Waking up to find your floor covered in pools of water, big shards of glass and sad-looking bits of coral and seaweed – not to mention fish – isn't any renter's idea of a good morning.
When a home aquarium or fish tank is damaged due to an accident or another unexpected event, it can be upsetting. It can also be expensive, given the costs of repairing or replacing the tank, and the fact that a damaged aquarium can also cause damage.
So, as a renter, what can your insurance do to help in a scenario like this? Is the tank itself covered? What about its occupants? Would the financial responsibility for damage that the aquarium caused be yours or your landlord's?
Renters insurance and contents insurance is pretty much the same thing. The reason you probably want contents insurance is that, as a renter, insuring the building itself is the landlord's (or strata's) responsibility, not yours.
But while the landlord's insurance should cover, say, a leaking tap, it won't cover your leaking aquarium and any damage it causes to your belongings.
Compare renters insurance for your aquarium
What's covered by renters insurance?
With the right policy, your aquarium can be covered against a range of insured events, including:
Storm damage
Fire damage
Impact damage (e.g. from a falling tree or branch)
Theft
Water damage
Accidental damage (usually as an optional add-on)
Many contents policies will also cover your legal liability if someone gets injured at your rental (e.g. by broken glass from a fish tank).
Here are a few points to keep in mind as you shop around:
There's a high level of variance in how insurers treat aquariums and fish tanks, so if you have an aquarium that you care about, it's recommended that you do your research, read the fine print and talk to insurers about the aquarium-related specifics before committing to a policy.
If you're in a share house situation, you'll have the option of taking out a combined contents policy with your housemates. If you'd prefer, you can also fly solo with an individual policy that'll just cover your things.
If you have a deluxe aquarium that's worth more than the maximum amount that the insurer will pay out for it in a standard policy (e.g. $2,500), you might need to specify the aquarium in the policy to get it covered up to its actual value.
If you only have a few important things you want to insure, you could consider single item insurance, which gives the same protection as straight contents insurance but only for nominated items.
Note: Unfortunately, whatever insurance you take out for your aquarium, the fish (and any other creatures) that live in it won't be considered "contents".
Why should I get renters insurance for my aquarium?
As well as being expensive to repair and replace, home aquariums can be accident-prone.
And they're not just damageable – they're also capable of causing damage to your other belongings.
That's why insurers tend to group them with other potentially troublesome "water containers", such as hot water systems, water supply tanks and (interestingly) waterbeds.
Renters insurance with accidental damage cover can protect your aquarium and other contents in case the unexpected happens. Add in your landlord's insurance to protect the building itself, and your aquarium-related cover starts to look pretty comprehensive.
Does rents insurance cover aquarium leaks?
Yes – with a few important caveats.
Different insurers have different approaches to aquarium leaks, so it's crucial to do your research first. Some policies will cover fish tanks but not fish bowls. Some will only cover aquariums containing a defined volume of water. Some will cover accidental glass breakage, while others won't.
What led to the leak will also be a key factor. Was it something sudden and unforeseeable, or could you have seen it coming (e.g. a slowly expanding crack)?
Importantly, most insurers distinguish between:
Damage caused by "escape of liquid" or water damage from an aquarium, which standard policies generally do cover.
Damage to the aquarium itself, which many standard policies don't cover.
Your landlord's insurance should cover any damage to carpets, flooring or other parts of the building that your aquarium damages. But as an aquarium-owning renter, it's recommended that you look into adding accidental damage insurance, which can strengthen your cover for the tank itself.
Should I get accidental damage cover?
Yes. Most standard policies will cover any damage a leaking aquarium causes to your home and/or contents but not the costs of repairing or replacing the aquarium itself.
If you add accidental damage insurance to your policy, your aquarium could be covered for the costs of accidental glass breakage, as well as mishaps like dropping the aquarium while you're unloading, installing or moving it.
Be sure to research what different insurers define as accidental damage, specifically in relation to aquariums and water containers.
Which brands offer cover for accidental damage?
Brand
Do they offer accidental damage?
Optional
Optional
Optional
Optional
Here's the bottom line
Home aquariums give us a lot of pleasure, but if something goes wrong, they can also cause serious damage and be expensive to repair or replace. You and your fishy friends will sleep better with the right renters insurance policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if you have an aquarium, it is advisable to ensure it is covered under your contents insurance policy. Aquariums can cause significant water damage if they leak or break, and this type of damage may not be automatically covered. Check with your insurer to ensure both the aquarium and potential water damage are included in your policy.
Jessica Prasida is a travel insurance expert for Finder. She lives and breathes travel, having worked as a travel agent and branch manager at STA Travel for over 4 years, then writing about travel insurance with Finder for another 5 years. Jess has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Tier 1 General Insurance qualification. See full bio
Motor burnout covers those big appliances in your home in the event that they let you down. This article will show you what it is, why it's important and how much it can cost you.
What you need to know about finding the best home insurance for you. Compare policies and learn what questions to ask when researching insurance policies.
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
Finder makes money from featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own.
Finder is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stand by our editorial principles.
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
