by rusty » Fri Dec 14, 2007 01:24 am
I left the gas stove on in my apartment, and while i was away, the fire department broke in to turn it off. I'm in a bit of a battle between my landlord and renters insurance(travelers) over who should pay to fix the door. My insurance company says that because I do not own the door, i can not claim it under my property or liability insurance. Since the door is part of the building, it should be covered under the master condominium insurance policy.
I feel that i am liable for the damages and that it should be covered by my renters insurance, and Travelers is just trying to get out of cutting me a check.
Does anyone have any similar experiences or can offer some suggestions/info.
Thanks
I feel that i am liable for the damages and that it should be covered by my renters insurance, and Travelers is just trying to get out of cutting me a check.
Does anyone have any similar experiences or can offer some suggestions/info.
Thanks
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 08:08 am Post Subject:
I'm just going out on a limb here, but I'm sure that you would have to pay it because you had left the gas on. Because you left it on, the fire department had to break in to turn it off before there was an accident. Gas leaks are always taken seriously.
Even if you could claim it on the insurance, they would probably deny it because you had left the gas on. It's not as though the gas was coming out of a rusted pipe.
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:39 am Post Subject:
Good morning Rusty and welcome to the community...
I'm a little confused because you say renters policy but then you also speak of condo...Do you own the condo where the fire occured or do you rent it?
I feel that i am liable for the damages and that it should be covered by my renters insurance, and Travelers is just trying to get out of cutting me a check.
While you may 'feel' a moral obligation to replace this door (and I'm not disagreeing with that I think you do too), that doesn't mean your insurance policy has the same obligation. If it's a renters policy then you have insured your contents, NOT the building you live in or any part of the same. Now renters policys generally have some coverage in them for the damages caused by your negligence, (liability) which frankly this was however I'm betting that your policy also (apparently) excludes damages to the building you are renting...What EXACTLY did travelers pay for re: the fire, and what EXACTLY is their reason for the door denial? They have to provide you in writing the reasons anytime they deny something... More info if you please and perhaps we can be of more assistance, also might let us know your state..
Also
Travelers is just trying to get out of cutting me a check.
I assure you Travelers doesn't care one hoot about the cost of this door...it is peanuts to them...They do however care about paying for what they owe, or agreed to cover/pay for under the policy contract and no more.Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 04:44 am Post Subject:
Hello rusty, I too agree that if yours is the renter's policy, then ‘Travelers' is right in declining the claim. Its quite normal for you to face the moral obligation but at the same time you need to understand this fact my friend, that renter's policy only covers the belongings of the policy holder and doesn't cover the structure of the building. Therefore, the door, which is a part of the structure, may not receive coverage under the policy.
HO-6, in contrast to the renter's policy, insures the dwelling also. Therefore, may cover the damages caused to the door.
Please try to ascertain whether you have taken out a renter's policy or HO-6, and also re-read the terms and conditions written in the policy document. It'll help you to determine the perils covered or excluded in the policy.
Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 04:32 pm Post Subject:
I'll try to clarify some things. I am renting my apartment and have renter's insurance. It is an apartment in a condo community that has a mix of renters and owners. My insurance company said that i can't be insured for the door damage because i do not own the door. He also said that under Maryland state law, the condominium i live in must cover this type of damage under their condo master insurance policy, regardless of whether I am an owner or renter. For this reason, the my insurance agent said that Traveler's is not obligated to cover the damages.
I was able to find some documentation on the state law, which looked to follow along with what my agent said, except it referred to "unit owners", which i am not. It also stated that if the unit owner was at fault, they could be liable for the condominium master policy's deductible, up to $1000.
Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 05:03 pm Post Subject:
OP It sounds that your agent has clearly explained the denial and is correct...The difference (the 1k liability ) is for a condo owner and a condo policy may slip that 1k coverage for the condo. associations deduct in their policy but you are not a unit owner, rather a renter.....which you too clearly understand and stated....so what it comes down to is that your renters policy will not cover it and your state even says you don't owe it..right? Could they sue you for it? maybe...how much is the door?
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 02:56 am Post Subject:
Do you have renters or is it just content insurance, because content insurance in my experience would not pay for it, it would only pay for your contents, but renters should cover the cost of the door.
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 05:26 pm Post Subject:
Think you got things twisted around dreamer. OP does have renters which in effect is contents insurance with some added coverages (liability, additional living expense etc.)...and no coverage for the door or structure/dwelling.
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