Can Rental Insurance Help With Mold Damage?

1/13/2022 (Permalink)

Is Mold Damage Covered By Rental Insurance?

Rental insurance is complicated because Insurers structure policies differently and coverage can vary depending on the details surrounding a situation. If you are renting your domicile in Charleston, SC, you need to know if you have coverage for mold. Each policy is different, but here are the questions you need to answer and discuss with your agent.

• Is the damage to the structure or your personal belongings?
• Did you or the landlord do your part to mitigate a leak that caused the damage?
• Was the damage caused from a specific disaster?
• Were you negligent in leaving your belongings in the area of a known problem?

Your Property Versus the Landlord’s Property

Rental insurance coverage tends to cover your personal belongings. The structure of the building is usually covered by the landlord’s property insurance policy.

Coverage Is Impacted by Your Response

Property coverage for mold damage is complicated. The cost of repairing damage may not be covered if the property owner was negligent. For example, if there was a leaky pipe and the landlord knew of it but made no attempts to stop it, then the damage would almost certainly not be covered.

Covered Catastrophe

If the damage was from a sudden and unexpected pipe break, then the property insurance is more likely to cover the mold remediation. Also, if the mold damage was the result of another catastrophe that was covered by your policy, like storm damage, then remediation is likely covered.

As for coverage of your personal belongings per your rental insurance policy, you also have a responsibility to take action to prevent the problem. That may be include notifying the landlord of a problem, and also through removing your personal belongings from the area to prevent damage.

Mitigation

You can always help your landlord by suggesting a reputable mold mitigation professional to resolve the mold problem. Make sure your landlord understands that mold can reproduce in as little as 24 or 48 hours, so mold removal is best taken care of as quickly as possible to prevent damage and further expense.