The best advice regarding renters insurance is purchase it. When we rent an apartment, a condo, a house, or a mobile home, we sometimes feel a bit too secure in knowing the property isn't ours. We don't own it; therefore, whatever happens to it, outside of the damage we may cause the property ourselves, is not our responsibility.

If the plumbing is faulty, the landlord will clean up the small lake in the kitchen and replace the pipes, right? If a storm hurls a tree through the living room window, the landlord will sweep up the broken glass and replace the window, right? If faulty wiring sparks a fire and burns the building to the ground, the landlord will just build again, right?

While it is the responsibility of the landlord and/or owner of the property to fix these damages not caused by you, it is not his or her responsibility to replace or repair your damaged or lost possessions along the way. So, who's going to replace your kitchen table when it becomes water logged, your television set once a tree rams through it, and everything else you own when the building burns down?

Your renters insurance company; that is, if you have a renters insurance policy.

A renters insurance policy is like a homeowners insurance policy in that your possessions are protected against accidents such as fire and water damage, as well as theft. When purchasing a renters insurance policy, you should follow the same advice as purchasing a homeowners insurance policy: take inventory of your possessions, decide how high or low you want your deductible to be to get the premium you can afford, and look into a 'floater' policy if certain valuables aren't covered under the renters insurance policy.

Don't be swept away by the false security of not owning the property in which you live; remember, you do own the property you moved in with!