TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - In the past six months, we've seen three apartment fires displacing so many families in our area.
While no one can bring back what they lost in the flames, some families have the comfort of knowing they had insurance to assist them in their time of need.
In the midst of devastating loss, a simple tenant policy could make all the difference, but not everyone takes advantage of them.
"Seeing the news and seeing the fire, we all are capable of having an accident at one point in time," said Dwayne Smith Sr.
Dwayne rents an apartment in North Toledo and says after Tuesday's fire he's considering investing in renter's insurance.
"It might not be your fault, it might be somebody else's," explained Smith. "But still, when you come home off of work or whatever and you see for yourself, that's a hurting feeling. Where are you going to go?"
Experts say the cost of a renter's insurance policy is minimal, and can pay off in times of overwhelming destruction. Prices can be as low at $150 a year and range upwards. On average costing, you about $20 a month.
"There certainly are a lot of options," explained Paul Johnson, vice president of USI Insurance Services. "One would be to have a tenant's policy and those are available through a number of different carriers, usually fairly inexpensive and really provide three very critical pieces of coverage."
They cover you for liability, your personal items and most will include a loss of use clause for times you cannot stay in your current home. Renters like Joshua says having insurance has been worth the money.
"You know having it, it's just a peace of mind," said Joshua Carroll, who rents a house in West Toledo. "I can go to work every day or go on vacation and not have to worry about coming home to a disaster and not being able to pay for it."
In addition to having insurance experts say you further protect yourself and home or apartment by making sure your alarms work, testing your smoke detector, and having an escape plan ready because you never know when you may need it.
