Are you a real estate investor with a multifamily dwelling in your portfolio? Then you NEED multifamily insurance. In addition, there are two specific exclusions that you may need to look for when you are purchasing a new property.

Multifamily Insurance Exclusion #1 - Assault and Battery

Did you know that general liability insurance is not enough to cover a fight, an assault, an altercation, shooting, or even a dead body on the premise.  Although, you may believe that these kinds of problems may not happen on your multifamily property - know that they can happen anywhere.  In addition, you must also think of the litigation and potential lawsuit that may follow these types of insurance claims.  For example, we once saw a case in which a multifamily property owner was sued because of improper lighting, after a fight broke out, and inevitably they won.  However, the insurance would not cover because the multifamily owner did not have assault and battery coverage.  If you are not protected with the right insurance, you can find yourself liable.

Multifamily Insurance Exclusion #2 - Standalone Dog Policy

In a similar vein, if you do not have a standalone dog policy then you could be potentially left exposed.  Quite simply, if you are going to allow tenants to own dogs, no matter what the breed, then you would be left exposed.  Also keep in mind that service animals are legally allowed, even if they are a type of bull breed.  That means if the tenants' dog bites another resident, or a visitor, you can be sued by the victim.  There have been cases in which a multifamily investor has been sued over a dog attack and insurance did not cover the resulting damages.  Thus, when getting multifamily insurance, your agent needs to know what would be best for you and your investment.

Knowing the above exclusions is only part of the process of getting multifamily insurance that helps your investment. Secondary would require finding the right insurance agent. At Benchmark we make it easy to shop for insurance and find the rates that work best for you.