Does Renters Insurance Cover Bed Bugs?

Whether a hotel room or a residential place, bed bugs are not uncommon. Having bed bugs at your living place is an unpleasant experience that anyone would wish to get rid of as soon as possible.

You might have a renters insurance policy, but whether or not renters insurance covers bed bugs remains a question to ponder.

This leads to the question — “does renters insurance cover bed bugs in Canada?”. Usually, insurance policies do not include bed bugs or other harmful critters directly within its offered coverage.

Scroll down through this article to learn what the licensed insurance experts say about it — speaking of insurance, if you need tenant insurance quotes, you can count on the pros at Surex.

Can renters insurance protect you from bed bug issues?

In short, is no, when it comes to renters insurance bed bugs aren’t specifically covered. However, viewing the matter in depth may still provide some solutions.

Renters insurance specifically determines what matters would be covered within the insurance policy in its covered perils section. Your policy may have an exclusions section determining what matters their policy shall not cover.

But, quite unfortunately, in most cases, standard renters insurance, along with any other homeowners insurance, does not even list bed bugs or any other pests or vermins such as cockroaches, mice, rodents, etc., within either of these specifications.

Renter’s insurance tends to cover any direct sudden or physical loss related to your belongings, liabilities, or living expenses. But, if any such loss is occurred by bed bugs or other pests, your renter’s insurance will, most likely, not cover it.

Your renter’s insurance will not cover the expenses incurred in the following cases:

• If any of your personal belongings or property is damaged during the process of extermination of bed bugs.
• If you require medical treatment as a result of bed bug’s bites.
• If there is a need for you to stay at a hotel during the period of extermination

Still, you can find a few exceptions depending upon the place you are living in. Certain small insurance companies in your area might develop renter’s insurance policies covering bed bugs.

Besides, you can get access to an endorsement dealing with bed bugs remediation expenses with some insurance companies. Another option is to ask for an all-risk policy while going for a renters insurance policy.

However, to get any of such conveniences, a couple of area-specific searches on your part will prove beneficial.

Why aren’t bed bugs covered under renter’s insurance?

Bed bugs do not come under the category of “direct and transparent damages that may occur suddenly.” As such, renters insurance does not provide any coverage for them.

Damages caused by bed bugs are neither sudden, direct, nor transparent. They do not usually cause any disease, although rashes, red spots on the skin, and itching are seen as a result of their bites.

Thus, bed bugs are often seen as a result of improper home maintenance, where the blame goes to the tenant. They do not come under the category of any peril like fire, cyclone, smoke damage, sudden physical injuries in the premises of your rental building, hail, etc.

Is your landlord responsible for getting rid of bed bugs?

Again, whether or not your landlord is responsible for bed bug extermination depends upon where you live. However, in many cases, landlords are responsible for getting rid of the bed bugs or any pest in the building, mainly when the problem occurs in multiple units of a residential building.

In certain provinces of Canada, landlords must exterminate bed bugs in a tenant’s residence within a certain amount of time.

In some cases, the landlord will possibly take responsibility for bed bug infestations in case all the units of the residential building are infested. But, if exclusively your unit is infested by bed bugs, the responsibility may fall upon you.

If neither party (the tenant and the landlord) can decide who is potentially responsible for bed bug issues, you can seek legal help.

So ultimately, the whole matter depends upon the place of your stay. If the laws have imposed the responsibility of bed bugs upon your landlord, it’s well and good for you.

How to get rid of bed bugs

Getting completely rid of bed bugs is difficult, however, not impossible. Provided that bed bugs can survive up to 70 days without feeding, it’s not easy to do away with them.

Hence, extermination is the best means to get rid of them. However, whether the infestation is severe or not, you can try some other measures if you want to prevent bed bugs:

• Bed bugs can’t survive in high temperatures. So, wash all your washable belongings affected by the infestation at high temperatures.
• Vacuum all the infested furniture and other materials thoroughly. Afterwards, empty the vacuum cleaner and dispose of it safely after sealing it properly.
• Use bed bug interceptors.
• Clean up any mess and seal the cracks on the wall covering the potential hiding places for the bed bugs.
• For highly infested furniture, you can choose to apply the chemical treatment.
• Before bringing any second-hand furniture home, check for potential infestation.

Endnote

Provided that renters insurance does not typically cover bed bug protection, you can’t use your insurance to cover your expenses caused due to bed bug infestation. Moreover, there is no guarantee that your landlord will support you with such an issue.

Hence, preventing bed bugs from infesting your living area can be the best move on your part. If your apartment is already infested, the measures mentioned above will hopefully come in handy.

FAQs

What is renter insurance?

Renters insurance or tenant insurance is property insurance intended for renters, as it provides the policyholder’s coverage for sudden unexpected damage or loss related to their belongings, liabilities, or sometimes living expenses. This may include loss or damage caused by fire, smoke, storm, theft, physical injury, etc.

Is there an insurance policy that can protect your house from bugs?

Yes, you can purchase pest insurance to protect your dwellings from various bugs and insects, including bed bugs. Pest insurance is the best preventive and maintenance policy if your property is situated in a locality with a high risk of pest infestations.