<p>Is there such a thing as dorm insurance?
I'm going to a university in DC this fall, and I was wondering if there is such a thing as dorm insurance and should I bother worrying about it.
I'm not gonna bring any expensive heirlooms or anything like that lol
It's just that I calculated that if for some reason something was lost or stolen, my parents and I won't be able to have enough money to replace those items.
I just bought a new macbook with apple care, but I think it doesn't cover theft or external damage which kind of scares me.
I also calculated that I have probably 2-3 thousand dollars worth of clothes(-it's not a lot of clothing, it's just that I think most are designer- and I don't have a lot of clothing that are not designer)
Also, we just bought new bedding and towels and laundry stuff, which costs around 400$ And my parents can't afford to replace those items in a timely manner.
Even just used books are a bit pricey and hard to replace if they were stolen or something..
I probably sound extremely paranoid, but I just have to money conscious. </p>
<p>Yes, and here is a discussion about it.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1555928-don-t-forget-dorm-insurance.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1555928-don-t-forget-dorm-insurance.html</a></p>
<p>I believe a standard “rental insurance policy” is good for dorm insurance. Usually it is relatively cheap. Definitely should have coverage for your computer.</p>
<p>You can add a computer to your homeowner’s policy to cover theft. Cost is about $10 to $20 per year. </p>
<p>A renters insurance policy might cover you - although I would talk to an agent on the phone rather than doing it online to be sure you’re covered. You just need the cheapest policy (it’s usually around $10K of coverage, although some firms may do cheaper). Your parents also may be able to cover your stuff under their homeowners insurance, although I guess you would need to call their agent and find out.</p>
<p>It’s a good thing to have - it’s relatively cheap ($10/month standalone, but bundled in with your parents’ car or home insurance it could be even cheaper - like $2-5/month) but will save you a great deal of money in the case that your laptop or smartphone is lost or stolen, or damage comes to your residence hall.</p>
<p>If you are living in a dorm (not an off campus apartment) you might want to check if you have coverage under your parents homeowners policy.</p>
<p><a href=“Check Insurance as Kids Prepare for College - WSJ”>http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203334304574159261235616786</a></p>
<p>Also, make sure to back up your laptop. If you don’t have an external hard drive yet, get one, because it will save your life when your hard drive randomly crashes (happened to me 3 times, until I got a new laptop)</p>
<p>You have 2-3K worth of only designer clothes? You might want to recalculate, because it sounds like you have about one outfit.</p>
<p>I was not aware of any dorm insurance at my school, but if I had, I probably would have bought it. Despite the fact that there were several robberies, most of us left our doors unlocked.</p>
<p>In addition to insurance for the dorm room and regular computer backups, I would also recommend a STOP security plate or something similar for your laptop. See here: <a href=“STOP Security Plate, Laptop Recovery, Asset Tracking Labels”>http://www.computersecurity.com/stop/</a> Our campus police had free installations a few times a year.</p>