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Renters Insurance & Polybutylene Pipes

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Executive

If you are a renter, make sure you have a current renter's insurance policy.  These policies are very cheap and very important.

My brother just moved to Virginia and found a beautiful townhome townhomesthere to rent.  He and his family are unpacking, hanging their artwork, arranging the furniture, and really enjoying their new place.  The agent they used in Virginia insisted that they get a renter's insurance policy before moving in.  Part of the policy is liability, in case you fall down the steps and might want to sue the landlord, your policy will be the first one to cover any injuries. 

Many landlords require a $300,000 liability policy.  I had a client recently whose insurance would not go that far, but we called a friend of ours who is an Allstate agent and he got her the insurance within minutes, liability and personal property for only $118 for the whole year!

Back to my brother's story.  So he got his renters insurance policy which covers the liability as well as his personal property.  bursting pipesLess than 2 weeks after moving in, he came home to water gushing out of pipes in his basement ceiling!!!  Several inches of water were on the floor, seeping into the drywall and his plasma TV was dripping water.  His XBOX 360 was waterlogged among many other personal belongings in this finished basement.  What a nightmare!

 

First thing he did was very smart - he TOOK PICTURES!    This was important as in a short period of time, everything was dried out on the outside and you couldn't tell how much water was in the basement.  His photos were a diary from that day and helped make his insurance claim smooth and quick.  Within a week, he received a check for $7,000 to replace all of the things that were destroyed.  man and money

 

 

 

 

The landlord also received insurance money to fix the drywall and replace the carpet in the basement.  The plumber that came over told her that it wasn't a question of if these pipes would burst again but when!  The problem is the polybutylene pipes that were in the house.  These are the plastic type pipes that were popular for a time but have been the subject of many lawsuits since and are no longer used.  My brother talked with the neighbor whose pipes have burst 8 times over the years!!!  The landlord decided to spend several thousand dollars and replaced all of the pipes with copper so that this wouldn't happen again. 

Not every home has this crummy piping, but you never know what could happen and $118 investment per year is nothing compared to having piece of mind that you'll be reimbursed for any damage that might happen due to unforseen circumstances!

 

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Jennifer Fivelsdal
JFIVE Home Realty LLC | 845-758-6842|162 Deer Run Rd Red Hook NY 12571 - Rhinebeck, NY
Mid Hudson Valley real estate connection
Such an insurance is very important to have. I know  of someone I will have read this post.  Good consumer information.
Dec 16, 2007 05:10 PM
David & Lisa Webber
RE/MAX Executive - Crofton, MD
www.webberteam.com
Yes, it's something very simple to get and cheap, but boy when you need it, you really need it!
Dec 17, 2007 01:13 AM
Sharon Simms
Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International - Saint Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
That insurance is great to have in a condo, too, in case the people in the unit above you have water that overflows and comes down to damage your unit.
Dec 27, 2007 01:48 PM
David & Lisa Webber
RE/MAX Executive - Crofton, MD
www.webberteam.com
Good point Sharon!  A friend of mine lives in the lower unit of a condo building and that happened to her.  What a nightmare - the water was running down her walls at 2am from a burst pipe.  Took days to clean everything up but her renters insurance covered her belongings!
Dec 28, 2007 12:00 AM
David Fox
The Real Estate Tech Desk - Crofton, MD
Real Estate Technology Specialist

Lisa,

     I've had friends who have purchased the policy and it was very inexpensive and a great safeguard.  I've also had friends who've rented and didn't get a policy---and have had pipe bursts and one had a small fire...had they of had a policy--they wouldn't have any issues.

 This is something that until recently many people have overlooked or ignored when they made the decision to rent.

 

Great post & I hope you posted to Localism as well for consumers!  Great seeing you in the office the other day as well!

Dec 28, 2007 12:53 AM
David & Lisa Webber
RE/MAX Executive - Crofton, MD
www.webberteam.com
Hi David!  It was nice meeting you in the office!  I'm not sure if I posted this to localism.  I'll need to check that.  Thanks for the heads up - I still am a newbie and am trying to figure this blogging out.  Hope you're enjoying your holiday!
Dec 28, 2007 04:16 AM
Diane Aurit
LKN Realty, LLC - Mooresville, NC
Lake Norman Real Estate
Ahhh, Polybutylene...one of the many things I have encountered for the first time after my move to NC from CA.  I believe it is the connections that fail so there are ways to fix the plumbing issues short of replacing everything.  Thanks for sharing this!
Dec 29, 2007 06:09 AM
David & Lisa Webber
RE/MAX Executive - Crofton, MD
www.webberteam.com
Ah, the connections, that makes sense.  And they don't just dribble, but my understanding is they burst.  Amazing that someone thought this type of piping was a good idea!
Dec 29, 2007 06:56 AM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth
David and Lisa, this is such a common sense recommendation and a reminder we should give all the renters we work with. One fire or flood damage and all is lost without insurance. It is affordable too.
Dec 30, 2007 11:18 AM
David & Lisa Webber
RE/MAX Executive - Crofton, MD
www.webberteam.com
Yes, one incident and you can lose everything unless you have that wonderful little $120/year policy!
Dec 30, 2007 11:34 AM
Anonymous
Effective Coverage
"Part of the policy is liability, in case you fall down the steps and might want to sue the landlord, your policy will be the first one to cover any injuries. " Actually, your liability protects you from other people suing you. If you fall down your own steps, that's not what it's designed for. See http://www.effectivecoverage.com/2616/what-does-renters-insurance-cover-liability/. But we do recommend renters insurance for everyone - fires can fall under both liability and personal property, and it's amazing how quickly everything you've worked so hard for can disappear. And you're right, pictures do make the experience much more smooth.
Apr 11, 2014 12:08 AM
#11
Anonymous
Ann SEWELL

As a tenent I am now having to protect my furniture from the impending drywall work after repiping due to polybutelyn pipes failing. My Landlord says he won't pay the drywallers the extra amount to protect my stuff because I "have so much stuff". This is a major repair where I am displaced because it is uninhabital but my stuff has to be damaged with dry wall dust before my unsurance will pay . My insurance can't seem to pay to protect it from damage by either moving it into storage while repairs are done but WILL pay if the problem damages my goods. Why do I have to pay to protect my goods from a repair the owner is responsible for? He refuses to use safe drywall practices.

Jun 08, 2019 02:56 PM
#12
David & Lisa Webber
RE/MAX Executive - Crofton, MD
www.webberteam.com

That's too bad he won't give you the courtesy of protecting your belongings from the drywall dust because that stuff gets EVERYWHERE when a contractor is replacing drywall!

Jun 08, 2019 03:44 PM