As a Maryland resident who rents your apartment, you are aware that you need to have some sort of coverage for your possessions, but when you share your place with a roommate the rules can get a little confusing. To put it simply, you always need to make sure that you have a renters insurance policy because you will not get any coverage from your roommate’s policy, or vice versa.
Your independent agent in Laurel can help you to identify the type of renters policy and level of coverage that works best for you. The most important thing is just to make sure that you have a policy that will cover you. It may seem strange that two people living in the same space would not be able to share coverage, but you should think of a renters policy rather like you look at a car insurance policy: Everyone who drives needs to have car insurance, and everyone who lives in an apartment needs to have a renters policy.
Your own personal possessions are completely separate from the personal possessions of your roommate, and so you need to draw a distinction between these in your policy. Some people pose the question "What if it’s my boyfriend who is my roommate?" In this case, you will still need to have your own policies because you still have your own property.
If you have a change in your living situation or if you get married you should contact your Laurel independent agent as soon as possible because you may need to make a change to your renters policy as a result of this. Renters insurance is typically very inexpensive, so it is a smart investment and an easy one to make today!