When you think about renters insurance, you probably think about coverage for liability or coverage for things like theft. However, renters insurance may be able to do more than just cover for these kinds of losses. Depending on the type of renters insurance you purchase, it may be able to help with other issues, as well.

Let’s say, for example, that a fire breaks out in your rental property or apartment building. The fire damages a power box, knocking out power to your part of the building. In some cases, you might find yourself out of power for a week or even more while the landlord tries to bring in a contractor to fix the power situation in your area.

With certain types of rental insurance, you may be able to pay for temporary housing. Some plans, for example, will cover a hotel room or other type of rental property for the time while your home is unusable. You can also choose the amount of the deductible. A plan with a $1,000 deductible might be relatively inexpensive, for example, while a policy that would cover all of your rental expenses from the beginning would be much higher.

There are organizations that try to help in these circumstances, too. The Red Cross, for example, helps displaced families after these kinds of accidents. Many local Red Cross chapters will have several requests a month to help families who are affected by fire or by flood. These programs are charitable, and come at no cost. They’re also available to homeowners as well as renters.

Many renters may be under the impression that a landlord is responsible for putting tenants up in a hotel while repairs are being made. While this does occasionally become the topic of a civil suit, for the most part courts have not decided that it is the landlord’s responsibility to provide housing after an event such as an apartment fire.

What is up to the landlord is to fix the damaged building as soon as possible. In cases where repairs take an unreasonable amount of time, such as more than a few days for relatively simple repairs, the renter may have some recourse outside of her renters insurance.

The key, of course, is being prepared. Have enough rental insurance to protect yourself and your loved ones in the event of an emergency. If an emergency does occur, be sure to document your landlord’s responses, so that you can have some recourse down the road if there are issues.