Floodwater With Sewage Contamination Can Be Very Damaging

Three young men found themselves without a home early on Sunday morning and lost just about everything they owned in the process. Their rented house in Blenheim was gutted by a fire that the police believe may be arson.

Fortunately two of the tenants were away and the only one at home got out safely with his girlfriend. They were terrified but alive and their landlord handed back their $1200 bond. Good fortune was on their side.

Sadly, though, the trio of Benji, Anton and Kayden had not yet got round to organising contents insurance to cover their gear in the house. After moving in two weeks earlier, it was still on their "to do" list.

That aspect of the story this week has prompted some lively online discussion, in which they have been judged quite harshly for not organising cover before they moved in. And that is a lesson they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

But they are not alone in failing to insure. Insurance Council chief executive Chris Ryan estimates 40 per cent of homeowners don't have contents insurance and says it is impossible to guess how much higher that percentage is for renters.

He delivers another caution by saying many of the people who do have contents insurance will have underestimated the value of what they have to replace. His suggested minimum replacement insurance for a three-bedroom home is $80,000, although renters might be able to get away with a little less.

Keep in mind that floodwater contaminated with sewage can be just as damaging as a house fire, he says.

Without giving the insurance industry a free plug, it is good sense to insure gear against loss and damage.

Renters also need to be aware they could be liable for damage caused to a property by their neglect.

One online post sums up the situation: "I can't afford my insurance – but I can't afford not to have it, either. So I pay my premiums to cover for that one time when I may need it."

It may be time for all of us to check a website policy calculator and take some out or increase the value of the existing policy.


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