renters pay, on average, $128 a year on insurance, which is $32 less than the national average. Renters insurance covers loss of personal property, personal liability, loss of use, with the option of additional policies for your pets.

You have so much on your to-do list when you’re moving, and renters insurance probably isn’t even on it. But think twice about adding it—it offers you financial and legal security that can save you thousands of dollars in the event of an emergency.

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What is renters insurance?

Renters insurance provides you with financial and legal coverage and personal liability coverage if your personal property is stolen, damaged, or destroyed.

While each policy is unique, most companies offer the following standard coverages:

Property coverage (Coverage C): Covers the replacement cost or actual cash value (ACV) of your belongings if they’re damaged or destroyed by a covered peril.

Loss of use coverage (Coverage D): or additional living expenses (ALE) coverage, Covers living expenses (think hotel room or food delivery) due to uninhabitable living conditions.

Personal liability (Coverage E): Covers any legal and financial obligations if someone is injured on your property, or if their belongings are damaged on your property.

Medical payments (Coverage F): Covers any medical expenses if someone is injured on your property.

The amount of coverage you need for personal property varies. You can calculate the amount you need by taking an inventory of your belongings, including furniture, electronics, and art. If your landlord requires renters insurance, they will likely set an expectation of either $300,000 or $500,000 for liability coverage.

What does renters insurance cover?

Renters policies only cover named perils, which range from state to state and company to company. That said, most companies cover a standard spread of named perils, including:

Fire

Theft

Frozen plumbing

Windstorm

Vandalism

Hail

Lightning

Impact by a vehicle

Falling objects

Explosion

Be sure to review your renters policy, as it may vary from this list of named perils.

You can even add on extra coverages if you want. You might want to add a pet policy for your furry friend or add identity theft protection for extra peace of mind.

What does renters insurance not cover?

Even though renters policies protect your personal property, it doesn’t cover everything. Here are some surprising things your renters policy might not cover:

Work-related items: If you run a business out of your rental home (or just work from home), it’s not automatically covered by your renters policy. Any property associated with a business, from your work laptop to your Cricut machine, might need alternative coverage.

Valuables: Your grandmother’s engagement ring and your collection of limited-edition Funko Pops may not be covered by your basic renters policy. Expensive collectibles and jewelry typically require additional coverage.

Your car: Even if it’s parked on a rental property, your car can’t be covered by a renters policy. You must purchase car insurance that meets Kansas’s minimum insurance requirements.

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Kansas insurance requirements

Key Takeaway: While renters insurance covers your belongings, it’s also important for legal liability if an incident takes place on your property.

Is renters insurance required in Kansas?

State law does not require renters insurance in Kansas. That said, many landlords will require you to carry renters insurance in order to sign a lease. But if your landlord doesn’t require it, it’s still a good idea to have that extra protection.

Keep in mind that renters insurance protects you, your family and friends (and pets), and your personal belongings both financially and legally. Does this extra layer of protection sound expensive? The good news: it’s not.

Renters insurance in Kansas is only, on average, $128 a year, which is roughly $11 a month. That’s cheaper than two cups of Starbucks coffee a month for thousands of dollars paid out in the event of a covered claim.

How do you build a renters policy in Kansas?

Insurance might seem confusing, but it’s fairly simple to craft a renters policy. Start by inventorying your personal belongings in every room of your house. For all of your furniture, electronics, appliances, and art, take note of the following:

Quantity

Purchase date

Purchase price

Brand number

Serial number (if available)

Take pictures of the items. Taking pictures as you’re moving is an easy way to make filing a claim much simpler in the future.

Choose a personal liability limit. Your landlord may require a certain amount of liability insurance (typically $300,000 or $500,000), but you may be able to choose a lower limit, such as $100,000.

Check to see if tornado damage is covered in your area. Kansas is in tornado alley, which means tornadoes are a common enough occurrence that insurance companies may exclude tornado-caused damage from their basic policies. If it’s not a covered peril, you may need to purchase an additional policy.

Actual cash value vs. replacement cost

When crafting your policy, you’ll see two terms: actual cash value (ACV) and replacement cost.

ACV determines the value of your personal property at the time of the loss. This accounts for depreciation. Replacement cost, on the other hand, pays out based on how much a comparable item would cost to replace. Replacement cost is often more expensive than ACV.

Let’s say that you and your partner bought a desk three years ago. You splurged and bought the desk for $1,000 (hello cherry maplewood), but that beloved desk was ruined in a fire. ACV will calculate depreciation into your payout and only give you what the desk is worth now. Replacement cost, though? You’d likely get that grand back.

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What does actual cash value coverage mean on insurance?

How do you find cheap renters and car insurance?

We get it, insurance is a lot of dizzying jargon. Finding low prices? Even more daunting. But there are easy ways to save.

You can start by contacting your car insurance company. Most companies offer a discount for bundling home and auto policies together, saving you between 5% and 25%. Think about the math on that for a second. If your car insurance payment is around $300 a month, the discount basically pays for your

renters insurance

You can also find low rates by comparing quotes from multiple companies. Leave the hard work of gathering quotes to the top-rated car insurance broker app,

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Is renters insurance worth it?

Yes, most of the time it is! Renters insurance is one of the cheapest types of insurance. Even though it only costs you pocket change each month, it still offers you thousands of dollars of protection for property damage and personal liability.

What is the average cost of renters insurance in Kansas?

Renters insurance rates fluctuate, but Kansas’s rates tend to be below the national average of $173 per year. You can expect to pay, on average, $128 a year for a Kansas renters insurance policy.

You could save 15% or more on renters insurance by bundling

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