We received an email recently that caught our attention. We don’t normally publish emails in full. We’re even less likely to do so when the sender isn’t even one of our insureds. But the writer has a unique perspective on Los Angeles Renters Insurance that’s worth the time to read, so here we go…
You don’t know me. I don’t have my renters insurance with you. In fact, I don’t have renters insurance at all, and that’s sort of the problem.
I had it all. I didn’t need renters insurance, because there was no coming back down from the place I was at in life. It’s tough to find the perfect apartment in LA, and it’s even harder to afford it, but I had it. I made 80k last year, and was on track for six figures this year. My buddies wanted to be me. Their girlfriends wanted to date me. And most of the people in any given room just wanted me to shut up about my awesome life. Life was legendary. Yeah, I was “that guy.”
My girlfriend… She likes nice things. She loved my apartment. She loved my money. But that was all just fine because she complemented my lifestyle well enough that I might have eventually married her.
Working in finance, I though I had picked up a little bit of risk management and knew how to protect myself. My girlfriend was an authorized user on only one card with a fairly low limit. It cost me some money, but it also gave me peace of mind. Risk management, y’know? When I bought my car (Tesla Model X) I made sure to up my liability and get the gap coverage. You never know what could happen, right? Well, nothing happened to my car. Which is good, because I’m now living in it.
My girlfriend isn’t.
How did I fall so far, and so fast? And what happened to my girlfriend?
I was cooking dinner for her one night, and she was going on about something as usual. I turned around to look like I was listening for just a minute, and that was all it took for the stove to start a fire. It spread to the cabinets before I could find the fire extinguisher, and that was when I knew it was time to get out.
Sprinklers stopped the fire from spreading too far, but the kitchen was a total loss. Obviously my security deposit wasn’t going to cover that. Now I owe fifty grand to my former leasing office, and I have a judgement against me on my credit. You try renting in LA with something like that on your credit. It’s not going to happen. So that explains the whole living in my car thing. Glad I bought the Model X, it’s roomier than the others. Gave up a little sportiness for a lot of space, and it paid off.
Where’s my girlfriend? When the awesome apartment went up in smoke and the money went away because I have to pay that judgement, she decided I wasn’t much fun. She’s found someone else now.
All of this could have been avoided if I had renters insurance. I’d be in a different apartment in the same building, with the same amazing girlfriend, because I’ve been told that liability coverage would have paid for the damage to the apartment. I’d have better credit, and a much better life. I thought renters insurance was just to protect my stuff, and I figured I could afford to replace it all if there ever was a fire or something. I never even thought about what would happen if I caused the fire.
I’m telling you all of this in the hopes that someone else can learn from it, because nobody knows about this renters insurance thing.
Travis
Travis, thanks for sharing your story with us. While many people know about Los Angeles Renters Insurance, there are still many people who don’t. Only about forty-four percent of the renters in California are covered. Renters insurance would have cost you maybe fifteen dollars a month. It’s the most affordable way to protect yourself from liability and to protect your personal property. We know you know that now, but other people might learn from your story.
It’s easy to get covered, too. Get renters insurance. Protect your stuff. Protect your future. Protect your lifestyle. Protect your relationship.
While Travis’ story is extreme, renters insurance does help protect your relationship. Any significant loss puts a serious strain on a relationship. It’s much easier to pick up and carry on with life together when you can replace your property, have your temporary living expenses covered, and liability is taken care of.
Get covered! Just call (800)892-4308 or click to get covered - whether you need Los Angeles, CA renters insurance quotes online or coverage anywhere else!
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