Home content Insurance - Know the basics
Moving to a new place is quite nerve-racking and the majority of people today think of setting up the phone, cable and internet, but ignore content insurance. Generally, your landlord will have an insurance policy, but what most people don't realise is that it covers only the building, not your personal possessions. Which explains why you must always have renter's insurance. Trying to replace your valuable belongings or defend yourself against a liability lawsuit, may be quite expensive.
You will find two types of home content insurance - HO-4 for renters and HO-6 for those who own condos. Normally, these policies provide protection against robbery, fire, hail, criminal damage etc. Having said that, floods and earthquakes usually are not included by default. Such cover can be bought separately or added to your policy at extra cost, obviously.When figuring out the total value you want to insure your assets against, there are a couple of important things. Actual cash value (ACV) and replacement cost coverage. The terms are pretty much self explanatory but here is a quick example. If you got a laptop for $800 a couple of yours ago and it gets damaged today, ACV will be much lower because the item has lost some of its value. Replacement cost coverage, on the other hand, will pay as much as its needed to buy an equivalent notebook today.As you can imagine, replacement cost coverage is going to cost more. Some argue that its much better value for money to get ACV anyway.Its a common practice for very valuable items, like antiques and jewellery, to be mentioned on the policy explicitly. Its even better if you have got receipts or certificates, which show the value of such items.If your home is ruined - what happens?In case your place of residency becomes unliveable due to fire or smoke, your renters insurance policy will cover your "additional living expenses" (ALE). ALE will cover living cost for you to stay in a hotel or rent a very similar residence for a period of time. There is a limit to the amount ALE can cover, obviously, and that limits is usually 30%-40% of the total value of the policy. There is furthermore a limit for the period of time for which additional living expenses cover is valid and that's usually 12 months.Yet another common benefit of renters insurance is liability cover. What does renter's liability cover, you may ask? It covers you in case an individual gets hurt in your apartment and chooses to take legal action against you. Obviously, specific limits of cover are in place as well.Simply how much does renters insurance cost?
The fact is that it really depends. Credit score, occupation and age group, along with the factors described above, play an important role when insurance rates are calculated. To discover exactly how much it is going to cost you, you have to compare insurance quotes from different insurers. Don't rush to go with the least expensive quote you get. Its important to examine what the insurance limits are and read the fine print of your policy.