Illinois Lodging House Insurance…Is This Place Covered?

Seeking Advice
1

I rented a room in a single-family home, but the owner has been adding bedrooms without permits—2 on the first floor, 3 in the basement, and 3 original bedrooms on the second floor. City inspectors have been visiting, giving him a chance to make things right, but he doesn’t seem too interested. When the fire inspector asked if he was turning the place into a lodging house and mentioned specific fire safety requirements, the owner just kept saying, ‘we’re all just roommates.’

The new outlets in my room feel loose, like they’re not anchored. I’m worried about the fire risk or electrical shock. When I told the owner, he said, ‘make sure you get some insurance on your room then.’ This response makes me think his homeowner’s insurance likely doesn’t cover liability for the 7 of us here—maybe just him.

I doubt it covers our belongings either.

Would any insurance company cover a setup like this? Does he need commercial insurance for it? It’s in a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois.

How would I find out the name of the insurance company for this home?

(Pretty much all of us are moving out soon; only 2 of the 7 are staying.)

Thanks for any advice!

2

You should get a renter’s policy wherever you live. Landlords usually don’t cover anything for the tenant.

3

Zyler said:
You should get a renter’s policy wherever you live. Landlords usually don’t cover anything for the tenant.

This whole place is an unlicensed build, though—wondering if anyone would even insure it.

4

Your belongings would be covered by a renter’s policy. For the landlord, he’d need a specific endorsement to rent out rooms to different people on his homeowner’s policy. His policy would only cover his belongings and the building. If this setup catches fire, insurance could easily deny the claim.

5

@Uma
Thank you, that’s what I was thinking. This owner seems to dodge the rules wherever possible.