Apartment forces renters insurance on tenants...bad sign?

Question

We are looking at an apartment complex, and they told us that they force all of their tenants to get renters insurance. We thought this was a good idea and therefore a good complex, but we have also seen online ratings that talk about tentants getting their places broken into within the apartment. Like 4 out of 10 tentants complained about this online. Is this a bad sign, and do you think by doing this the apartment is covering themselves so they won't be liable for any thefts?

Answer 1

Unless the theft resulted from negligence on the part of the complex, then they wouldn't be liable anyway.

In this case, it looks like the complex saw a trend of break ins and took on the policy to help their renters or they simply realize that having renter's insurance is for the best. The complex is still responsible for anything that is covered under their own insurance like repairs, leaks, mechanical failure, so I don't really see how the apt. complex would benefit from this other than having tenants who are responsible enough to insure their property.

Answer 2

Landlords only have insurance to cover the structure of the house. Advising the tenant or making it a requirement is not to cover anything up. It is to protect the tenant and his/her belongings.
Say if you had stuff in the basement and a pipe breaks. Everything is damaged. Is the LL responsible for your things? NO.
Things break all the time. I will give you a better example. We advise our tenants to get renters insurance. One tenant calls me up and says the basement is leaking and there is mold growing on the floor. Okay. I go and inspect. Basement sure is leaking and there is mildew on the floor (not mold). Then she hands me a report from some lab that she sent samples of the mildew to A MONTH EARLIER. And she wants me to pay for all the items in her storage unit that she lost. No way!!! 1. she didnt report it right away, 2. she was advised to have the insurance.
If the LL supplies locks on the doors and windows, it is up to the tenant to use them. If an apartment gets broken into, that is hardly the fault of the LL and they would not be liable for any thefts. If you knew it was a less than desirable neighborhood, or their was a history of thefts in the building, why would you move there in the first place? The rental insurance is for your protection only. It has nothing to do with the LL. He is just looking out for anyone he rents to.

Answer 3

I've never been forced renter's insurance in the few apts that I have lived in. Forcing it may even be against the law.

I don't know why they would care because it only protects your property, they need to have homeowner's insurance on their structure to be covered.

FYI: I have heard that renter's insurance is dirt cheap, so it might actually be a good idea, just in case!

Answer 4

http://realestate.findlaw.com/?DCMP=KWC-G-PUBLIC

This site has renter's rights. The landlords will try to weasle out of everything unless you play hard ball with them. We had a leak in the basement in one of the townhouses we were renting, I reported the leak 3 times and they did nothing about it, then we had a very bad rainstorm and 50+ apts got flooded, and they did not come to get the water out of my basement until I called the state board of health. That motivated them they went from 5 days to 15 minutes. They also refused to pay for damaged property caused by the flood. It was their fault the damage happened because they never fixed the issue. If they are forcing renter's insurance they are attempting to pass fault onto you if something happens.

Answer 5

Check your state laws as this may be a discrimatory practice by this apartment owners. Many states do not require tenant insurance, and therefore this could be a form or discrimination to keep you out of the complext.

Answer 6

Hard to tell, yes they could just be covering thereselves, or yes they may be making it mandatory because they know somethings wrong.....I would keep looking!

Answer 7

BAD SIGN