Does Renters Insurance Cover Car Theft?

Car theft is among the most common crimes worldwide, and Canada is not an exception. One such horrendous event can cause significant loss to a car owner if the person does not have sufficient insurance coverage to cover the loss — don’t be that person!

The question is: does renters insurance cover theft from car or car theft in general?

In Canada, a car owner is expected to have an auto insurance policy. In addition to this, it’s also recommended you get renters insurance if you are a tenant. It ensures that the aftermath of a car theft does not plague you with issues related to your personal belongings lost with your car. 

Keep scrolling down to learn more about the ins and outs of renters insurance and car theft coverage — by the way, if you’re looking for tenant insurance quotes, don’t hesitate to reach out to a licensed advisor at Surex. These experts can answer your questions and can help guide you towards the right choice. 

Now, back to the topic at hand…

What is renters’ insurance?

As the name implies, renters’ insurance is insurance for renters, which covers damage or loss of your personal belongings and valuables caused by perils like theft, fire, flood, smoke, whirlwind, hailstorm vandalism, etc. 

What should you do if your vehicle is stolen?

Rush to the police station to file a complaint right off the bat. Your next stop is your insurance company, preferably within 24 hours of the theft. If possible, you should have a copy of the police report on hand when you file your insurance claim.

You must also decide which insurance policy you will claim your loss under. The fact remains that your renter’s insurance will come to no avail as far as the physical structure of your car is concerned. Perhaps this is why all provinces in Canada have made it mandatory for car owners to have auto insurance. 

However, tenants should note that their renter’s insurance will cover their personal belongings inside their stolen car.

Does renters’ insurance cover car theft?

As mentioned earlier, renters’ insurance does not cover car theft per se. But it does cover all your personal belongings that get stolen from your car. 

Simply put, renters’ insurance covers personal property theft, no matter where they are stolen from — in this case, a car! Your renter’s insurance will reimburse you for your stolen belongings even if they are stolen far away from your home.

Moreover, renters’ insurance does not cover the loss or damage of motor vehicles like motorcycles, cars, trucks, or motorized scooters. That said, it does cover the loss or damage of human-powered vehicles like bicycles. 

This is simply because covering cars in renters’ insurance will be a mere overlap of insurance policies — auto insurance, like a comprehensive auto insurance policy, already covers the insured’s car, which makes it impractical for the insurance companies and understandably so.

Renters insurance includes sub-limits for the cost of your belongings. Moreover, the items or valuables kept in your car may be subject to a limit (usually 10%) of your total property coverage.

Note: If you parked your car near an under-construction building or in an active war zone, your renter’s insurance would not cover the loss or damage to your belongings. 

Another reason to pick renters insurance is that comprehensive auto insurance does not cover your belongings lost from inside your stolen or damaged car. Not to mention, renters’ insurance also provides liability coverage if you get injured within the boundaries of your rental property. 

However, it still won’t cover your medical expenses in case you are injured while driving your car. Nor will it cover the items (aftermarket additions) that are now your vehicle parts. If this concerns you, go for an endorsement or a different policy altogether for things like a car sound system.

How to file a claim?

Once you wrap your head around the fact that your car is lost or stolen, it’s time to file a claim to make use of your insurance coverage. 

As mentioned earlier, your insurance company will only take action after you present the police report to them. After that, your company will review it and compensate you, the timeframe for which is generally a few hours to a couple of weeks, depending upon your claim volume.

Secondly, to file your claim using your renter’s insurance, you will be required to list down the lost or damaged items along with their possible price. If possible, provide your insurer with the buying receipts of your stolen items. However, if this is not an option for you, make sure you state prices that are very close (if not exact) to the actual cost of the items.

Note: The claim process may vary from insurer to insurer.

Endnote

Cars are not your everyday buy, and the best way to keep yourself from events like car theft or the hassles of having to go through a comprehensive insurance claim process is to keep your car safe by employing excellent safety measures.

However, you simply cannot ignore the possibility that you may fall prey to such occurrences, which is where our guide would have come in handy for you. To add to what we previously discussed, you can also consider bundling both your auto and renters’ insurance to rope in more benefits than you would have otherwise received from these policies individually.

FAQs

Does renters’ insurance provide liability coverage?

Renters insurance covers the medical expenses for when you or a guest gets injured on the premises of your residential building. Apart from that, it also covers the living expenses, such as hotel or restaurant bills for when you are required to stay outside your rental residence due to adversaries listed in your policy.

Can you get unlimited coverage in renters’ insurance?

Renters insurance usually comes with certain coverage limits called Category Limits or Maximum Limits. Maximum Limits are applied to electronics, cash, jewelry, art, property used for business purposes, and sometimes even liabilities. You may have to get a separate endorsement if you want to cover the total loss.