When you’re living in someone else’s property, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking anything that goes wrong while you’re living there is the owner’s responsibility.
It’s for this reason that many tenants overlook the benefits of renter’s insurance. Many dismiss it as an unnecessary expense, due to the fact that in many cases, it is correct that the owner is responsible for footing the bill when it comes to maintenance or property repairs.
However, many tenants are not aware that if a landlord makes a claim on their insurance due to an incident at their property, if it was caused by the tenants (whether accidental or not), the insurance company will turn to the tenants to recoup their losses. And if the tenant does not have their own insurance, they could be made to repay some of these costs themselves.
Recently, one of our tenants accidentally caused a fire in the kitchen, destroying the kitchen and rendering the property unlivable. They had to vacate the property immediately and find emergency accommodation. Many of their belongings were destroyed and they were placed in financial hardship as they had not taken out tenant insurance.
Furthermore, the damage bill to the house amounted to over $100,000 which was covered under the landlord’s insurance – who will be seeking to recover these costs form the tenant. If this tenant had taken out insurance, they would have been able to claim their damaged belongings and not have to worry about being chased for money by the landlord’s insurer.
Could you afford to replace everything if your contents were damaged beyond repair?
Most people can’t. It’s easy to underestimate the value of your contents until you stop and think about how disruptive it would be if you had to fork out enough money to replace everything at the drop of a hat.
Many renters dismiss renter’s insurance as an expense they cannot afford, however a basic policy is very affordable – as low as just $5 per week! That’s an incredibly small price to pay for peace of mind.
Disaster can strike at any time. Being prepared in the event that one does occur is the difference between such an incident being a minor inconvenience, or a life-altering catastrophe.
For information visit our website for the fact sheet – https://ezyapprent.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/T_Tenant_Insurance.pdf
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