If you were at risk of losing $5,000, $10,000 or even $15,000 and could do something to stop it, would you? The answer is a no-brainer: you’d would.
Yet, more than half of adults ages 23 to 29 years old who rent apartments don’t have renters insurance, putting all their stuff at risk.
Homeowners buy homeowner’s insurance to cover their home and belongings. Those who live in dorms or college apartments should get renters insurance to do the same thing. A renter’s policy will cover your personal possessions (clothes, electronics, furniture, etc.) if they’re stolen and will pay to repair or replace them if there’s a fire, burst pipe or other unfortunate event. Renter’s policies can also pay for you to rent a new home or stay in a hotel in if you are displaced by a fire or other natural disaster — coverage that most policies refer to as “loss of use.”
Like homeowner’s insurance, renter’s insurance includes liability coverage – if someone is injured in your home, the cost of their care and potential legal proceedings is covered up to your policy’s liability limits, which is typically $100,000.
But unlike a homeowner’s policy that covers the home structure and its contents, renter’s insurance covers just the contents of your home. That makes it a lot cheaper. Your landlord has an insurance policy that covers the building, but that does nothing to protect your valuables.
Most people don’t have the cash sitting around to replace all their stuff. So why do so few buy renters’ insurance? One reason: while homeowner’s insurance is almost always required if you are paying for your home with a mortgage, there are no blanket laws requiring that you purchase a renter’s policy.
Another reason:
A lot of people are under the misconception that if they live in an apartment that their landlord is responsible for their belongings.
In fact, of the 59% of adults ages 23 to 29 who do not have renter’s insurance, 46% didn’t think they needed it. Another third said they thought it was too expensive and a quarter said they just hadn’t gotten around to purchasing it.
The average millennial carries $45,000 in debt, and it is thought that for that reason as well as other societal trends, they’re delaying a lot of life moments like marriage and home-buying. That means they’re going to rent longer.
Another reason younger renters don’t immediately think to insure their stuff is that they underestimate the value of their possessions. Once they do the math they’re shocked by the full value of what they own.
Think you can’t afford renter’s insurance?
You can. The average cost of renter’s insurance is $20 per month — equal to the cost of ordering takeout one night. What you pay for a renter’s insurance is largely based on the value of your belongings.
All renters policies should cover your belongings in your apartment and up to 100 feet from your apartment — to include damage or theft while you’re moving. Policies will cover your items whether or not you’re home at the time of the vandalism, fire, burst pipe or other disaster that ruined your belongings.
For more information on renters insurance, contact Lallis & Higgins Insurance.
