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Is Nationwide Renters Insurance Right For You?

nationwide renters insurance

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Renters insurance is there to protect your belongings in case of an unexpected event.

Typically, you can go online and easily find a quote for renter’s insurance. You may even go with the first quote you receive, and be done with it.

But, there is the possibility of getting a better deal on renter’s insurance if you take the time to do the research and look at all of your options.

We’re going to go over Nationwide renters insurance so you can decide if it’s right for you.

We will be covering the following:

Why You Need Renters Insurance

Landlords will only have property insurance which will cover damages to the actual building structure. This doesn’t include any of your personal belongings that you keep in there.

Say something were to happen to the property you rent, maybe a fire or natural disaster. Your landlord’s property insurance will cover the building, but that doesn’t include any of your personal things. If you didn’t have renters insurance in this situation, you’d be in a pretty tough spot.

But sometimes renters insurance isn’t enough. In some cases, you might also need liability coverage.

Let’s say that you invite a friend over to your apartment. While there, your friend falls and gets hurt. Having liability coverage will ensure that medical or legal bills related to the accident will be covered.

Liability coverage is optional when choosing a renters insurance policy, and is not mandatory to have. However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry in situations like these.

What Factors Impact How Much Renters Insurance Costs?

Certain factors will have a big impact on the cost of your rental insurance policy. 

Let’s start with:

Rental Location

Renters insurance rates will vary by state, cities, and neighborhoods.  This is something that you don’t have much control over unless you have done your research before moving into your apartment., If you’ve done the research in advance, you might have an idea of locations where your insurance may be less costly.

The higher the probability of a claim occurring, the higher your premium will be. So if you live in an area that’s susceptible to things like tornadoes, earthquakes, or even a high crime area, expect to pay more.

Structure and unit size of rented property

The type of structure you are renting is also considered- be it an apartment, townhouse, or single family home, and the size of the location. They’ll even take into account the age of the property and the number of units in the building.

The Value of your Belongings

Rates for rental insurance depend on what you own and what it’s worth.

The higher the value of your belongings, the higher your premium is going to be. 

So if you have expensive electronic equipment like laptops, T.Vs., surround sound systems, etc you should expect to pay a little bit more in order to keep your things safe.

Security

Premiums will be lower if you’re renting somewhere that has a good security system. 

They’ll look for security features like:

  • Front desk security
  • Security System
  • Cameras
  • Alarms

Basically, anything that helps secure your building. If your building does make an effort to remain secure, you should be able to qualify for a lower premium.

Fire Prevention

In order for your premium to be lower, the property you are renting should have smoke detectors and even overhead sprinklers if possible. These safety measures will help you obtain a more convenient payment because they lower the risk of an accident happening. 

If the property owner does not provide smoke detectors, take it upon yourself to install them. This will help you save some money in the long run, and may even save your life. 

Credit Score

Your credit score plays a big part when it comes to determining your monthly premium. Obviously, the higher your credit score is, the less of a risk you seem. So, a higher credit score will lead to a lower premium. 

Credit hurdles show the insurance company that you’ve had trouble meeting payment deadlines in the past. In order to protect themselves, that means they’ll charge you more on the front end.

Terms To Know

  • Deductible

When you place a claim, you will be asked to pay your deductible before your insurance kicks in.

Depending on the size of your deductible, your monthly premium could go up or down.

When you choose a lower deductible, you’ll end up with a higher premium to make up the difference. And of course, if you go with a higher deductible, you’ll pay less on a monthly basis.

  • Bundle Policies

Bundling policies can help you save money. If you currently have an auto insurance policy, get a quote for how much it would cost if you bundled your auto insurance with renters insurance. 

nationwide renters insurance

What Does Nationwide Renters Insurance Cover

Now let’s go a little more in detail with the basic renters insurance coverage that Nationwide offers:

Contents

This coverage will help you protect your personal belongings.

For example:

  • Furniture
  • Clothing
  • Jewelry
  • Valuable collectible
  • Electronics
  • Other items covered through the policy that were lost.

Loss of use

This coverage will reimburse the additional living expenses if you are forced out of your home and into a temporary housing situation.

Personal Liability

Under your basic renters insurance policy, personal liability coverage may protect you under the following circumstances:

  • Any lawsuits you may involved in because of an accident
  • Bodily injury to an individual in your rented property
  • Any property damage that may happen because of your negligence

Medical Payments to Others

  • This coverage may help you pay for medical expenses in the case that someone is injured in your home. Medical expenses can add up quickly and this coverage can give you a peace of mind that you’re protected no matter what. 

Building Additions & Alterations 

This coverage will help pay for damages to any additions or improvements made to the property. 

Credit Card Coverage

If your credit card or checkbook were stolen and used for unauthorized transactions, credit card coverage will ensure that your insurance company will pay to reimburse you up to your selected limit. 

Optional Renters Insurance Coverage

Brand New Belongings

When you place a claim after your belongings were stolen or damaged, Nationwide Renters Insurance will help you by either fixing the damaged article or simply pay to replace it. 

They will pay you the depreciated value for the items that are covered under your policy. Once you receive the money, you go out and purchase the replacement item. All you need to do is send them a copy of your receipt, and they will send you the difference.

Valuables Plus

This additional coverage will provide more coverage if you have belongings that are more expensive.

Things like:

  • Watches
  • Antiques
  • Jewelry
  • Fine art

Water Backup

This coverage will protect you against any loss caused by water.

Situations like:

  • Backed up sewers
  • Drains

Theft Extension

This coverage extends additional protection if items were stolen or vandalized from:

  • Motor vehicles
  • Trailers
  • Watercraft

And it were to get stolen or vandalized.

Earthquake

This additional coverage will cover any losses you may have, caused by earthquakes or volcanoes.

Discounts Offered by Nationwide Renters Insurance

Looking for ways to save on your renters insurance?

Nationwide Renters Insurance offers three different options in which you can receive some discounts.

Multi policy

They will allow you to save money by combining your renters insurance with your auto policy. Renters and auto insurance are the most common policies to combine, but they do offer other types of insurance policies in which you can bundle to take advantage of the discounts.  

Protective Device

You may be able to obtain a lower premium if the house you are adding to the policy has:

  • Smoke detectors
  • Burglar alarms
  • Fire alarms

Claims Free

If you don’t submit any claims throughout the year, you’ll qualify for better and lower rates when you renew.

Steps to Place a Claim with Nationwide Renters Insurance

Nationwide wants you to be able to submit claims quickly and easily. Their claims process is designed to walk you through the process of submitting a claim quickly and efficiently.

Here’s each step in the process.

Step 1: Starting a claim

To start a claim, call the Nationwide Claims Department at 1-800-421-3535

You are going to need the following information:

  • Your name
  • Your Address
  • Telephone number
  • Policy number
  • Type of property damage claim
    • Wind
    • Water
    • Fire
    • Theft
  • Detailed description of the damage to your rented property

After this is done, you will be assigned to a claims representative. This representative will do the following:

  • Gather all the information about the damage to your property
  • They will explain what can be covered under your policy and how much you would need to pay as part of your deductible
  • They will also schedule an inspection if needed to look at the damages

Step 2: Estimating Damage and Repair

If you are submitting a minor property claim, that type of claim can be handled over the phone.

An Inspection of the property might take place if the representative requires it. Most likely, after the inspection you should receive payment immediately.

For repairs you may select a contractor from two different options:

  • On Your Side Property Repair Network – these contractors have been approved with your insurance company and know the requirements needed by Nationwide.
  • You own Contractor – You must make sure that they have operated in the area for several years, that they are insured, and that they will give you a written guarantee.

Step 3: Settling and Closing Your Claim

Once steps 1 and 2 have been completed, an estimate of cost should be reviewed with you.

Then they will make the payment, either by:  

  • Direct deposit
  • Debit Card
  • Check

Once this is squared away, they will subtract your deductible as this is your responsibility. The money will then be sent through the proper channel you selected.

How Much Is Nationwide Renters Insurance?

With Nationwide Renters Insurance, you are looking at a monthly payment of approximately $20.

Of course, you need to keep in mind that certain factors will cause your premium to go up. However, this is a very low starting point for renters insurance, and is affordable to most.

Pros and Cons

Here are some pros and cons that you will find with Nationwide Renters Insurance.

Pros

  • Claims service that can be reached by phone or online and it’s available to you 24 hour a day and 7 days a week.
  • Offer attractive discounts that will show you a significant savings.
  • Also offer a mobile app that will help you keep track and stay in touch.

Cons

  • They do not cover every state in the USA.
    • Here are the states that are not covered:
      • Florida
      • Louisiana
      • Alaska
      • Hawaii
      • New Jersey
      • Massachusetts
      • New Mexico

Is Nationwide Renters Insurance Right For You?

There you have it, an overview of Nationwide Renters Insurance. At this point, you should have a good idea of whether this will be a good fit for you, or if you need to keep looking into other options.

No matter what you decide, make sure you protect yourself against unexpected and unpredictable events the best you can.

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