Terri Ramsey Beavers When I moved into my apartment, it was following a fire which is the reason it was empty at the time. The person who lived here before me had fallen asleep while cooking and the apartment caught on fire.
But still, that didn’t inspire me to get renters insurance. I thought it was money being spent that I could put towards something else. It didn’t even inspire me knowing a house fire burned our house to the ground when my siblings and I were small.
And then it happened to someone a family member knows. She lost everything. Not only that but because she didn’t have the money for the repairs, she lost her apartment as well. No one expects their home to burn down but it happens. All it takes is one lapse in judgment or for an individual to get in a hurry and everything could change in an instant. Mistakes happen no matter how young or how old a person is.
That’s what it finally took for me to decide to contact an insurance company to see what they offer in the way of renters insurance. I found a plan that I thought would work for myself and I’ve had it since. I was able to pick my deductible cost, and how much insurance I felt I needed to cover my belongings. I was also able to add or leave off things like flooding and earthquakes. Having the peace of mind that in the event of a tragic house fire, I’ll be able to replace my items and get back on my feet.
As a renter, I thought following safety measures would be enough. Having renters insurance isn’t a requirement here but I now feel like it should be a requirement for anyone who rents.
I’m mentioning this today because winter is on the horizon. Heaters are being used. Heaters go out and then stoves are used to heat. I had a heater catch on fire once and while I was waiting on the insurance company to replace it, I used my stove. I know, I know, that’s a big no-no. But, we were having the coldest winter yet and I was down with my back and I was unable to go buy a space heater which is oftentimes equally unsafe.
Pretty soon a lot of us will have up our Christmas trees and when they dry, that’s an additional fire hazard.
Just having fire alarms and detectors and a fire extinguisher is not enough as I’ve learned with both fires I’m aware of. You still need one but again, having one is not enough.
Before you do anything else today, take a few minutes to make sure you’re protected in the event of a house or apartment fire. Not only that but renters insurance covers theft and like I mentioned before, other natural disasters.