What about overflows from drains, sump-pumps or sewers? Nope. Water is a tough one.
  5. Intentional Loss – For investors, this is big. It means there is no coverage for damage your tenants cause…. Which means it’s important to screen your tenants, so as to hopefully avoid the tenant that steals the copper and skates.

There are more, but these are the most important ones, in MY opinion. So, read the policy and find out what else might be important.

To get an incredible quote these coverage sections start our online quote form. To talk to a licensed agent about this coverage call us at 1-877-784-6787.

This coverage explanation is for illustration purposes only and is general in nature. Coverage explained here may not apply to your policy, State, company, or situation. For more information about how your policy would respond in the event of a loss, please refer to the terms and conditions and declarations page of your policy.

Rental Home Insurance Safford, AZInsurance policies have their own dictionaries? Yes it’s called the definitions and there is a reason they define things, so there are no questions later.

Rental Home Insurance Definitions

Demystifying your insurance policy

The definitions of any insurance policy are super important, especially for Rental property coverage,  and unfortunately they are usually clear as mud. But, they make a HUGE difference in how things are covered. So while you might have an idea of what a given word means, it is important to understand how the insurance company defines things.

For example, there are a few basic definitions that anyone looking at a policy should understand.

  1. You: You’ll want to always be a “you” in policy. Why? Because the named insured gets the best coverage. Period. What do I mean? Remember that thing I said about the declarations page “driving” the policy. Well, the policy contract, that big stack of stuff that comes in the mail, doesn’t have your name on it, as it is general in nature.  Instead, it says things like “you” will be covered. In the definitions it says things like, “you” and ”your” to refer to the named insured, which is shown in the declarations. See why being a “you” is so important? I know, I know, clear as mud.
  1. Bodily Injury: You might also see a definition for bodily injury that will say something like, “Bodily harm, sickness or disease including death.” Notice that there is no coverage for personal injury, which includes things like libel, slander, false arrest, wrongful eviction, and invasion of privacy. This can be a big hole in an insurance policy and underscores the need for you to be a wise investor and landlord, NOT someone shooting from the hip. In fact, many companies covering rental properties will define their liability as “premises liability” to ensure there is no confusion about their lack of coverage for personal injury. Now, some companies will have an endorsement where you can add personal injury coverage, but not all so be sure you know what you are buying.

Alright, alright, I will step down from my soap box, but these are important things to know, because it could affect your decision making. Make sure you are a “you” in your policy, make sure purchase coverage for personal injury, and make sure you have a risk management strategy for avoiding personal injury claims, due to a wrongfully evicted a tenant, or crossed a privacy line. See, definitions matter.

Start your quote online now, or contact with questions about the definitions. Our licensed agents can walk you through the process, just call 1-877-784-6787.