The Louisiana coast, like manyother states has been bombarded by fierce weather conditions this winter. As aresult, the issue of insurance coverage has begun to come to the forefront ofthe national spectrum.
Insurance for homeowners haslong been considered the norm, but for those that rent their homes and aresurviving on a budget, the added expense of insurance premiums, the amount youpay each month for your coverage, can be hard to justify.
“After paying the householdutilities and the rent I have very little left on my pay check,” said FrankSeales, a working student from Washington D.C.
According to the InsuranceInformation Institute, Louisiana has the second highest premiums in the nationwith an average of $239 a month.
State Farm Insurance suggeststhat anyone who rents should be covered; they also warn that many renters’assume that their landlord’s insurance will cover them, but usually thelandlord’s insurance covers the building and not the tenant’s personalbelongings.
While working as an Avvis forthe West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Department, Travis Rivet has been at many sceneswhere a family has returned home to see that all of their belongings have beendestroyed.
Rivet described the look ontheir faces as “total devastation.”
Coverage can vary by the amountof goods insured and the amount of coverage you are seeking.
Personal property policies cancover everything from injury of another person to the bursting of water lines.
Some policies will even givevictims money to help them find another place to live in case their residenceis uninhabitable.
The usual deductible, or theamount you are responsible for in case of a claim, can range from $500 to$1,000.
Since recently moving off campusjunior mass communication major Engrid Scott has considered getting insurance.
“I would like to have the peaceof mind that insurance provides, I have worked for things I have and would liketo protect them,” Scott said.
The Independent Insurance Agentsand Brokers of America reported that according to a 2003 survey 95 percent ofthose that responded had insurance on houses they owned compared to 64 percentof those that rent their homes.
The decision to retain rentersinsurance can be important, 25 percent of homeowners have made a claim in thelast ten years, reported the Insurance Research Council.
With fire accounting for 33percent of all claims and theft another 4 percent insurance will help renters’recoup any loss to their personal property.
