Rice on the Side

    Sadly, this isn’t a line from a joke, but instead from a situation I experienced personally. It was about 8 years ago and I had yet to join the insurance industry. My own agent at the time hadn’t spoken with me about insurance for my home because I was renting an apartment, and he made the assumption that I didn’t need coverage. Boy was he wrong!

    It was a little after 9pm and I was just getting home from a long day of work, then night classes at the community college when I opened my front door to be greeted by a wave of water coming out of the apartment. It didn’t take long to realize that the hot water tank in the apartment upstairs had burst, and its contents were pouring into my kitchen, bedroom and bathroom through the light fixtures, outlets, and fuse box. I spent the next three hours on the phone with the landlord, and their cleanup crew.

    While my landlord was super apologetic and provided me with a hotel room for the two weeks that my apartment was being dried out; I did still have to face the fact that the majority of my belongings had been ruined – and without renters insurance, those items would all need to be replaced out of my own pocket. This included my mattress, couch, microwave, toaster, computer, and television to name the biggies.

    I visited with my agent the following week to get a renters insurance policy started, and found out at that time that my landlord didn’t have to pay for me to stay elsewhere while the cleanup was going on. Technically, that was something else I should have paid for myself – since I didn’t have a renters insurance policy in force! Needless to say I got a policy going ASAP, and have kept it in force ever since.

    So, if you’re thinking that just because you don’t own your home, you don’t have a need for insurance. Think again! A renters insurance policy can cost as little as $10/month, and provides coverage for your personal property, liability in case anyone were to be injured in your apartment, and of course those nasty charges to stay elsewhere while your apartment is being cleaned up/put back together after an incident.  Not to mention that having a renters insurance policy can often pay for itself by saving you money on your monthly auto insurance premiums.

If you ever have questions on your Washington auto insurance, Washington homeowners insurance, Washington life insurance, small business insurance, or small business group health insurance; don’t hesitate to give us a call, email, or visit our website and request free information. We’d love the opportunity to make sure you and your family have the coverage you need!

www.riceinsurance.com           meghan@riceinsurance.com            360.734.1161