Offering a familiar brand and coverage in most states, Travelers Renters Insurance for College Students is a solid provider to cover renter’s property and risks. Insurance is important to provide coverage against losses from theft and damage. Renter’s insurance covers the expense of living some other place because of damage and responsibility for injuries to guests.

Students may be entering their first rental arrangement and must choose a place to live while attending college away from home. For the first time, student renters may be responsible for protecting their computers, devices, and other personal property against damage from fire, water, and break ins. Renters must also pay attention to possible injuries and risks to themselves and their guests.

To get the right level of protection at an affordable price, renters must look at the balance of insurance costs and coverage. Students should pay close attention to the options and choices described in this Travelers Renters Insurance review.

About Travelers Renters Insurance Coverage

Travelers is a well-known and financially strong provider of insurance services. They offer renter’s insurance in forty -five states. Travelers does not provide coverage in West Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii, and Alaska. Established in 1864, Travelers has a long track record of successfully providing insurance for renter’s, homeowners, drivers, and personal liability.

Standard Coverage under Travelers Renters Insurance are described below.

Personal Property Coverage pays renters for damage and theft of personal property such as jewelry, Computers, clothing, electronic devices, furnishings, and a wide range of personal belongings.
Loss of Use of Rental Premises due to a covered event or condition. This coverage pays for hotels, restaurants meals, and essential expenses due to loss of the rental unit. For example, if damage causes the unit to be unusable while repairs take place, this coverage will pay the living expenses in a hotel.
Liability to others such as guests. This coverage will pay for injuries to guests and damage to property of guests. If the renter is responsible, then the insurance company can pay for the personal injuries and loss of property.
Medical Expense Coverage can pay for injuries to others in the insured rental. The injuries do not have to be caused by you or your negligence, this coverage is no fault coverage.
Improvements are covered too. Travelers policies cover improvements or additions that you make to the rental unit. The improvements must be approved or authorized by the owner or lessor. Travelers will cover modifications from theft and disaster events up to a limit equal to ten percent (10 percent) of the policy personal property limit.

Disaster coverage under Travelers renters insurance will pay for personal property and belongings that may be damaged or destroyed by natural and other events. Coverage includes disasters like fire, hail, and lightning. Wind damage and smoke are covered.

Policies cover theft of personal property. The property can be at home, in a car, or on one’s person. Theft and break-ins are consistently amnion the high levels of crime that affect renters and student renters.

Optional Coverage available from Travelers include the below listed items.

Upgrade to Replacement Costs Value. Most insurance policies pay the current cash value for stolen or damaged personal property. The replacement costs upgrade provides the value of a new item to replace the damaged or stolen property. This upgrade can be quite satisfying when having to replace items like electronics and furnishings that lose value as used items.
Cover Your Valuable Items. Some items will not ger adequate replacement coverage under standard coverage policy limits. For example, an engagement ring, wedding ring or a classic musical instrument might not be adequately covered under policy limits. You can purchase extra coverage for this type of item. Travelers may not require an appraisal before agreeing to the coverage.
Protection Against Identity Fraud. Travelers can provide out to $25,000 in reimbursement for victims of identity theft.

Why Get Insurance as a College Student?

Renters and student renters face issues of rising crime in many college communities across the U.S. Break-ins that involve theft or personal property are unfortunately common. While there may be no way to eliminate break-ins, Travelers Renters Insurance for college students does provide peace of mind and financial protection.

COVID-19 may have impacted the extent of crime against college student and other short-term renters. Many local police departments notice that college student areas become hot spots for break-ins. Students typically have computers, electronics, and items that attract thieves. Smart devices and home security systems can help to deter crime and support police actions to investigate occurrences.

Other Great Features of Travelers Renters Insurance

The consumer experience is a strength for travelers. The company gets high ratings from consumers on the usefulness of the website, range of coverage choices, discounts, and the ease of filing claims.

Website access is important for student renters as a convenient way to manage their accounts. Renters can get quotes and review information on policies and coverage. Customers can use Travelers website to make payments, file claims, get insurance ID cards, and track claims. Renters can chat with live representatives during business hours.

Download the app on IOS or Android devices to have mobile access to renter’s accounts. Just as with the website, customers can pay bills, mange claims, and view information about policies and coverage.

Insurance agents can be a resource for students and others new to renter’s insurance. Agents gave training and many have experience in the specific communities or areas in which the rental is located. Agents can explain the local experience, speak about relevant crime rates and other specific, and describe the claim process.

Limits

The insurance policy will set limits on what you can claim and how much you can receive in insurance coverage. A typical college renter’s policy limit might range between $10,000 and $20,000.

The minimum claim limit is important because if the loss is below the minimum, there is no coverage. For example, if your policy has a lower limit of $1,000 then the loss of your $900 cell phone will not qualify for coverage. Low claim limits include more things than higher limits. A typical lower limit is about $500. Student renters can assess their situation and select limits that reflect their potential losses. A $500 threshold covers far more electronic devices and household appliances than a $1,000 threshold.

The maximum limit of coverage is the most the insurer will pay. Students should pay special attention to the upper limit when deciding how much insurance to buy. A personal inventory is a helpful tool for making sure you have enough insurance and for creating a list of things that may be lost, stolen, or damaged.

How Much insurance Should I Buy?

Insurance needs can vary with personal factors like income and assets. Insurance needs can also depend on the location. Cities with inflated costs of living may require higher levels of insurance than areas with lower costs. The amount of property should be part of the determination. The more property one has, the greater the potential loss can be.

A good guideline for liability insurance coverage is to match your net worth. Injuries to others and to their property can create liability in the renter. The renter’s net worth can be protected by insurance. Net worth is roughly the difference between assets and debts (assets minus debts equals net worth). The deductible amount should be a sum of money one can easily pay. The deductible might be paid under emergency circumstances and after a significant loss or event.

Deductibles

Deductibles are the payments the renter must make before insurance payments can begin. High deductibles can lower the costs of insurance premiums and monthly payments. High deductibles mean that you will pay more before you get insurance benefits than if you selected low deductibles.

A deductible is a way of sharing a risk between the insurance company and the insured. Renter’s must pay the deductible before getting insurance benefits and the amount is important when opening a policy. Renters should set the deductible as an amount they can afford to pay during an emergency.

Claims

When to file a claim

Insured renters should file a claim as soon as it is safe to do so. Filing a claim starts a process of claims adjustment to assess and pay the claim. It is important to store your policy number in a safe place that can be reached after a loss such as a fire or extensive water damage.

It is important to report the loss, theft, or damage as soon as possible and Travelers provides claims filing through its App and website. A theft of break-in is a crime and renters should first report to the local police. The police report becomes evidence of when, where, and what was taken. The insurance company will likely ask for a copy of any police report filed.

Insurance coverage requires renters to take reasonable steps to stop damage or prevent further damage. For example, you should cover a broken window to prevent rain from running more property. When protecting property, renters should keep track of supplies and other purchases needed to do so.

Customers can track the status of claims online and through the App. The website provides chat and a live representative to answer questions. The rate of complaints about the claims service is low in terms of the size of the company and the numbers of customers.

Helpful Items

To determine the amount of insurance you may need, an inventory is a helpful tool. Insurance companies often post inventory forms on their websites. There is no need for a particular form, the important contributions are to document the property items and to estimate their value.

Proof of the property that may be lost, damaged, or stolen is essential for your claim. Photographs with a date are convenient with a Smartphone and detailed photos can establish the existence and condition of the property.

Renter’s insurance can cover personal property when you are at home or away from home. Property lost in a car theft can be covered by a renter’s policy. A cell phone lost on the train can be claimed binder renter’s insurance if it meets the deductible limit.

Renters should compare quotes to assess each policy and make a decision that includes value. When comparing policy quotes it is important to compare similar things. The insurance limits and deductibles should be equal when making a comparison.

Students and other enters should avoid the temptation of selecting the lowest price. The value of the policy is also in its coverage, the amount required to get payments (deductible) and the ease of doing business. A claim process that requires reporting to the claims office is not as convenient as useful as a claim process through a website or other online or remote communication.

Roommates and Insurance Coverage

Student renters frequently share rental units to reduce costs and for social reasons. If roommates are unrelated then they should each have their own policy. There are several reasons for this and the more compelling is that there can be a conflict of interests. For example, one resident might damage property of the other resident.

Committed partners, married couples, and family members can share a single policy. Sharing a policy can produce significant savings when compared to the costs of two policies for a single residence.

Saving through Discounts

Travelers is an established insurance company offering a range of insurance products across forty-five states. The company offers car, home, and condominium insurance and discounts. You can pay less if you qualify for multiple policy rates, a period of being claims-free, and Smart-home technology reductions. Travelers has discounts for certain protective devices in the rental unit like smoke detectors, fire sprinklers systems, and security systems.

Consumer satisfaction is an important part of this Travelers Renters Insurance review, and the company does well in this category. Traveler’s impresses customers with the ease of managing accounts online and with transparency. The website has many useful tools and features.

Consumers can gain pricing concessions and discounts by combining insurance coverages and policies. The company does not offer as many add-ons as some competitors might, customers appreciate the benefits of convenient account access and claims processing.

Annie Johnson

Annie Johnson is a licensed insurance broker, specializing in auto, home and renters insurance products. She reviews insurance content on College Educated for accuracy and has a particular passion for making sure that college students and recent graduates have proper insurance coverage. Her latest passion includes researching all forms of business insurance, to ensure that recent college grads who look to entrepreneurship can have the right protection.

Travelers Renters Insurance for College Students