AMHERST, MA (WGGB/WSHM) — A massive structure fire displaced 230 UMass Amherst students this past weekend, leaving most with nothing but the clothes on their backs and highlighting the importance of renter’s insurance.
Nearly 80 percent of people are without renter’s insurance, according to industry estimates. Joseph Leahy, owner and president of Leahy and Brown Insurance and Realty, said the financial burden is only part of what displaced students face. “I can recall the day after the tornado came through this area. We had five customers in here. Their houses were totally gone and I don’t think there was a dry eye in this office. I mean, it was very…All of a sudden, their life is just upside down and the same thing when you’re renting,” he explained.
For students who do have renter’s insurance, Leahy said the first step is contacting their agent about loss of use coverage. “These folks are going to have to find temporary housing. There is coverage in a renter’s policy that will provide some monies to allow them the loss of use coverage,” he said.
Students without renter’s insurance may have options through their parents’ homeowner’s policies, particularly if the university had involvement in their housing arrangements. “There is potential for coverage, through their policy, that will pay for all those contents that were destroyed and lost and help get them set up in another place, but I would definitely, if I were a parent of one of these students, get on the phone to your agent,” Leahy added.
Massachusetts state law requires landlords to provide approximately $750 through tenant relocation coverage in their policies when renters are displaced by events like fires. Leahy emphasized that renter’s insurance typically costs around $150 annually, making it an affordable protection for most renters. “So the renter’s policy is really net costing you $150. There’s no reason not to have it,” he said.
He said he hopes the incident serves as a wake-up call for uninsured renters. “I mean, unfortunately for some people, they’re not going to come out of this financially, but maybe the experience they’ve had will help others who, if it happens, will come out of it the way they should,” Leahy noted.
You can CLICK HERE for more information on renters insurance on the state’s website.
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Alice J. Roden started working for Trending Insurance News at the end of 2021. Alice grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. A writer with a vast insurance industry background Alice has help with several of the biggest insurance companies. Before joining Trending Insurance News, Alice briefly worked as a freelance journalist for several radio stations. She covers home, renters and other property insurance stories.