Ah renters insurance, we’ve all seen the papers in the move in pamphlet and ignored it. It normally is covered in threatening innuendos that make you automatically feel as if you’ll be robbed.
The question is though, do you need it?
There are always those say “ Of course you need it, the apartment is filled with everything you own and what if you get robbed!” and this is normally followed by “ I’m in college, nothing I have is worth much and if it is like say my computer I normally have it with me.”
This is the common argument but it is missing the biggest point, which is that yes you need renters insurance but fear of being robbed is not the only reason why. The average college student is leaving their families home for the first time to live on their own with several others in the same situation.
Do you know how easy it is to overflow a toilet and ruin the floors? Overheat a lamp and bust the bulb? Renters insurance is the solution to any “If you give a mouse a cookie situation” or domino effect.
Trust me when I tell you that the extra few dollars a month are a lot better than thousands of dollars at once if any of your property is damaged. If a pipe bursts above your closet, then the complex is only supposed to fix the pipe and ceiling. They have no responsibility to fix your now wet and possibly moldy wardrobe.
So yeah, it’s unlikely any of this will ever happen in the short time frame you attend college and need an apartment or temporary living situation. But it’s always better to be prepared so you don’t end up with a closet full of moldy clothes, or a ruined laptop.
Equal Housing Opportunity
