Here’s a weird one. I have a renter’s insurance policy from Traveler’s, and I was looking at the list of excluded property. In addition to relatively expected items like pets and cars and aircraft, there is this item at the end:
Anyone have any idea what case this would cover, where I would want to claim loss of “water or steam”?
Just a WAG.
That’s pretty much correct.
All a renter’s policy is going to cover is your personal property. It won’t cover damage to the dwelling itself, including things like the water heater, radiator (if there is one), furnace, etc., nor will it cover property inside the building that the landlord owns, such as appliances. If, for example, the fridge’s drain clogs, flooding the kitchen and ruining the kitchen floor, your policy would cover squat; it’s the dwelling policy that would pay to fix the damage. OTOH, if the water damaged the contents of your kitchen cabinets, your renter’s policy would replace that.
IAAInsuranceAgent, but I don’t have your policy in front of me, nor do I represent your company. You can always talk to your agent or call the customer service number if you have questions about specific coverage.
Robin
See, that would make sense that it would not cover damage due to water or steam. But it’s actually not covering the water or steam itself. This is in the list of excluded items that aren’t reimbursed for, not the list of excluded causes (like nukes and acts of god and such). Which is pretty weird, you have to admit.
Well, another WAG that it’s just insurance company verbal shorthand. Instead of spelling out “Accidental discharge or overflow blah blah blah”, they feel it’s sufficient to merely put in, “Water or steam”.
That’s the kind of laziness lawyers love to pounce on. If my Stanley exploded causing steam damage, I would not hesistate to challenge any claim denial on that basis.
Yeah, an interesting theory, but this is the same contract that specifically excludes hovercrafts because they don’t fall into either the motor vehicle or aircraft exclusions. Hovercrafts!
I wonder if it means that if your pipes burst while on vacation and water or steam spewed forth for 6 days, they would not reimburse you for the huge bill the water company would be sending you.