What You Should Know About Renters Insurance
Renters Insurance Explained
If you are a renter, you often wonder if it is worth it to purchase renters insurance. It is important to know that there is a lot of different types of renters insurance and the type you need depends on your lifestyle. Learn more about the ins and outs here!
Some things to know before buying seller's renters insurance:
Liability Coverage If your landlord excludes liability from their policy, or if they are not sure how much they provide; buy more. This will protect you if no one is found liable in an accident. Tenants can be held responsible for damage to the property caused by themselves or their guests. This coverage will pay to repair or replace your personal belongings (like furniture, clothing, and electronics).
Further Reading: How To Save Money On Renters Insurance: 4 Tips & Tricks [ARTICLE END]
Title: Why You Need Renters Insurance
Why does a renter need renters insurance? You're probably wondering why do you need renters insurance anyways? Here's a rundown on the most important topics to learn about renters insurance.
Finding an apartment is exciting! But who wants their hard work spoiled by unexpected expenses ? The best thing you can do is get renters insurance. Here's why:
Injuries You may buy renter's insurance to help protect yourself in case the unexpected happens. If you or your guests are injured on the property, renters insurance will cover medical bills and any additional costs.
Most landlords require you to have renters insurance before they will rent to you. It can also lower your monthly payment by a couple of dollars a month — without paying extra for liability protection! [ARTICLE START]
Tenants' Protection in North Carolina
We have listed below important articles and newsfeeds regarding tenants' rights, renting laws and policies, landlord-tenant relations and related topics in North Carolina. Please let us know if the list is out of date by sending an e-mail to us.
TENANTS' RIGHTS IN NORTH CAROLINA [ARTICE START]
North Carolina has several laws that protect tenants from unfair or illegal actions taken by their landlord. Tenants' rights are often overlooked or misunderstood, but they are there, and you should take advantage of them. Here is a rundown of the most important tenant laws in North Carolina that you should be aware of.
A landlord is permitted to file for eviction in the district court of any county where the property being rented is located, or in the county where the tenant resides. If proper notice is given, the tenant has five days from receipt of the notice to voluntarily vacate. An eviction case can last up to four weeks depending on how long it takes for both parties to appear before a judge.
The landlord must use "reasonable care" when entering your home and taking possession of personal property that may have been abandoned by you when you moved out at an unspecified time. The landlord must post written notice at least 24 hours before entering your apartment and conduct their business during reasonable hours, which would typically be 9 am – 3 pm Monday through Friday. This notice must be in a clear and conspicuous manner and be in at least one of the following languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Amharic, or Korean.
Landlords are not allowed to lock out their tenants by placing a false lock on the door or removing the working lock from one side of the door. This is common practice for a landlord who needs to conduct certain repairs themselves without allowing tenants access into the residence. The tenant should request written permission from their landlord before having strangers enter their home during non-working hours.
A landlord who uses illegal practices such as taking all furniture from a tenant's apartment when they move out is subject to fines up to $1,000. The landlord must also provide the tenant with at least $100 for any belongings rented during the rental term that is damaged or taken by the landlord.
The landlord may not enter a tenant's apartment without their written consent, except in cases of emergencies or repairs. The tenant should give their landlord written permission to enter their home as well as a full description of what needs to be repaired. The required notice must be in a clear and conspicuous manner and be in at least one of the following languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Amharic, or Korean.
A landlord cannot force the tenant to sign over possession of their apartment if they ask for it if there is a lease in effect. Tenants who give consent to the landlord are considered to have accepted the lease and are obligated to pay their rent. The landlord must also provide written notice that describes how they intend to force the tenant into giving up possession of their apartment.
If a landlord breaches an agreement between the tenant and them, such as giving a false assurance or promise of repairs, they may be subject to civil liability for damages. The same applies if the landlord fails to perform maintenance or repair work required by law in a timely manner or refuses to pay for it by contract.
The law allows tenants who have lived in an apartment unit for at least 6 months before filing an eviction action against their landlord. In addition, the tenant must enter a written complaint to their landlord within 3 days of discovering the breach. If the landlord refuses to accept the complaint, then they will be subject to a fine of $10 for every day that they refuse.
The rent paid by any tenant is not considered owing when it comes time to evict a tenant. This means that if you pay your rent on time each month, your landlord may not take you to court because he or she knows that they will lose. If they do end up suing you in court and win, your lease may allow them to evict you within 30 days of winning possession of the unit through legal action.
A landlord can only raise the rent once every twelve months – even if the lease agreement allows them to do so more often. Before raising the rent, a landlord must give written notice of the increase to their tenants at least 30 days before the new, higher rate becomes effective. The notice must give both how much the rent will be raised as well as when it will occur.
Tenants have a responsibility under law to keep their rental premises clean and prevent any damage that would decrease its value or make it uninhabitable. Landlords may deduct from your security deposit money for repairs and clean-up costs if there has been substantial loss of property value due to your negligence in keeping your apartment clean or safe. Cleaning costs also include the cost of repairing or replacing items that are lost or damaged. Landlords can deduct fair value for wear and tear on furniture, and may replace or repair any items if they are unusable after reasonable use.
Landlords are permitted to raise the rent for a tenant who is delinquent in payments under a lease agreement once every twelve months of the initial term period; however, they cannot raise it more than 3 percent above the rate of inflation annually.
If you do not have a lease agreement in place, there are laws in place that outline your responsibilities as a tenant which you should be aware of. Here is some information from our online source: North Carolina State Bar .
Conclusion
We hope that this article has been helpful to you. If you are looking for a great apartment for rent in NC, be sure to check out our services and contact us today!
You may also want to read our article: 10 Things You Need To Know About US Copyright Law . We cover issues like fair use, licensing, education, infringement claims and more.
Sources: http://www.nclegalaid.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2624 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.