Renter's Insurance gives you protection in a number of situations at low cost when you have nowhere else to turn. For instance, it will not be your landlord's fault if someone breaks in and steals your belongings so long as the landlord took reasonable precautions. These steps don't require much. Providing a working lock on all available entries and exits will normally be sufficient, even in the worst crime areas.

Even if your landlord provides inadequate security, you must prove that you put him on notice of the problem. Further, even if you did put him on notice that your back door does not lock, you will have to prove in court that it was this particular failing which led to your damages. If you only lost $3,500.00, is it worth retaining an attorney to go after the landlord for this amount? You'll have to pay him up front. No attorney I know will take such a small case on contingency. Are you going to have an extra $1,500 laying around in that situation? Even in the best case scenario where a court finds the landlord responsible, a court case can take up to one year or more. If the landlord doesn't have any money (let's say the building in which you live is leveraged to the hilt), then you may never be able to recover even with a judgment.

What if there is a fire in your apartment or apartment complex? Do you want to attempt to sue the person who started the fire? How are you going to prove it? What if they died? What if they don't have any money to pay you? What if they do have money, but everyone else is suing them and by the time your lawsuit gets heard, there is nothing left?

Why put yourself through all of this when Renter's Insurance is available for such a minimal cost? All it takes is a call to your agent and you will likely have a check in your hands equal to your damages within a week. It will then become your Insurance Agency's problem to chase after the persons who caused the damages.

Not all insurance agencies carry Renter's Insurance, but you can click here on an Agent who does. To make things easy on yourself, why not video tape all of your belongings in their present undamaged condition? Make a copy of that video tape. Gather all of your receipts for major purchases together and make photocopies. Send the originals to your parents house, and put the copies in a folder in the trunk of your car. Do the same with the video tapes. This way there won't be any doubt about what was lost if worst comes to worst.