Featured
Renter's Insurance
Sugar Editorial Picks
Your Two Cents: Is Renter's Insurance Worth It?
Sure, it's always better to be safe than sorry, but sometimes being safe is costly and troublesome — and turns us off. Renter's insurance, for example, seems a necessary precaution to protect your rental apartment or home. But a recent poll among my friends revealed that even savvy, intelligent women are too bothered by the hassle and the anticipated cost of signing up.
If You Rent, Do You Have Renter's Insurance?
Unfortunately, if you rent, your landlord's insurance policy does not cover your personal property. Renter's insurance provides liability protection against accidents (injuries, property damage), as well as financially damaging events like fires and theft. Compared to the amount of property you could lose in these cases, rental insurance is pretty cheap.
Primer: Renter's Insurance
I bought a renter's insurance policy when I moved into my first apartment out of college, and I've since become a sort of evangelist for the cause. It's so cheap and easy to protect all of your belongings from theft, fire, and water damage, yet most of the renters I know still don't have insurance. (Note: Policies do not cover natural disasters like earthquakes.)
Even if your most prized possessions seem frivolous — a $400 pair of shoes, a portrait of John Krasinksi —that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to have them replaced.
Other Search Results
Insurent Helps First-Time Renters Get Decent Apartments
Adventure and possibility push new grads to move to a new city and many (including yours truly) do so with low entry-level salary offers in hand. While you're sure of your ability to pay monthly rent and are willing to fork over a high percentage of your salary, searching for an apartment without a certain level of income can be an incredibly frustrating process.
Many landlords require a renter's income to be as much as 45 times monthly rent, so new grads without that pedigree might find themselves as I did: moving in to a tiny apartment in a walk-up building with steep stairs, a blocked fire escape, windows that didn't fully close, and a charming water heater taking up half the closet-sized kitchen.
10 Tips For Short-Term Rental and Sublet Agreements
Did you know that Washington DC residents are renting out their homes for the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration? Residents can stand to earn a pretty penny: the pictured home is renting for $550 a day!
6 Ways to Cut Back on Utilities and Household Costs
Running a household isn't cheap. Whether you're a renter or an owner, you have a collection of other costs — from insurance, utilities, and groceries to cleaning and repair fees. Most SavvySugar readers dish out a minimum of $100 per month on utilities alone.
Geek Tip: Keep Your Gadget Boxes . . . Just in Case
This tip is kind of hard for me to write because I'm very big on recycling any cardboard box that comes through my door and can't be used as storage (when you live in a small place and love buying new gadgets, they tend to pile up).
But when TeamSugar member lydiat had her house broken into recently, she benefited from having held on to the boxes her gadgets came in.
The officer helping lydiat was able to get the serial number for each item from the boxes, making it so if the gadgets are recovered, they'll be able to tell which are hers from the numbers.
Ask Casa: A Home Security System for My Rental? (Part 2)
Recently Arielb38 wrote to me asking about whether or not a home security system was necessary for her new rental home. You can read the first half of my response here.
To see the rest of my tips, just read more
Tough Stuff: Buy vs. Rent
If home ownership is a personal goal for you, then you and I have something in common! I'm excited for the day that I have a home sweet home, and I am constantly thinking about what it will take financially to get there. Here are some questions we should all ask ourselves and steps we should take in deciding to take the leap from renters to owners.
Casa Capsule: The Week That Was
- You guys are even more excited than I am about the 2008 Ikea catalog.
- For more upscale eye candy, check out Christian Lacroix's home wares for La Redoute.
- Are you a renter without renter's insurance? Well, get some already!
- Brighten your walls with a trendy starburst mirror.
- Or try some decal-icious wall decor for commitment phobes.
- Craving a challenge? Help our dorm-dwellers outfit their digs.
More on CasaSugar
Top Brands
Dimensione Danza
Chantelle
Odille