Purchasing a renter’s insurance policy is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to protect yourself and your belongings while renting your home. A typical policy costs only $10 to $20 per month and can save you much more should unexpected damage or liability occur.
But despite its affordability and practicality, only about half (55%) of U.S. renters currently have renter’s insurance, most of whom must have a policy per their landlord’s requirements.
We’ve prepared this article to help you understand why you need renters insurance and how to obtain a policy in this state—from cost and coverage to additional policies you may need.
What is Renter’s Insurance?
Renter’s insurance is insurance that covers specific types of losses suffered by renters during their occupation of a rental property. A typical renter’s insurance policy covers personal property, liability protection, and additional living expenses. Renter’s insurance often kicks in after damage from natural disasters, accidents, or other incidents.
An important note: Renter’s insurance does not cover the actual building itself. The physical building you live in should be covered by your landlord’s insurance. Renters insurance helps protect you and the belongings you own within the property that may be damaged or stolen.
Why Do I Need Renter’s Insurance?
Everyone who rents their home—whether that be a single-family home, studio apartment, mobile home, townhome, condo, or other type of property— should have a renter’s insurance policy. This is because even though you don’t own the physical building you are renting, the items you keep within it (or even in your car, or elsewhere) could still be damaged or stolen.
For example, imagine that a fire occurred in your apartment complex. Your landlord’s insurance would cover the damage to the actual building, appliances, and building systems. However, your landlord is not responsible for replacing all your lost clothes, furniture, electronics, and other belongings. That’s what renter’s insurance is for.
Renters insurance policies can also cover medical or legal expenses if you are sued. For example, your renter’s insurance would apply if someone gets injured in your home and you are responsible for their medical bills.
An average renter’s insurance policy includes $20,000 – $30,000 of personal property coverage and doesn’t cost you more than a $20 bill each month. It’s a small price to pay for the great financial security renters insurance offers.
What Does Renters Insurance Cover?
Renter’s insurance has three main categories of coverage.
- Personal Property: Personal property refers to any belongings like clothes, furniture, electronics, etc. Your personal property is subject to limits and requires a deductible. However, your insurance will reimburse you should your personal property get damaged by disasters such as the following:
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- Fire and smoke
- Storms, lightening, wind, hail
- Theft
- Vandalism
- Explosions
- Winter weather damage
- Damage from infrastructure tearing, cracking, burning, etc.
- Sudden, accidental damage from electric currents
- Liability: Liability coverage pays for your medical or legal bills should you be responsible for an injury on the property or damage to the property itself.
- Loss of Use/Living Expenses: Loss of use insurance kicks in if the property you rent becomes uninhabitable due to damage or repairs. It pays for your hotel bills and even certain food expenses while you wait for repairs to be completed.
There are a few disasters renter’s insurance doesn’t cover, like flooding. It’s important to read your renter’s insurance policy to understand what is and isn’t included. If you need coverage that isn’t included, you can purchase add-on policies, such as water backup coverage, theft extension coverage, scheduled valuables coverage, or earthquake and volcano coverage.
Colorado Renters Insurance
Renters insurance in Colorado protects you and your belongings from a range of perils, including wildfires, storms, and tornadoes. It’s important to obtain financial protection for your personal property in case your home suffers damage from severe weather. Renters insurance in Colorado can also cover legal or medical expenses in the case that you are responsible for an injury that occurred in your home.
What Does Renters Insurance Colorado Cost?
You can purchase Colorado renters insurance at a highly affordable rate. The average renter’s insurance premium in Colorado for 2024 is $132, or about $11 a month. Renters insurance rates are very affordable for most renters, and it is even a dollar less than the national average of $12 per month. Additionally, keep in mind that the cheapest renters insurance policies will have the highest deductibles, while more expensive policies will have lower deductibles. Regardless of the specific policy you decide on, the small investment is well worth the cost.
What Are the Most Common Claims in Colorado?
Although Colorado is not one of the riskiest states for natural disasters, it still sees its fair share of severe weather. Common renter’s insurance claims in Colorado include damage from wildfires, winter storms, and tornadoes.
Colorado sees at least 46 tornadoes each year, which are formed when moist air from the South meets dry air originating from the Rocky Mountain region in the eastern part of the state. While many of these tornadoes cause no damage, others can reach high speeds and destroy roofs or even tear trees from the ground and topple them into homes. After a disaster that impacts your home, filing a claim with your insurance company is the only way to replace damaged items or even receive funds for alternative living arrangements while your home is repaired.
What Additional Policies Do I Need in Colorado?
Some renters in Colorado may also need to purchase flood insurance. Historically, floods have been most common in El Paso, La Plata, Mesa, and Weld Counties. However, water and flood damage can occur even outside of officially designated floodplains. Since flood coverage is not included in most renter’s insurance policies, you will need to purchase a separate flood insurance policy if flooding is a possibility in your region. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) helps renters find flood insurance at affordable rates.
How to Get Renters Insurance in Colorado
Most major insurance providers offer renter’s insurance. Renters insurance discounts may be available if you choose to bundle with your auto insurance or other policy. To determine your policy and coverage details, your insurer will typically ask you a few questions about the rental unit (such as the type of building, year it was built, and address) and the dollar value or replacement cost of high-value personal belongings you own. The best renters insurance companies will allow you to tailor your renters insurance policy and coverage details to your needs and then compare renters insurance quotes across companies.
Get Renters Insurance in Colorado with Innago
Innago offers renter’s insurance through our partnership with Assurant. If you’re a renter, regardless of whether your landlord uses Innago, you can purchase a policy and get protection for you and your personal belongings. You can get quick and affordable quotes, customize your coverage, and add an additional person onto your policy at no extra cost.
