Renters Insurance Coverage Calculator
Estimate the personal property, liability, and loss-of-use coverage you need as a renter.
Suggested personal property coverage
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| Coverage type | Suggested amount |
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Three things renters insurance covers
Personal property replaces your belongings if they're stolen or damaged by a covered event. Liability covers legal and medical costs if someone is injured in your rental or you accidentally damage someone else's property. Loss of use pays for temporary housing if your rental becomes uninhabitable. This calculator estimates all three from a single input: the value of your belongings.
How the suggestions are calculated
Loss-of-use coverage defaults to about 3 months of rent, a common industry starting point for how long temporary housing after a covered loss typically takes. Liability coverage is tiered by your total assets — the more you have to protect from a lawsuit, the higher the suggested minimum — the same tiering approach used by our Home Insurance Calculator.
Worked example
$30,000 in belongings and $1,500/month rent gives a suggested personal property coverage of $30,000 and a loss-of-use suggestion of $4,500 (3 months' rent). With $50,000 in total assets to protect, the suggested liability coverage tier is $100,000, the common baseline for a standard renters policy.
Frequently asked questions
My landlord has insurance — why do I need my own?
Your landlord's policy covers the building itself, not your belongings, and it doesn't protect you if someone is injured in your unit or if you're temporarily displaced by a covered loss. Renters insurance fills exactly those three gaps for a relatively small premium.
How do I estimate the value of my belongings?
The most accurate way is a quick home inventory — walk through each room and add up the replacement cost (not what you paid, what it would cost to replace today) of furniture, electronics, clothing, and other items. Most people underestimate this until they actually add it up.
What's "loss of use" coverage?
It pays for temporary housing (a hotel, short-term rental) and related extra expenses if your rental becomes uninhabitable from a covered event like a fire, so you're not paying rent on an unusable unit and a hotel bill at the same time.
Does this give me an actual price quote?
No — this estimates the coverage amounts to ask for, not a premium. Renters insurance premiums are typically inexpensive relative to homeowners insurance, but the exact price depends on your location, coverage amounts, deductible, and insurer, so get a quote directly for a real number.