Fire is a concern no matter where you live. In a house, you at least have control (for the most part) over fire prevention. In an apartment, on the other hand, a fire that breaks out in another nearby unit can burn through the walls until it reaches your belongings and your unit. So, you can see why it’s extra important for renters to know how to protect their stuff from the risk of fire. Here are a few tips to get you started.
- In your own apartment, you can prevent fires in multiple ways. A few examples include never leaving cooking food unattended, keeping candles out of reach of kids and pets, never overloading electrical circuits and continuing to monitor balcony/patio grills until the flames and embers are extinguished.
- Whether building management takes care of it or the responsibility falls to you, ensure that smoke alarms are tested at least twice per year. Change the batteries as needed.
- If your apartment does not provide one, take it upon yourself to purchase a small fire extinguisher. If a fire ignites, you can minimize the damage to your belongings.
- To protect sensitive documents (birth certificate, passport etc.), you may consider purchasing a fire-resistant safe. Another option is storing these items in a safety deposit box, although that eliminates the convenience of having them located at home. However, for digital documents, you can store them on a cloud drive, so you can access them anywhere.
- Create a personal inventory that documents your possessions and their estimated worth. If a fire does damage/destroy your things, this inventory helps streamline the renters insurance claims process.
- To that note, owning renters insurance is a very important piece of your personal protection. For an affordable cost, you can rest easy knowing that your valued possessions are protected from the risk of fire. Be sure you select a policy that includes coverage for acts outside of your control, such as a fire that starts in a neighboring unit.
Our agency is committed to finding a renters insurance policy that meets your needs. Give us a call today for a free quote.
We’ve got you covered. Call HIS Insurance & Service at (800) 240-3654 for more information on Virginia renters insurance.