What do I do? Is there anything or any orginaztion that can help me get some sort of assistance even though I don't have insurance?? I lost EVERYTHING and the people who own the storage said that if I didn't purchase insurance through them or if I don't have renters insurance basicaly I'm screwed. Is this true?? They didn't even contact me until 6 days AFTER the flood to advise me that I had any possible damage, how is that fair?
2006-08-05 09:49:17 · 12 answers · asked by candi 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Insurance
I would have been there but my father's home had suffered 5 feet of water and his and my brother's safety at the time was the focus of my attention...
2006-08-05 10:03:50 · update #1
Yes it was considered a natrural disaster
2006-08-05 10:07:09 · update #2
Yes, if you don't have flood insurance, you aren't covered. Even if the owner had flood insurance, it only covers THEIR stuff, not yours.
Sorry!
2006-08-05 12:39:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you rent storage space, the lease agreement is the same as a landlord/tenant relationship. If the storage facility personnel did something to cause the flood or did not do something they should have, to prevent the flood, you may be able to make a case of negligence against them. Renters insurance would not cover flood damage. Insurance bought thru a storage facility does not cover flood. Although the National Flood Insurance Program sells flood insurance, you could not buy it for a storage facility. The insured property has to be in a dwelling building.
You can check with your state's Attorney General. Most states have liability laws that pertain to storage facilities. You can try reading the law to see if late reporting by the owners constitutes negligence. But you would have to separate out damage from flood versus damage from the late notice.
Based on the limited information you gave, I think you do not have a claim. I am a gladly-retired claims adjuster.
2006-08-05 17:02:49 · answer #2 · answered by regerugged 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That really sucks! Sorry for your loss, but there's not much that you can do. If you didn't get insurance there's no way for you to recover anything. Unless you can prove that the storage facility either caused the flood or failed to take reasonable precautions to protect against any known flood potential you have no claim against them.
You might be able to take a deduction on your federal tax return for the year in which the loss occurred. Check with your tax advisor for full details.
They probably were not under any obligation to contact you at all. You knew there was a flood so you should have been making inquiries immediately. But also consider that they may well have been no way for them to make notification any earlier. The operators of the storage facility would have evacuated and it may have been several days before they could get access to the facility to start making notifications.
Fair? What's fair? Life isn't intrinsically fair! Learn to live with that fact! You chose to be uninsured and lost the gamble. If you think of it, it's completely fair!
2006-08-05 19:10:43 · answer #3 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sorry about the stuff you lost .. but how is it any more "fair" for you to expect "something for nothing". If you opted not to insure your goods, you accepted the risk of loss.
If the event was a "major flood" you should have taken the responsibility to check on your "stuff" as soon as you could. Not sure it would have made a difference ... but key point here is that YOU are responsible for YOUR stuff.
The good news is that it was only "stuff" and things you were able to put away in storage at that ... others probably had worse losses.
2006-08-05 17:07:57 · answer #4 · answered by one_observation 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it's true. You probably signed a contract when you rented the storage unit that explained that in great detail. Were you completely unaware of that "major flood" for 6 days? As soon as it was safe to travel, you should have been at the storage unit. If you were the only renter, maybe the management would have called you sooner, but they probably have hundreds of clients.
2006-08-05 16:56:42 · answer #5 · answered by Fully armed in the battle of wits 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Was the flood a natural disaster (river swollen from heavy rain, etc) or was it because of someones negligence?
If the flood wasn't caused by someone's negligence, I'm sorry but you are pretty much screwed.
But ... If you have homeowner's insurance, it may cover your storage unit also. Call them and ask.
Basically, if it's worth storing ... it's worth insuring.
I'm sorry this happened to you. It's a really hard lesson to learn.
2006-08-05 16:58:33 · answer #6 · answered by BoomChikkaBoom 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was YOUR fault you didn't buy insurance on your posessions, NOT theirs. You are pretty much screwed on this one, unless this so called flood was caused by the owner's negligence. Even then, trying to collect is going to be difficult. YOU are responsible for buying insurance and keeping an INVENTORY with photos of your belongings to prove any claim you might make in the future.
2006-08-05 17:41:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
They should have contacted you earlier but maybe they couldn't. This will be a lesson to you to next time buy their insurance (it's not that expensive). If you can still get in to at least see your stuff, go see what is still salvageable. If nothing...then tell them they can scrap it....and you start all over. I suggest you get an evening job and/or weekend job and rebuild. Life is not fair, and this is not the only time this will be happening to you in life. I know, the first time it happens it's really shocking.
2006-08-05 16:59:57 · answer #8 · answered by sophieb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
bostonianinmo's answer covers it real well. I know of no homeowners insurance that doesn't exclude property in a storage facility. Pass on to everyone to always purchase the coverage from the storage facility if they feel what's being stored is too valuable to lose.
2006-08-05 23:53:26 · answer #9 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not much you can do with out insurance!!
2006-08-05 23:17:29 · answer #10 · answered by Chi_Indy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋