In El Centro, CA, both homeownership and renting provide popular ways to find a great place to live. Some individuals might try to avoid the insurance required when they take out a mortgage by renting instead. At Armorcrest Insurance Services, we want you to understand that renting doesn’t guarantee you’ll avoid needing to buy an insurance policy.

Landlords Can Require Renter’s Insurance

In California, your landlord can require you to purchase a renter’s insurance policy. No, they don’t care that much about your stuff gaining protection. They’re looking out for their own liability.

Typically, their liability insurance policy covers the exterior areas of the building because they fall under the public domain. It also covers any public areas of the building in which you rent, such as a foyer that opens up to multiple apartments or a lobby.

Your renter’s insurance policy covers the liability from events occurring in your apartment or home. If someone falls and breaks a limb in your kitchen or bathroom or on your balcony, your insurance covers the liability.

The problem arises if you do not have insurance. The lawyers for the injured person or persons will look for a party to blame who has the money to pay the claim and who they could prove negligent. That’s the landlord.

Since the landlord has the legal requirement of building upkeep, if the fall in the bathroom occurred because a grab bar had come away from the wall, the landlord should fix it immediately. As long as the tenant can provide that they informed the landlord of the problem before the accident and the landlord had reasonable time to fix it, the landlord would be considered negligent.

For this reason, many landlords require you to carry a renter’s insurance policy. You’ll find the stipulation in your lease and many landlords won’t let you move in until you prove you own a renter’s insurance policy.

Contact Armorcrest Insurance Services

Let Armorcrest Insurance Services help you fulfill your renter’s insurance requirements in El Centro, CA. Contact us today for this important policy.