By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com

If you’re sitting at home and reading arkadelphian.com, put the phone down for a second and look around the room. Take note of your furniture, your appliances and your electronics, and consider the countless hours you spent at work for a paycheck to buy those things. It’s a lot to compute, isn’t it?

Chances are that the roof over your head belongs to someone else and that you’re renting the place from them. Most of your paycheck is probably spent on rent — are we wrong?

In Clark County, about 37% of the 10,060 housing units are rented. That percentage is much higher in the city limits — in fact, homeowners are actually a minority in Arkadelphia, as an estimated 59% of Arkadelphia residents rent a home or apartment, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics from 2023.

Now think about that sketchy wall socket in the kitchen — you know, the one that sparks every time you start the microwave or crank up the air fryer? You keep telling yourself to bring it to the landlord’s attention, but we both know, even then, that it would be put off for another month or two (or maybe it’ll just be the next renter’s problem to address).

Although house fires aren’t a routine occurrence in Arkadelphia, they definitely do happen. On average, the Arkadelphia Fire Department responds to a structure fire about once every two weeks. According to statistics collected from the city’s finance and administration activity report, AFD was dispatched to 23 structure fires in 2023.

The latest fire happened on the evening of Tuesday, July 16. Online records indicate that the North 15th Street home damaged in the blaze is a rental property. The occupants fortunately were able to escape uninjured, but many, if not most, of their belongings inside were damaged or destroyed by the smoke and flames.

In the hours following Tuesday’s house fire, the department took to its Facebook page with a caution to renters:

“If you rent a house or an apartment, or know someone [who] does, make sure they purchase renters insurance. Explain to them that it’s fairly cheap and will cover their possessions in case of a fire. Most times the property owner’s insurance will not cover the tenant’s items.”

Average yearly renters insurance policies cost in the ballpark of $150-$350, or an average of $12.50-$29 per month, depending on the coverage and any policy upgrades you choose. Depending on the policy it can cover a renter’s own personal possessions, or can also cover liability. 

Renters are also covered for theft of their belongings. While not all thefts are reported to law enforcement, the Arkadelphia Police Department documented 38 theft cases in 2023, a slight decrease from 44 cases the year prior.

Upgrades to a policy can cover medical payments and additional living expenses such as hotel bills, transportation and meals for renters displaced by a catastrophic event. Generally speaking, though, flooding and neglect are not covered under a renters insurance policy.

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