Does Renters Insurance Cover Mold

Mold Caused By Flooding

Flooding is one of the main causes of mold damage because it can be a lengthy amount of time after a flood before mitigation efforts begin. According to the EPA, mold growth can begin within 24-48 hours after flood damage. Unfortunately, flood damage is not a named peril covered by a standard homeowners policy. The Federal Emergency Management Agency makes flood insurance available through its National Flood Insurance Program, but the coverage may exclude mold damage.

When Is Mold Covered By Renters Insurance

Mold growth is covered by renters insurance when it can be traced back to a covered peril.

A peril is an event that causes property damage

In insurance lingo, a peril is an event that damages your property or otherwise causes you to file an insurance claim. A peril can be either covered or excluded .

Insurance providers dont consider mold itself to be a peril because it doesnt grow without help. Mold grows due to excessive moisture, which in turn can usually be traced back to something else, like a leak, a sewage backup, or a flood.

If the molds root cause was a covered peril, the mold itself will also be covered.

How To Prevent Molds

Its reassuring to know that your renters insurance policy protects your belongings from mold. However, its better and cheaper to prevent a mold infestation from happening in the first place. Since mold grows in moist and warm areas, its good to ensure your plumbing system is leak-proof and your rooms are well-ventilated.

• Keep humidity levels as low as possible

  A humidity level of 50% or higher can cause mold in your house. Consider purchasing an air conditioner or dehumidifier to control your homes humidity.

• Ensure free-flowing air

  Keeping your windows opened will ensure free-flowing air inside your house, which reduces moisture. Installing exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom will also reduce humidity.

• Locate and fix leaking pipes

  Check your pipes and fittings for any signs of leaks and fix or replace broken ones.

• Clean up and dry quickly after a flood

  If your house is flooded, clean up fully within 48 hours to avoid mold growth. Check spots that may have remained damp after being soaked in flood water.

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Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Mold

Home insurance covers mold damage, but only if a covered peril caused it. To file a mold insurance claim, you must document it with photos and provide the home insurance company with an explanation of how the mold started.

Homeowners insurance usually covers damage to your house from fire, vandalism, smoke, or weather events such as lighting, wind, or hail.

In the past, mold damage was covered as part of homeowners insurance, and insurance companies spent thousands of dollars on claims. Now, mold-related damages will be covered only if caused by a peril covered by the policy.

You should always ask your insurer about what is covered and what is not in your home insurance policy. Read your policy carefully, so you arent surprised when you need to make a claim.

Below, you will find everything you need to know about how and when mold-related damages are covered by your homeowners insurance. Read on to learn more.

• Home insurance covers mold damage caused by a covered peril. Otherwise, an insurance company will likely not cover mold damage.
• Your home insurance wont cover you for mold damage if mold forms in your shower or a burst pipe in your basement goes unnoticed and results in mold.
• Mold endorsements will cost you more if you live in humid areas and your home is made with materials more prone to mold.

Mold Caused By Sewer Backup

Water damage caused by a sewer backup is not a covered peril on a standard homeowners policy. However, most property insurers will offer an optional sewer backup as an endorsement. If you have purchased the sewer backup add-on, your policy may extend coverage to mold resulting from the sewer backup through the mitigation process, but generally, mold caused by a sewer backup is not covered. In this case, you may want to inquire about a separate mold rider or mold policy.

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Can I Clean Up Mold Damage Myself

Some large mold problems are beyond the cleanup capabilities of the average homeowner.

FEMA recommends hiring a mold remediation specialist whos affiliated with or certified by the National Environmental Health Association, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, or the American Council for Accredited Certification.

Whats Not Covered By Renters Insurance 1

Keep in mind that your policy will exclude certain perils:

• Property damage to your buildings, roof, and siding
• Water damage caused by flooding or underground water
• Damage caused by earth movements, such as earthquakes and landslides, or caused by nuclear hazard.

A renters insurance policy may not cover all you need covered. You might want to consider additional policies. We offer numerous options for an additional premium.

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What Is Renters Insurance Coverage

In plain English, renters insurance offers you financial help if bad things happen to you or your stuff. In exchange, you pay monthly payments to your insurance company.

Consider rental insurance to be a safety net. Itll kick in and help if theres loss and damage from designated perils, which include theft, fire, vandalism, certain types of water damage, and many other inconvenient things.

We say that an insurance policy covers you from unfortunate incidents, like fires, or bites from an out-of-control dog. But thats just an expression, since the insurance company itself isnt preventing those things from happening instead, its providing financial compensation for related damages if they do happen.

If your entire apartment is damaged to the point where youre unable to stay there, renters insurance can compensate you for the nights you might need to spend at that Holiday Inn.

And if youre injured at someone elses place, or if someone else is injured at your place, it can even help with possible medical or legal fees.

Renters Insurance Covers Personal Property Against Specific Perils

Covered perils:

• Snow and ice collapse

The central feature of renters insurance is coverage of your personal belongings from common sources of unexpected damage and theft. Personal property includes almost everything you own in and outside your rental unit or home.

But not all damage to your property is covered by renters insurance. You are only able to make a claim if the peril that caused the damage is included in your policy. Some of the most common perils not covered by renters insurance include floods and earthquakes.

When damage or theft of your personal property is covered by your renters insurance, you can make a claim for reimbursement up to your policy limits.

For example, if a fire in your apartment destroys all your propertyâvalued at $10,000âyour renters insurance company will reimburse you for that amount, minus your deductible.

When buying renters insurance, make sure you select limits that will cover you in the event of a total loss. This will ensure youâll be reimbursed in full in the unfortunate event that a fire or other peril destroys your belongings. Allstate estimates that, for a standard two-room apartment, the value of the average renterâs personal property in the U.S. is approximately $30,000, so itâs important to make a home inventory and understand the value of what you own.

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Failure To Fix Mold Issues In A Rental Unit

• Pain and suffering associated with their reaction to mold exposure.

The best policy for preventing this scenario is to stay proactive about tenant complaints. For example, if a renter reports an issue immediately after it has occurred, then the landlord will have less of an excuse about fixing it in due time. This way, landlords can avoid issues before they become intractable problems that could be avoided altogether.

When Isn’t Mold Covered By Homeowners Insurance

Mold insurance claims likely wont be covered if the mold resulted from neglect, such as a pipe leaking under the kitchen sink for months, resulting in water damage and, consequently, mold. Another example of negligence is if a window isn’t properly sealed and rain seeps inside continuously over time, leading to mold growth. Learn more about how home insurance covers water damage.

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Finding Coverage For Mold

If you live in an area prone to mildew or high humidity, you may need more routine maintenance in order to fend off moisture and mold. Even if you meticulously clean your property, mold could go unnoticed and cause extensive damage before you spot it. There may be some coverage options.

Policies that include mold rememdiation. Some homeowners insurance policies, such as policies for high-value homes, will give you more coverage automatically.

For example, Chubb can provide coverage for mold remediation expenses. This includes testing indoor air quality and surfaces, developing a mold remediation plan, and implementing the plan, such as removing, containing and disposing of the mold.

Mold insurance riders. Some insurers offer a mold-damage rider or endorsement that you can add to your policy. This rider removes a policys exclusion for mold.

Keep in mind, mold damage riders might not be offered in your state or by your insurer.

Mold Caused By Negligence

Home insurance companies usually deny claims when the investigation determines that negligence caused the damage. Negligence is not a named peril, and therefore mold damage caused by it would not be covered under your homeowners policy. For example, if your dishwasher is leaking and you do not tend to it right away, any resulting damage from the leak can be denied by your insurer, leaving you to pay out of pocket for the repairs.

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How To Prevent Mold

With moisture comes the possibility of mold. Mold can grow anywhere in your home, even above ceiling tiles and inside your walls, so its important to practice moisture control:

• Check for water leaks/spills and fix them right away
• Make sure rainwater flows away from your home
• Watch for condensation on your walls and windowsyou may need to turn down or shut off your humidifier if you notice increased moisture
• Consider running a dehumidifier in your basement or other damp areas of your home
• Keep your gutters clean and functional
• Make sure fresh air circulates throughout your home to decrease moisture
• Perform routine maintenance on all appliances that use water
• Avoid carpet in wet areas like basements and bathrooms

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Will Insurance Cover Mold

General Liability and Property policies will sometimes include coverage for mold, but the limits that are offered often will not even pay for investigative costs, let alone remediation costs. In addition, some of these policies have maintenance exclusions and will not cover mold caused by water from condensate or humidity. Environmental insurance policies often include coverage for mold as part of the definition of pollutants or pollution conditions. Even if they dont include it, coverage is typically available via endorsement to the forms.

But coverage for mold is only one part of a comprehensive mold management approach. The other important component is having a mold management plan that is utilized by entities so that personnel are aware of mold problems before they become health issues for tenants or building personnel. Often, mold can be cleaned up before it becomes a health hazard, but in other cases, particularly if the source of the mold growth cannot be identified, it can become a persistent, costly challenge.

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Filing A Mold Insurance Claim

Its important to address mold insurance claims the moment you discover mold. Getting someone out to begin drying the property within the first 48 hours can help contain mold growth. If you dont receive an immediate response from your insurance company, stick with it. Be courteous, but firm. The longer you wait, the more time the mold has to grow.

Insurers have different methods for filing a claim. Some will take your claim by phone. Others will encourage you to fill out an online form. Follow your insurers lead.

No matter how the insurer prefers a claim be made, keep accurate and detailed records of everyone you speak with at the insurance company, including date, time, and what they told you.

How Do I Identify Mold

You already have the green and gray part down, but it can also come in black and white think James Bond black-tie and even orange . On the serious side here are some basic ways to identify mold:

• On surfaces appears as a dark furry growth, black stain, or black, orange, green, or brown specks.
• Stale or musty odor.
• Health symptoms: Allergic reactions can include constantly runny nose, watery eyes, dizziness, headaches, sneezing, memory loss.
• Hire professionals to do a mold inspection.

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When Is Mold Not Covered By Homeowners Insurance

Mold caused by neglect or a lack of regular upkeep isn’t typically covered by home insurance policies. This includes mold damage from:

• Improperly sealed doors or windows.

• An unaddressed leaky faucet.

• Poor ventilation in a moist room, like a bathroom.

Below are a few other common causes of mold damage that typically aren’t covered by a standard home insurance policy.

Sump pump failure and water backup damage. Damage caused by water backup and a sump pump failure can be costly and usually isn’t covered by standard home insurance policies.

Many insurers will allow you to add sump pump failure and water backup coverage to your policy. Without this type of coverage, mold damage in those situations is unlikely to be covered by a standard homeowners insurance policy.

Flood damage. Flooding is generally excluded from standard homeowners insurance coverage. Therefore, you must purchase additional flood insurance to be covered for flood damage.

However, even if you have flood insurance, your policy may not cover mold damage. For instance, if you purchase your insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, mold damage may only be covered if you can’t access your home after flooding for specific reasons.

It’s important to note that mold damage coverage varies by the flood insurance policy. If you are unsure about what your policy covers, be sure to talk to your insurer.

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Some Common Misconceptions About Renters Insurance

Lets take a spin through what a lot of people get wrong about renters insurance.

• You might think that, since your landlord has insurance, that covers damage to your stuff. Not so. Your landlords policy covers the physical structure of their building and any furnishings/appliances the landlord may own inside, like the fridge or stove but it doesnt cover you or any damages that occur to your MacBook, digital camera, or single-speed bike.
• Maybe its your first time living on your own, and your parents have homeowners insurance. Your folks policy will not cover you and your stuff in your new apartment.
• Perhaps youre one of those people who only head to their apartment to crash after a long day of work . Why get renters insurance if youre basically never at home? The reason is that your policy has your back whether youre at your apartment or at a bar, coffee shop, airport, party boat, skate park, mall, subway car, silent rave, therapists office you get the idea.

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When Mold Is Covered By Your Insurance

You may be covered for sudden mold-related incidents specified on your policy. For example, a fire in your home is put out with hose-water, which then caused dampness and mold. Another scenario where you could be covered is if your water heater bursts and floods your basement, causing mold in the aftermath.

Why Does Mold Appear

As in any usual household, mold can appear in rental properties for several reasons. Here are the most common:Excessive humidity occurs when there is excess moisture in the air compared with how much moisture can be absorbed by objects or materials in a room. High moisture levels often come about when plumbing leaks go undiscovered for an extended period since leaking faucets or a broken pipe release water into the surrounding environment.Poor ventilation – Ventilation with outdoor air exchange can significantly decrease indoor concentrations of mold spores. It is important to have fresh and clean air with adequate circulation capacity in each room of your home.Relative humidity levels that remain at or above 50% for extended periods will also contribute to increased levels of moisture in the indoor environment, which may lead to an increased presence of mold spores and other biological contaminants such as bacteria and viruses.Excessive debris/clutter – This includes things like dirt, dust, food scraps, etc., if they are not regularly cleaned up from areas susceptible to their accumulation, such as the basement. Clutter also includes excessive indoor plants.Poor housekeeping can allow excess amounts of dust to accumulate over time, attracting other biological contaminants to grow, including bacteria and mold spores.

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How To Prevent Mold In Your Home

Mold is more than a household headache it can cause serious health problems, too. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with allergies, diseases that weaken the immune system and respiratory diseases face the highest mold-related health risks.

Its almost impossible to keep your home mold-free all the time, but with proper maintenance, you can prevent mold from getting out of hand. Often, you can smell the musty odor of mold before you see it or feel a slimy substance when you touch surfaces. Dry mold can grow in linens and pillows and form around dressers, shelves and heating and cooling vents. To prevent mold, regularly follow a few lifestyle and maintenance tips:

• Dry spills immediately
• Regularly check pipes and appliance hoses for leaks and replace hoses before they spring a leak if possible
• Clean surfaces like bathroom tile and ceramic floors with mold-killing products, like bleach
• Install exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathrooms
• Maintain a humidity level of 30% to 60% inside your home
• Paint walls and ceilings with paint that contains mold inhibitors
• Remove carpets from damp areas, like bathrooms and basements
• Dont allow water to accumulate in water reservoirs of house plants
• Inspect your roof and attic for water seepage and promptly make repairs as necessary
• Clean debris from gutters to ensure proper water drainage
• Seal windows and doors to prevent seepage and keep out moisture