If you're a renter and you don't have renters insurance, you need to buy some now.
Fortunately, cheap renters insurance is easy to find.
You'll probably pay only a couple hundred dollars a year for your policy, especially if you comparison shop.
Why Renters Insurance? Why do you need renters insurance? Well, without it, you have no protection for yourself or your belongings.
Your landlord may have an insurance policy, but it only covers the building you're renting, not your belongings.
Renters insurance pays to replace you possessions after disasters such as a fire or a storm.
It covers you if your home is burgled or even if someone steals your laptop from your car or your bike from in front of the library.
It also protects you if someone slips on your porch and hurts himself.
And if your rental home is damaged and you have to live someplace else while it's being repaired, rental insurance pays that bill for you too.
Before you buy renters insurance, it's a good idea to inventory your personal possessions and total up how much they're worth.
This will help you figure out how much coverage you need to buy - plus you may need the inventory if you ever need to make a claim.
Where to Comparison Shop As with any purchase, it pays to shop around for renters insurance.
But you don't need to spend your precious time calling and visiting insurance agencies to get quotes to compare.
Just take a couple minutes to go to an insurance comparison website and fill out a simple online form with information about yourself, the place you're renting, and the amount of insurance you want.
Before you know it, you'll begin to receive quotes from A-rated insurance companies competing for your business.
The Bottom Line You can't afford NOT to buy renters insurance.