Whenever you rent an apartment, house, or condo, having renters insurance is prudent. It safeguards your possessions, offers some liability coverage, and may even reimburse you for temporary accommodation if your rental unit becomes uninhabitable. But here is a renter’s dilemma: does renters insurance cover personal injury?
The short answer? It depends. Knowing the limitations and exclusions can save you a lot of money, not to mention, legal trouble later. Let’s explore it together.
Understanding Renters Insurance
What Is Renters Insurance?
Renters insurance functions as a protective umbrella for renters. It is tailored to protect you financially if an unforeseen event occurs, such as a theft or a fire, or a visitor getting injured in your house. While your landlord has insurance for the building, your renters policy compensates for the personal losses and liabilities you incur while residing in the unit.
Key Components of a Standard Renters Policy
Personal Property Coverage
This section compensates you for your personal belongings such as clothes, electronics, and furniture that may be damaged or stolen. Personal Property Coverage is not limited to your home, it also extends while you are traveling.
Liability Coverage
This is the most relevant section concerning personal injury. Liability coverage, as a general rule, helps pay for medical expenses, legal fees, or damages if you incur loss of an injury of someone or damage to their property.
Added Living Expenses
Added Living Expenses Coverage protects against additional costs that may arise from a covered disaster, such as relocating to a hotel, dining, or other expenses associated with the relocation, until the insured’s situation stabilizes.
Personal Injury Coverage
What Does “Personal Injury” Mean in Insurance Terms?
In day-to-day conversations, “personal injury” designsates an injury to a person’s body, typically in a physical sense. In the world of insurance, such terms may include non-physical injury such as libel, slander, or privacy infringement, subject to the terms of the insured’s policy.
Personal Injury vs. Bodily Injury – What’s The Difference?
- The bodily injury: Injurious damage dealt to a person’s body, inclusive of broken bones, burns, or concussions.
- Personal Injury: A form of injury that may include bodily injury, but also recovery makes reputational or emotional damage.
Because not all renters insurance plans include both, it is significant to understand the policy’s terms.
Does Renters Insurance Include Personal Injury Coverage
How Liability Coverage Comes into Play
Most renters insurance policies are considered standard and do not include add-ons, such as personal injury liability. However, renters insurance policies contain liability coverage, which may apply to personal injury. For example, if a person helps themselves to a drink from the fridge and sustains an injury due to negligence, such as tripping on a loose rug, the renter’s policy may cover the individual’s medical expenses and the renter’s legal expenses.
Frequent Events That Are Considered Personal Injury
Slip and Fall Mishaps In Your Apartment
When a guest visits and slips on a wet floor in your rental and sprains an ankle, liability coverage under your insurance will take care of their medical expenses. It will even come in handy if they choose to file a lawsuit against you.
Incidents Due to Inaction on Your Part
Let us say you left a skateboard in the corridor, and a guest happened to trip on it. This is where your renters insurance will save the day.
Personal Injury Scenarios That Are Not Included
Unfortunately, renters insurance will not protect you against the following:
- Intentionally caused injuries
- Illegal activity related injuries
- Work-related injuries (these fall under business insurance or workers’ comp)
- Injury to self or to household members
Things To Keep In Mind
Injury to Self and To Household Members
Your renters insurance will not help you, your partner, children, or anyone living in the same house. You will need to spare a dedicated medical insurance if you wish to pay the medical costs.
Intentionally Causing Injury
Your policy will not help you if you purposely inflict injury to others. Insurers will not help you if you choose to behave badly.
Business Related Incidents
Do you operate a business at home? In the event that a customer trips over a cord while walking in to the meeting, this will not be covered under insurance policy unless a separate business liability insurance is purchased.
High-Risk Activities
Are you hosting boxing matches in the living room? Probably not covered. Dangerous or high-risk activities sites are oftentimes omitted.
How to Ensure You Have Adequate Personal Injury Protection
Reviewing Your Current Policy
Borrowing from the renters insurance law, scrutinize the document and check for the liability coverage limit. Most policies start at $100,000. However, a medical bill and subsequent lawsuits may mount to more.
Considering Umbrella Insurance
Umbrella insurance is reminiscent of an extra shield. It activates when the balance in your renters policy is maxed out, affording you more protection from truly nasty claims.
Talking to Your Insurance Agent
Your insurance agent can walk you through what’s covered, what’s not, and how to add personal injury protection if it’s missing.
The Claims Process for Personal Injury
Steps to Take Immediately After an Incident
- Ensure everyone’s safe and if necessary, obtain medical attention.
- Take photos, and document what happened to create a narrative.
- Contact your insurance company and give notice of the incident at the earliest opportunity.
Documentation and Evidence
The smoother the claim process and the more proof you have, the better. This can include witness statements, medical reports, and photographs.
How Long It Takes to Get Paid
The longer the case is, the more the average person can expect to spend out of pocket, From a few weeks, or in some cases a few months, depends on the complexity of the case.
Cost Considerations for Increased Personal Injury Coverage
Estimated Increased Spending
Most of the time, personal injury coverage costs a few more dollars to add to a monthly plan. This extra payment is usually far cheaper than the price of a hospital visit.
Elements Impacting Your Spending
- Geographic area of your rental property
- Previous claims submitted
- Claims limit deductions
Avoiding Personal Injury Claims as Renters
Warding Off Personal Injuries
Securable items like hallways and clean spaces, firmly held rugs, and stable loose floorboards can help eliminate life preventing injuries thereby improving the quality of living.
Safe Partying
Safe to safely clean, provide clean-up, and to slow the amounts of risk. If a clean house provides safe walking, light and slow providing is clean and unspilled.
Final Notes on Coverage and Personal Risk
People covering themselves from injury should claim renters under minimal restrictions. Renters insurance primarily provides coverage for tangible personal property. Injuries to others for which the policyholder is legally liable can arise from constructive situations.
Certain situations may not be included, however, and policies differ. This is why it is so important to be able to customize and add on to a policy. Imagine it like a seatbelt, you hope you don’t need it, but it’s invaluable when you do.
While renters insurance covers certain liabilities, it’s also important to understand specific healthcare costs, like how much is a root canal without insurance or how much does a dental bridge cost, especially when these expenses aren’t covered by standard policies.
FAQs About Dental Bridge Cost
Does renters insurance cover dog bites?
With most renters policies, dog bites are covered under liability insurance. However, coverage would not apply if there was intent to harm, or if the dog was a restricted breed.
Is personal injury protection automatic in renters insurance?
Personal injury protection is not included in every renters policy. Some policies PIP coverage under liability, while PIP as an endorsement is available in some policies.
Can I add personal injury coverage later?
Most insurance providers will allow you to add personal injury coverage later. However, increasing your premium is a possibility.
Does renters insurance cover injuries outside my home?
Your policy might cover it — like if your dog bites someone at the park. But there could be limits, so check your policy.
What’s the difference between renters insurance and liability insurance?
Renters insurance offers more comprehensive coverage, including protection for your possessions and living expenses. Maintaining a policy that is solely liability insurance means there is no coverage for personal belongings.
