Have you ever used renters insurance? / LJWorld.com

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Asked at Massachusetts Street on May 15, 2005

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“No, I just never had enough stuff to insure when I was renting.”

— Krissy Dye, accountant, Lawrence

“Not in over 30 years. I did when I used to rent, but I never had to file a claim.”

— Bob Bailey, market research, Chicago

“My husband and I have that now on our apartment. We wanted to protect our property and all our belongings.”

— Belinda Webb, housekeeper, Lawrence

“Yes, I did, the first time I had an apartment, but that was the only time I have rented.”

— Michael Love, sales representative, Dallas

Discussion

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15 May 2005
at 1:59 a.m.

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rohdek (Kyle Rohde) says…

Its sort of stupid and ignorant to not have it. Do you drive a car or own a home without insurance? Why would you rent a place without it? I've had it for two years here in Lawrence and I'll keep buying it when I move to KC this summer.
15 May 2005
at 5:29 a.m.

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GreenEyedBlues (Anonymous) says…

Oh, Krissy Dye, I used to think the same thing.
But after living in a place for more than 2 years one starts to make it more “homey” with furniture, art, and electronics. Not to mention spending disgusting amounts on Disney DVDs and collectibles. Before ya know it you've got to have renters' otherwise you may lose thousands of dollars in furnishings.

I once had this horrible problem with my apartment's breaker contacts. Power surges and brown outs happened like 10 times a day. I lost a television, a computer, a DVD player, a microwave, X-Box and a Gamecube in the course of two months. Luckily for me a lot of those products were covered under Best Buy warranty.

It was a horrible time. It took forever for maintenance guys to fix my stuff! I'll give all of you renters one guess as to from whom I rent.

HINT: Starts with a “F” ends with “IrstManagement”
15 May 2005
at 9:54 a.m.

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lunacydetector (Anonymous) says…

it is a waste of money. the odds are you'll never need to use it and the way insurance companies make it difficult when it is time to pay out on anything, why give them easy money for their coffers? when i rented i NEVER had to use it, ever, and i don't know anyone who ever used it either. i only fell for the renters insurance scam for a couple of years. after forking out $600 over a couple of years, i realized i could've used that money for some very nice furniture instead.
15 May 2005
at 10:36 a.m.

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lunacydetector (Anonymous) says…

…i agree homeowners is necessary. it is a pity insurance is a legalized scam. the JW should've done a story on how difficult it is to get a payout from your insurance company if you file a claim. they make you jump through hoops and only after you get done with the dog and pony show, will the insurance company pay out. but our illustrious governor was the previous insurance commissioner, so don't look for any reform anytime soon.
15 May 2005
at 1:15 p.m.

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Liberty (Anonymous) says…

The only reason (I think) that you need house insurance, is if you have a bank loan on the house. I think the bank wants it's part that it owns of your house protected with insurance and wants you to pay for it all.

The requirement for car insurance is equally a scam. They have the “law makers” in their pocket and have made a “law” or statute requiring you to have proof of car insurance before getting a car tag. It was originally for no fault coverage, but there are no constraints on the cost of this insurance on the insurance company's part. A simple mistake of law makers, but at your cost and the insurance company's gain. We need common law back in the court system instead of this admiralty/Roman law junk that is in the courts today. This would allow personal liability (you have to show a loss) instead of insurance companies coverage being mandated by the state, whether it is needed or even wanted or not.
15 May 2005
at 2:02 p.m.

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Jayhawk226 (Anonymous) says…

Every place I have ever rented has required it of me, and State Farm has offered me an auto insurance discount then.

I have no problem with it at all.
15 May 2005
at 3:12 p.m.

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Fangorn (Anonymous) says…

I bought renter's insurance when I rented. I never had to use it, and I certainly never had a run of bad lucky like GreenEyedBlues. (Good Lord, man! I think I would have moved after the computer or the DVD player.)

I've only ever had one claim on our auto insurance (hail broke a window) and one on our home owner's insurance (a break-in that deprived us of a new television, a VCR, and a DVD player). Both times, the insurance claims process was fairly painless. I've heard the horror stories, but I must be with a good company.

15 May 2005
at 9:27 p.m.

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merrywidow033 (Anonymous) says…

the first place i lived in (which was in topeka, sadly) i didn't have renters insurance. the “maintenance” man ended up grounding the electricity incorrectly, which caused a power surge through the first two floors. my friend lost her flat screen tv, her stereo, and we had to buy a brand new refrigerator. Westar reported the “landlady”, but we lost a lot on our equipment.
16 May 2005
at 8:59 a.m.

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raven (Anonymous) says…

A little late on this one, however I must say having previously worked for an insurance company Renters Insurance is far from a scam. It is very inexpensive and completely worth it. Just ask the people who lived at Aberdene when that Tornado hit a couple years ago. Yes more than likely that won't happen but if it does it is easier to let you insurance company foot the bill than yourself. Also, if it is so hard to make a claim with your companies I would consider switching.