My apartment is ruined. Now what?

What happens after there is a covered loss at your apartment?  Half of your stuff is undamaged, but the landlord says you can't live in the building while the damage is being fixed.  What happens next?

If you have renters insurance then you're probably in luck, there is coverage for the extra expenses you incur after a loss.  On most policies it's called "Loss of Use".

Porch Collapse

Here's a question that came into our inbox regarding the liability faced by having a porch at your apartment/condo....

Hi Dan:

I was listening to the radio as I was driving home last night and there was a story about a Chicago apartment's porch falling and injuring 10 people. Who would be liable in this case? Would it be the landlord since it's their property or could the renter be held liable as well? I have a porch and entertain quite often so I want to make sure I'm insured properly.

Thanks!

Affordable vs. Coverage

A question was posed about the desire to save money, but also have adequate coverage on personal property and belongings.  I have lots of thoughts, and some of them are actually relevant to this topic, I hope.

The balancing act between a quote that includes the coverage you need at the affordability you want is always there.  It comes down to choices like; what deductible can you afford should a loss happen? and what amount of insurance will allow me to rebuy everything that I'll need going forward?