Confused about renters insurance? Here’s a renters insurance guide that will help you understand it.
Renters Insurance Guide
Many people think their landlords insurance will cover them if their possessions are stolen or damaged. Not so. Your landlord’s insurance only covers the building you live in, not your possessions. If you want to protect your possessions you need to get renters insurance.
Renters insurance is one of the least expensive types of insurance, yet it provides invaluable protection for you and your possessions. Renters insurance covers three basic categories:
Personal Property
Personal property coverage pays to replace your possessions if they’re stolen, or damaged by vandalism, fire, smoke, lightning, explosions, windstorms, burst water pipes, or electrical malfunctions.
There are two types of personal property coverages available:
Actual cash value coverage - which pays to replace your personal property minus a deduction for deprecation.
Replacement cost coverage - which pays to replace your personal property with no depreciation deduction.
Standard policies only provide limited coverage for expensive items like jewelry, furs, silver, and collections, so you may need to purchase additional coverage for these items. Standard policies also do not cover damage caused by floods or earthquakes, so if you want coverage for these disasters you’ll need to purchase additional insurance.
Additional Living Expenses
This coverage pays for your living expenses - hotel, motel, and restaurant bills - if your home becomes uninhabitable due to the causes mentioned above. Most insurers will reimburse you for the difference between your additional living expenses and your usual living expenses.
Personal Liability
Personal liability coverage pays for another person’s medical expenses if you, a family member, or your pet injures that person. It also covers damages to that person’s property. Some policies do not cover pets such as as pit bulls or rottweilers.
Standard policies usually come with $100,000 to $300,000 worth of liability coverage, but you can purchase more if you have a lot of assets you want to protect from a lawsuit.
Cheap Renters Insurance
Because renters insurance can vary by hundreds of dollars from one company to the next, the best way to get cheap renters insurance is to visit an insurance comparison website to get quotes from multiple companies.
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