Does Renters Insurance Cover Fire Damage Due to Dropped Candles?
Renter's insurance is an easy, and often inexpensive, way to protect your belongings in the event of a loss. It also protects your assets by providing liability protection in case you damage your landlord's building or cause injury or damage to others accidentally. While you may understand that this coverage protects you against losses you can't control, such as overloaded circuits, you may wonder about losses for which you are responsible, like dropping candles.
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Named Perils
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Standard renter's insurance offers broad form coverage, meaning that it protects against an extensive list of specific causes of loss. It does not offer "all-risks" coverage, which would cover everything except that which is specifically excluded from the policy. When you file a renter's insurance claim, you must prove to the insurer that the loss you are claiming was caused by one of the perils listed in your policy. Fire is always included in renter's insurance.
Negligence
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Though the policy language varies between insurers, renter's insurance policies provide coverage for accidental losses. To further emphasize this, your policy excludes intentional acts of loss. This policy language recognizes that sometimes you are responsible for a loss to your own living space but that you didn't do it on purpose, so the insurer is willing to pay for the things you lose in those circumstances.
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Candles
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To determine whether your renter's insurance company will pay for a loss you caused by dropping candles in your home, you must evaluate your level of negligence. Fire is definitely covered by your policy, so that's not a problem. The true test will be whether you dropped the candles on purpose. An accidental fire should be covered, since insurers pay for acts of negligence. However, if you dropped the candles on purpose, the insurance company will consider it arson and deny your claim accordingly.
Fire Safety
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The best way to protect your belongings from fire damage is to avoid it in the first place. Candles are one of the leading causes of fire damage. They pose such a high threat that the Texas State Code of Student Conduct forbids students from lighting candles, even during power outages, while in residence halls or dormitories. Never leave candles unattended. Do not place them near flammable materials such as stacks of paper. Always extinguish them before you leave the room. Make sure a responsible, sober adult is present at all times when you have candles lit.
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References
- Photo Credit candle image by Amjad Shihab from Fotolia.com
