Personal Insurance
Your landlord insures the building. Not your life inside it.
Renters insurance covers your belongings, your liability, and somewhere to stay if the unit becomes uninhabitable, for less than most people expect.
Why An Independent Agent
It is the cheapest real protection in personal insurance.
A renters policy costs little for what it does. It does two jobs at once: it replaces your things, and it protects your future paychecks if someone sues you. If you rent and do not have it, this is usually the first thing we fix.
Coverage
What we commonly place
Not every item applies to every situation. Part of our job is telling you which ones actually matter for you.
- Personal property (contents)
- Personal liability
- Loss of use / additional living expenses
- Medical payments to others
- Off-premises property coverage
- Water and sewer backup endorsement
- Scheduled valuables
- Replacement cost on contents
- Earthquake endorsement
- Identity theft help (carrier dependent)
In Detail
The parts worth understanding
Four things, and people usually only think about the first one.
- Your belongings against fire, theft, smoke, vandalism and plumbing water damage.
- Your liability if someone is injured in your unit or you damage someone else’s property, including legal defense costs.
- Loss of use, hotel, meals and storage if a covered loss makes the unit uninhabitable.
- Off-premises, in many policies your things stay covered when stolen away from home, including from a car.
This is the question we get wrong answers about most often.
A renters policy typically covers the named insured and relatives. An unrelated roommate is not automatically covered, and a claim they file on your policy attaches to your record, not theirs.
In most cases each roommate should carry their own policy. Some carriers will add a second named insured. Ask us to check rather than assuming either way.
Walk the apartment and total it honestly: laptop, phone, television, sofa, bed, table, kitchen equipment, a full wardrobe, a bike, tools, an instrument.
Most one-bedroom renters land somewhere between $20,000 and $40,000. Considerably more than they guess. Choose replacement cost rather than actual cash value; the premium difference is small and the claim difference is not.
Local Knowledge
Portland rents are high. Replacing everything at once is higher.
Rent in Portland already stretches most budgets thin. That is exactly why losing everything without insurance hurts so much. Few people have a spare $25,000 lying around to refurnish an apartment. A renters policy turns that risk into one small, predictable cost.
Bundle & save. If you already have auto insurance with us, adding renters usually lowers your combined total. Sometimes the discount almost pays for the renters policy by itself.
Lisa and Keith answer the phone here. No call center, no robots. Just North Portland neighbors helping neighbors.
The Process
Is this difficult? Not with us.
Tell us about your situation
A few quick details about what you are insuring and what you have now.
We compare carriers
We shop multiple companies to find the best combination of coverage and price.
You get a clear recommendation
Straight answers, in plain language, and often same-day coverage.
Questions
Renters insurance questions
Does my landlord's insurance cover my belongings?
No. It covers the building and the landlord's liability. Your possessions and your personal liability are only covered by your own renters policy.
Do roommates need separate renters policies?
Usually yes. Policies generally cover the named insured and relatives, not unrelated roommates, though some carriers allow a second named insured.
How much renters insurance do I need?
Enough to replace your belongings at today's prices. Most one-bedroom renters underestimate this; a walkthrough total is usually between $20,000 and $40,000.
Is my bike covered if it is stolen outside the apartment?
Often yes, under off-premises coverage, subject to your limits and deductible. High-value bikes are usually better scheduled individually.
How fast can I get renters coverage?
Often the same day, and often within the hour during business hours. Useful when a lease needs proof before you can collect keys.
Related coverage
Get your free renters insurance quote.
We respond the same day whenever possible.