Your landlord insures the building. Nobody insures your life in it — unless you do.

The three things it does

• Contents. Furniture, electronics, clothes, kitchen — everything you'd have to re-buy after a fire or theft, including theft from your car. (Tally it with the inventory tool; people guess low by half.)
• Liability. The grease fire that damages three units, the dog, the guest who slips — renters liability defends and pays, which is why landlords increasingly require it.
• Loss of use. Hotel and extra costs while the unit is repaired — the coverage nobody thinks about until the night they need a room.

Michigan renter notes

• Leases requiring insurance are now the norm — we issue landlord certificates same-day.
• Roommates need their own policies — one policy rarely covers unrelated roommates' property.
• The auto bundle is the cheat code — multi-policy credit on the auto frequently exceeds the entire renters premium. Net cost: roughly free.