Most renters in South Burlington, Vermont have smartphones (as more and more of the population is). Tenants, however, often don’t know whether their smartphones are protected by their renters policies. Whether or not your smartphone is covered by your renters insurance is probably fairly complicated. It likely depends on what happens to your phone and where your phone is when an incident occurs. Here are some scenarios where your phone probably would be covered, and some where it probably wouldn’t be covered.
Will a South Burlington, VT Tenant’s Smartphone Be Covered by Renters Insurance?
(The following scenarios are only generalities and shouldn’t be taken as universally true. Whether your particular renters insurance policy covers your smartphone in an incident would depend on both the terms and conditions of your policy and the specifics of the incident.)
Your Phone is Stolen from Your Apartment — Likely Covered
If a thief broke into your South Burlington, VT apartment and stole your smartphone, your renters policy would likely cover the incident and your phone. Your phone would probably be covered under your policy’s personal property coverage, which usually provides protection for personal belongings from theft and other named perils.
(Personal property coverage is a common coverage that almost all renters policies have. It and renters liability insurance coverage are two extremely common coverages. Renters liability insurance coverage helps provide protection from covered incidents the policyholder is responsible for.)
Your Phone is Stolen While Outside Your Apartment — Possibly Covered
If your smartphone is stolen outside of your apartment, whether or not it’s covered will probably depend on what type of personal property coverage you have.
Some policies’ personal property coverages only protect belongings when they’re in the policyholder’s apartment. If you have this type of personal property coverage, your phone wouldn’t be covered whenever you leave the apartment and bring the phone with you.
Other policies’ personal property coverages extend protections beyond the walls of the insured apartment. This type of coverage is sometimes called “worldwide coverage,” and it usually covers belongings almost anywhere in the world (policies often exclude places like war zones). If you have this type of coverage, your policy would likely cover the theft of your smartphone even if the phone was stolen while you were at a restaurant, on the bus, or somewhere else.
You Lost Your Phone — Probably Not Covered
If you lose your phone, your renters policy likely won’t cover the loss. Most insurance policies don’t provide protection from self-inflicted loss. They do, however, sometimes use a fun term for these incidents. Some insurers in Vermont will refer to a lost phone or other lost item as a “mysterious disappearance.”
Only Your Phone Was Stolen or Damaged — Possibly Covered (Technically)
If only your phone is stolen or damaged, you may not want to file a claim on your renters policy — even if the policy covers the incident. Most tenants have deductibles that are either more than or close to the value of their phone, so they wouldn’t get much for filing a claim for only their phone.
While you’d likely want to include your phone in the list of stolen or destroyed items if many belongings were lost in a claim, you probably wouldn’t file a claim for just your phone. Doing so would likely get you only a little bit, at most.
Have a South Burlington, VT Agent Explain Your Renters Insurance Coverages
As mentioned, these are only general scenarios. Your renters insurance policy’s protections may be different. To find out exactly how your particular personal property insurance coverage (and your renters liability insurance coverage) work, talk with your independent, South Burlington, VT insurance agent.