Renters Insurance

Renters insurance is a type of insurance policy that helps protect tenants from financial losses due to unexpected events such as theft, fire, or water damage affecting their rented space. It covers belongings like furniture, electronics, and clothing, and also provides liability coverage if someone is injured in the tenant's apartment. Most policies are affordable and easy to obtain, and can be customized according to the tenant's needs. It's important for renters to have insurance because in the event of an incident, the landlord's insurance policy will typically only cover the building structure and not their personal contents. Overall, renters insurance can provide peace of mind and financial security for tenants.

Key Takeaways

• Renters insurance is akin to homeowners insurance, but it is for people who rent or lease properties, such as houses and apartments.
• The average renter’s belongings are worth around $20,000, according to the insurance company USAA.
• Key steps to getting and maintaining a renters insurance policy include taking inventory of your possessions and keeping an updated spreadsheet of items.
• Renters insurance tends to cover loss or damage to items in the home related to fire, theft, vandalism, plumbing, and electrical malfunctions.
• There are two ways in which renters insurance reimburses—actual cash value, which pays what the property was worth at the time of damage, and replacement cost, which pays the full cost of replacing the items with new ones.

Every renters insurance policy is a named peril policy: your insurance will cover you in the event of any of the circumstances specifically listed on your policy. A peril is a cause of damage.

• Personal Property Coverage: This protects your belongings against damage or loss from covered perils like fire, theft, and vandalism.
• Liability Coverage: This can protect you if someone is injured on your property or if you cause damage to someone else’s property.
• Additional Living Expenses: If your home becomes uninhabitable due to a covered peril, additional living expenses coverage can help pay for temporary housing and related costs.
• Medical Payments to Others: If someone is injured on your property, this coverage can help pay for their medical expenses, regardless of fault.

Liability coverage insurance is an essential form of insurance that protects people from financial losses that may result from accidents caused by them or their property. Liability coverage typically protects individuals, businesses, or organizations against the costs of legal actions and damages that accrue from injury, property damage, or other liability claims. This type of coverage is essential for individuals who want to protect their assets, commercial organizations that face greater liability risks during daily operations, and nonprofit organizations that may be held liable for injury or accidents.

Prior to purchasing renters insurance, consider the factors below:

Determine your coverage needs

Complete a home inventory to document your belongings. This will help you determine the amount of coverage you require and speed up the claims process in the event of an incident.

Decide if you want to share your renters insurance policy with a roommate

If you’re sharing an apartment, consider sharing a renters insurance policy with your roommate. Sharing a renters policy splits the bill — although renters insurance is often relatively affordable to begin with. If the policy is in your name, any claim your roommate files would be on your policy as well. If your roommate files multiple claims, you could face a rate hike or policy cancellation. See more information on renters insurance with roommates and renters insurance for college students.

Explore additional coverage options

If you own high-value belongings, inquire about coverage for those items. You may want to consider a scheduled endorsement or rider. An endorsement is a coverage add-on for a high-value item that exceeds normal policy coverage limits.

If you own a piece of jewelry appraised at $15,000, you would need a floater to protect that item above and beyond the typical renters insurance jewelry value cap of $10,000. Floaters and endorsements extend to other items, including works of art, firearms or film equipment.

Furthermore, your insurer may offer further coverage for things like electronic devices or sewer-backup that are not covered on a standard policy. These endorsements can usually be added for a small increase to your monthly premium.

Consider replacement cost coverage

Most insurance providers will reimburse you for your personal property based on an actual cash basis — which deducts depreciation from your payout. However, replacement cost coverage reimburses you for the amount it would take to buy the same item at its current market value. Many insurance companies will allow you to add this coverage via an endorsement.