Bay Area Renter's Insurance

I didn't know you had a break-in. That must be disconcerting. You weren't there I hope. As to insurance, I have no idea. Just make sure that they are well-established and not a fly by night type company but I really haven't had any experience with it.

Nope, I wasn't home. Thank you for your concern. The interesting thing that I learned about renters' insurance is that not all carriers are equipped to cover people who are renting a room in a home (as opposed to renting an entire unit). AllState turned me down, but State Farm is taking me so they are probably who I will end up going with. Like everything else, I'll keep you all posted on what I learn in the process...although it does appear to be worth the money given the coverage that you get!

I think State Farm is who we have for homeowners--there agents were nice, though I really haven't had an occasion to call them, thankfully. So they cover the value of items stolen? Does that mean that you have to go through and itemize everything of value in your house? Like the TV and computer and plates, etc.?

In the instance of theft then yes, you have to itemize everything and they generally want receipts whenever possible. The biggest loophole that I encountered is that they tag on a massive amount of depreciation (although some policies have a higher-end policy that covers replacement costs). Also, most policies only cover the homeowner and any immediate family members. Of course the person who is writing the claim can just say that everything is theirs but that can get tricky. Overall, I don't recommend getting your house broken into.

@StephSF: Well that ruins my weekend plans, I was totally looking forward to the home invasion and robbery but now I will just have to sit home and watch the football games instead. ;)

Hehe. My point is that it is worth taking a few extra security precautions over the hassle that is on the other side, if you have any concerns about the area in which you live. Based on your description, Orinda is probably more than fine. Go 49ers.

@StephSF: I was just kidding. If I lived in my old apartment in Berkeley and had anything worth stealing, I would totally consider it.