Zaire Harris thought it was just another Monday.
Working from his fourth-floor apartment at The Cooper on West Rosedale Street, Harris barely registered the fire alarm when it began blaring about 1:30 p.m.
Twenty minutes later, he walked outside where he and other residents witnessed one of the largest fires in recent Fort Worth history in terms of number of residents displaced. A fire department official said he could not recall a six-alarm fire in Fort Worth in the past 40 years.
As residents wonder what’s next, for Harris and many others, the answer is painful: Start over.
Like many renters, Harris had assumed the insurance included in his lease would protect his belongings. It didn’t, he learned. The confusion revealed an all-too-common problem for Texas renters, insurance advisers and legal experts said.
An initial investigation by the Fort Worth Fire Department attributed the cause of the fire to an electrical problem with the complex’s air conditioning system, according to a fire report. Investigators found that the fire originated around an air conditioning unit on the roof.
Representatives for The Cooper did not respond to multiple Fort Worth Report requests for comment.
If the apartment owners are conclusively at fault, renters should contact an attorney to find out their legal rights, said Mistie Hinote, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Insurance. As far as recouping losses, tenants should contact the apartment owner, she said.
Lauren Price, another Cooper resident who lost much of her personal property, said she initially had renters insurance when she moved in, but dropped it after being told she didn’t need it because the complex provided insurance.
Price contacted AssetProtect, the insurance company listed on her lease, but said she was told they couldn’t disclose details because the policies are owned by the apartment, not the tenants.
“We all feel deceived,” Price said. “In this type of situation people are going to feel slighted no matter what, but the renters insurance is a huge concern.”
Insurance adviser Carolina Cox said stories like Harris’ and Price’s are unfortunately common. Apartment owners’ insurance policies generally cover only their own losses.
The average renters policy costs $20 a month, according to the Texas Department of Insurance, but it is not required in Texas.
What renters insurance covers
- Personal property coverage: Covers belongings, even items stolen out of vehicles or while traveling.
- Additional living expenses: Pays the extra cost of food, rental, and other things if a renter has to move out of their place temporarily because of damages from a covered loss.
- Personal liability: Protects renters if someone is injured in their home and pays legal costs if they are liable and taken to court.
Source: Texas Department of Insurance
Although renters insurance isn’t required by law, residents should be mindful of their potential losses, Cox said.
Without insurance, renters don’t have much recourse, said insurance department spokesperson Hinote. Landlords should educate tenants on what any policy provides but, ultimately, the responsibility rests on tenants to be aware of what’s included, she said.
Tenants should always be asking what the complex’s renters policy covers, Cox said. Hinote recommends Helpinsure.com, a free resource from the state that provides insurance estimates and policy details.
Price said she learned a difficult lesson, but offered advice to her fellow renters:
“I would tell people, No. 1, understand your rental coverage and make sure that your policy is one that works for you. Second, I would say go through your house every six months, film everything. Your furniture, your electronics. Because if you lose everything, it’s hard to recount what you owned.”
Residents who lived in Building 1 at The Cooper were released from their leases without penalty.
Residents in Building 2 are awaiting new updates on final structural and remediation reports before knowing if they can reoccupy their units.
Harris has not returned to The Cooper since leaving.
“All I had was my jacket, shorts and some slides,” Harris said. “I didn’t get a chance to put on a shirt or socks. I couldn’t grab my wallet. I thought that it would be five minutes and I would go right back upstairs.”
Harris is grateful firefighters recovered his laptop and passport from his apartment.
For now, Harris and his girlfriend are staying with friends until they find housing, he said.
He has learned an important lesson that everyone should follow, he said.
“I think every tenant should have renters insurance to protect themselves and not put themselves in a position where they are having to start from scratch,” Harris said.
Orlando Torres is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at orlando.torres@fortworthreport.org.
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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.