The only way to get peace of mind is to get insurance. That’s renters insurance if you’re renting, to protect yourself against many unexpected accidents that are impossible to plan for. Insurance is the one thing that protects your back and gives peace of mind in case something does happen. Whether you live in a rented apartment, condominium, or house, renters insurance is something worthy of consideration, especially if you’re planning to reside in one place for an extended period of time. You’re better off being covered, the cost of replacing your belongings can be expensive as can be coming up with money for a liability lawsuit that might arise if someone gets hurt in your home.
When you first move in the last thing you want to be thinking about is damage, theft or fire. It’s exciting moving in to a new place and we forget to consider the important elements like insuring ourselves against unexpected damage due to weather conditions like fire, storm, and heavy rain but also damage caused by humans like vandalism, theft, and burglary. Your basic policy will cover you against perils such as fire, explosions, hail and wind storms, vandalism, smoke, theft, falling objects, and electric surge damage but it doesn’t cover for natural disasters like floods and earthquakes. In order to be covered for this it’s necessary to take out extra coverage at an extra expense, but if the area you live in is prone to floods or earthquakes, the extra insurance is worthwhile.
So how do you decide if you should take out renters insurance? The important thing to consider is your location. How is the area affected by weather changes and crime? If it’s a high crime area your insurance will probably be higher but it will give you peace of mind when you go out and protect you financially in case you are robbed.
When you take out renters insurance make sure that your policy covers ‘replacement cost coverage’ where whatever you lost will be replaced at the cost of purchase today, not what you paid for it. Keep in mind that certain items may only be covered up to a certain amount and the insurance company will not pay out more than this amount. The added bonus of having renters insurance is that if your home is not suitable for living in due to fire damage or flooding, for example, then your renters insurance will assist with any additional expenses incurred in finding another property.
The cost of your insurance will be based on the insurance company, your insurance history, your location and the type of building. Renters living in apartments will likely pay less than someone renting a house. Before signing up for any renters insurance remember to ask the right questions and read the fine print. You want to know exactly what you are covered for from the very beginning in order to avoid any nasty surprises should an unexpected accident occur.