The most challenging thing about some insurance companies is that you do not always know what you are covered for until you go to make a claim.
Something that comes up from time to time and is the heartache of some clients is do they have the right cover?
Your normal household cover only covers certain items and Landlord Insurance may not cover damage caused by your tenant.
Imagine as a landlord your property manager gives you a call or e-mail and says there is a big chip in the kitchen bench. Is this a manufacturer defect, did the tenant accidentally drop something or did the tenant have a lapse of better judgement after receiving a breach notice and deliberately throw something on the bench top to cause damage?
In this instance there is no real way of finding out.
Malicious Damage: This is when a tenant deliberately damages your property or allows a guest to cause deliberate damage.
Accidental Damage: Sometimes things just happen by accident.
As a landlord you or your agent now has to try an figure out or prove how the damage has occurred. In the example given above there is no real way to know unless the tenant admits causing deliberate damage.
Call your Insurance Company today and ask if you are covered for Accidental and Malicious damage. There a good policies out there that do cover for both.
Disclaimer: I am not an insurance Broker this information is provided as general comments after experiencing different claims from different properties, landlords and Insurance Companies.