Ask Claims: Property in Storage
Question:
"I rent a self-storage unit seven miles from my home in order to store seasonal items, keepsakes, and other typical personal property items. If a lightning storm caused a fire to the storage facility, resulting in the complete destruction of all my property in that storage unit, would my homeowner policy provide coverage for the loss? And, if so, would my recovery be limited in any way?"
Our Claims Representative's Answer:
Coverage for personal property would be extended to cover property destroyed by fire at the storage facility up to the limits stated under Coverage C (Personal Property) on the policy's Declarations Page. A homeowner policy does contain a sub-limit (typically 10%) for loss to personal property usually located at a residence other than the insured premises (i.e., the residence described in the policy). The purpose of this limitation is to limit coverage for an insured who owns a secondary residence which should be insured separately. Since a self-storage unit would not be considered a residence, the sub-limit would not apply.
There may be other dollar limitations on specific types of personal property (money, jewelry, watercraft, etc.) as provided within the policy.
