Hacker News Reader

Comment by enterexit | Hacker News Reader

Fine print in insurance contracts is probably the only fine print I ever read.

As should everyone. Last summer I learned at least some renters insurance generally doesn’t cover riots. So yes, even though you may not care if your landlord’s building goes up in flames, you should care that your personal property won’t be covered. Just calmly & peacefully (no need to brandish weapons) standing outside your apartment like you’re a homeowner can make a material difference.

That definitely doesn't sound right...

Are you sure you're not referring to some sort of clause excluding a "riot" in the context of war? I've switched renter's insurance providers a lot and never seen something like "civil commotion" not being a covered peril

This was renters insurance pushed by the landlord. Perhaps it’s the barebones the landlord was OK with (e.g. if I burn down the house cooking or create a flood changing the plumbing they get paid out and don’t give a crap about what happens outside of normal tenant-caused disasters).

What? Renter’s insurance should cover your losses, not the landlord’s.

It covers renter's liability too. Whether by accident or negligence, you can be held liable for damages to other people's property.

It pays the landlord if they sue you and win. That's why they require it commonly.

Some landlords even require tenants to cover them with your insurance as additional insured (I think this is stupid). Though it is common for business leases I believe.

> Renter’s insurance should cover your losses, not the landlord’s

Renter’s, like homeowner’s, insurance, usually includes some liability coverage. The landlord is a particularly likely person for a renter to have liabilities to.

That’s fair. I was originally thinking in terms of external events (such as the riot mentioned). But sure, liability for the renter setting the place on fire makes sense.

>Are you sure you're not referring to some sort of clause excluding a "riot" in the context of war?

Searching around it looks like "war" includes "insurrection, rebellion, revolution". Some people seem to think that jan 6th counts as such.

Did Jan 6 affect apartment buildings?

Pretty sure this comment was talking about protests that were coopted into riots around the country. In the political realm people might try and stretch the meaning of revolution, but it's pretty clear that would be covered under "civil commotion" or riots

> Did Jan 6 affect apartment buildings?

Jan 6th specifically? No. jan 6th-like event? Plausibly.

>In the political realm people might try and stretch the meaning of revolution, but it's pretty clear that would be covered under "civil commotion" or riots

Not arguing either way, but what if they succeeded and killed some representatives?

Every one of the first like nine google results says that riot coverage is standard.

Ok, I was using the renters insurance my landlord pushes. Perhaps that’s just a crummy package. Anyways, it pays to read the fine print… And even situations that seem unlikely like a riot or a pandemic, well they actually are worth getting insurance for.

Using insurance your landlord pushes sounds like a bad idea.

I've always avoided those and source my own for this reason. I doubt they have the best coverage for the renter as opposed to best for landlord outcomes. Landlords have enough money and power, this is one thing we can do within that balance to maintain some control.

It's probably more straightforward than that: the landlords just get a bonus for referrals.

Yeah, 23 hours is about what I'd expect for this. Insurance is reasonably important, and 4,000 words is quite short (~8 pages). I've read much longer insurance agreements.

If you really want one of these clauses to go unclaimed, bury it in the middle of a software EULA from a large company, like EA. Ain't nobody reading those.

Employment contracts are worth a digest too:

Reply on news.ycombinator.com