Think about the holiday decorations you just packed away in a storage unit. Plus, it may not be just holiday decorations you keep in storage.
How much is all that stuff worth? Would your items be covered if something happened like a fire or a flood?
It's something that's easy to overlook. You put your stuff in a storage unit and just expect it to be okay, but it isn't unheard of for a fire to break out at a storage facility and burn many units their contents.
10News has covered several fires at storage facilities in the Tampa Bay area over the last few years.
David Segui is the owner of Focus Insurance Group in Tampa and says everyone should check their homeowner's policy.
"You may already have coverage on your current homeowner's insurance policy. However, there is usually a sub-limit for what is in a storage unit," Segui said. "For example, I have $100,000 in contents coverage on my home insurance policy.
"If I decide to put some stuff in storage, there is a 10 percent sub-limit, so I'm only covered for $10,000."
It's the same if you have a renter's policy. If you have coverage for $25,000 in contents of the home, then only $2,500 of what's in your storage unit is covered. Check your policy on the declarations page for sub-limits.
Also, Segui says some types of damage aren't covered.
"Your home insurance policy covers fire, theft, vandalism and that rolls over to your storage facility," Segui said. "If you do not have wind coverage on your home insurance policy, you will not have wind coverage on your contents in storage."
It means if a hurricane destroys the storage facility, you would not be covered. Same with sinkhole coverage.
The bottom line is this; if you have valuables in storage that you want to make sure are covered, call your insurance agent and make sure you have the coverage you need.
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