How to Protect Your Assets Even If You Rent
By Kath / January 8, 2013 / No Comments / Uncategorized
Even if you do not own your own home, you probably want to protect your assets and ensure that if anything unfortunate should befall your possessions, you are able to take care of the expenses. Luckily, even though certain forms of homeowners insurance are not going to be available to you, there will be a number of steps or options available to not only protect your assets and your loved ones, but to also effectively watch out for porch pirates too. This is irrespective of whether you own or rent your home.
So, take the following into consideration when looking for ways to protect your assets as a renter:
Renter’s Insurance
Renter’s insurance is the most common way to protect your assets as a renter. The best part about renters insurance is that it is usually relatively cheap, usually costing no more than $25 per month. Depending on the policy, you will likely be covered in nearly any situation you can think of.
Most policies will cover you in case of water damage or fire damage and will allow you to be reimbursed for the items that were damaged in the process. Some policies even cover the cost of repairs needed for such damages. As a renter, you want to be able to get any property back to its best, even after a disaster, which means you need to be able to hire the best water damage restoration service out there. So, pick your insurance policy accordingly.
Many apartment complexes will require that you have renter’s insurance in order to move in, both to protect you as well as the complex that you are moving into. Of course, this will depend upon the complex or landlord and will not be required for everyone – but will likely be a good idea to invest no matter where you stay.
Security
A reliable way of safeguarding your assets while renting a property is to have the necessary security measures in place. To begin with, you can contact a Fence contractor in Rockwall, TX (or the one near your vicinity) to build an outer fence, which can help keep out any uninvited visitors. Additionally, you could look into setting up a security system that will not only dissuade wrongdoers but also inform your neighborhood or police (depending on the security system) of any suspicious activity by activating an alarm.
Cameras
Another option which can be combined with a security system is the installation of cameras on the property. This provides a number of different benefits. First of all, if someone does break into the property, you will have a video of the theft that you can use to help catch the criminals. Also, cameras are excellent at deterring thefts because there is no easy way to tell where the footage is being stored or whether or not it is being uploaded online where the evidence cannot be destroyed. Cameras make for an excellent option to help protect your property and assets when renting a property.
Neighborhood Watch Areas
Finally, you should pay special attention to the neighborhood that you are moving into if you are worried about protecting your assets. Try to avoid moving into areas that have higher crime rates to avoid having to deal with potentially dangerous situations. In particular, you should look for neighborhoods that take security very seriously, and have involved neighborhood watch members that watch out for each other’s property. By living around people that will watch out for you, the chances of having to deal with property damage or theft are reduced greatly.