A renters policy comes down to three limits: personal property, personal liability, and loss of use. Most people accept whatever the default quote shows, which is how you end up with $15,000 of contents coverage protecting $40,000 of belongings.
Setting them deliberately takes about twenty minutes.
Key takeaways
- Estimate contents by replacement cost today, room by room — then video everything.
- Take the higher liability limit; the cost difference is minimal.
- Check that loss of use would fund real post-storm housing.
- Schedule jewelry and other high-value items to escape sub-limits.
Personal property: do a room-by-room pass
Walk each room with your phone and estimate what it would cost to buy everything in it new today. Not what you paid — what a replacement costs at current prices.
People consistently underestimate three categories: clothing in total, kitchen contents, and the accumulated cost of electronics and their accessories. Add them up and the number is usually higher than the default limit on the quote.
While you're doing it, take video of each room and each closet. That footage is the fastest claim documentation you will ever produce.
Liability: match it to what you could lose
Liability limits commonly start at $100,000. Moving to $300,000 or $500,000 costs very little because serious liability claims are rare — but they're the claims that follow you financially.
If you have savings, income to garnish, or you host people regularly, take the higher limit.
Loss of use: think in Florida terms
Loss of use is often expressed as a percentage of your contents limit. Ask what it would actually fund: how many weeks of a local short-term rental at post-storm prices, with meals, for your household?
In a bad season, displacement is measured in months, not days.
Deductible
Renters deductibles are usually $500 or $1,000. The premium difference is small, so pick the one you could pay immediately. There's rarely a reason to stretch for a higher deductible on a policy this inexpensive.
Schedule the valuables
Engagement rings, watches, cameras, musical instruments and collections often hit a sub-limit far below their value — sometimes $1,500 for all jewelry combined. Scheduling an item lists it specifically, insures it for an agreed value, and typically covers more causes of loss, including simply losing it.
Renters coverage details
Tell us your unit and we'll suggest limits that fit — not a default.
Frequently asked questions
This guide is general information for Florida consumers, not a policy or legal advice. Coverage terms vary by carrier and policy form — your declarations page controls. Last reviewed July 26, 2026.