The PCS Secret Weapon: Renter Insurance

Although I’d lived in apartments for years before becoming a military spouse, I had never once heard of renter insurance. None of my previous complexes required it, and it wasn’t until we were living on a military base that it came across my radar. Now, I wouldn’t dream of going without it!

This is a quick story of how renter insurance saved my finances!

April is the Month of the Military Child, and I myself, have two of them. As special and resilient as these kiddos are, you also know what they can do to a house! Strangely, they always seem to create chaos when the houses are new or just before you PCS! You know what I mean -- coloring on the walls, putting holes in doors, throwing a toy and cracking a mirror... Truth be told, the last thing you want to stress about when you PCS are fines from housing for damage to your house right before you turn in your keys.

What’s my story? Well, my child is notorious for using too much toilet paper and clogging toilets. It all came to a head one day, when my upstairs toilet leaked through the ceiling of my dining room, and I watched as toilet water rained down onto my dining room table, chairs, and area rug. My property owner quickly called in an emergency plumber, who fixed it, but her insurance company declared everything a “sewage loss.” (I tell you, we weren’t ever going to eat off that table again!)

Thanks to her insurance, my property owner installed new drywall and new floors, and luckily with my renter insurance, I received a new dining room set and carpet! I couldn’t imagine the out-of-pocket expense without it.

AFI Renter Insurance for Your Military Home

Whether you live on or off base, as long as you’re renting at your current duty station, Armed Forces Insurance (AFI), has you covered. Even if you don’t own the home you live in, you still own valuable personal property that needs to be protected.

Let’s not forget that things don’t only get damaged or break during a PCS -- Sgt. Murphy always seems to kick in during a deployment! In my home alone, my back glass door was shattered by a stray rock, my front door broke and sealed shut, and my water heater died. Are you prepared if pipes burst, or like in my situation, a toilet overflows? What if you accidentally start a fire and your landlord expects you to handle the charges?

What Does AFI’s Renter Insurance Cover?

Anyone can face situations like fire, theft, water damage, and other circumstances that your landlord’s policy may not cover. With AFI renter insurance, you can select limits for specified items and situations including:

• Personal property (furniture, electronics, computer equipment, clothing, etc.).
• Personal liability if someone is hurt, whether in your home or away from it.
• Damage to your apartment or home caused by a covered loss.

Good luck with your PCS, bloom where you’re planted, and make sure you military kid doesn’t flush too much toilet paper! To learn more, please click here.

Trust Armed Forces Insurance

Designed with the military in mind, AFI proudly supports what’s important to your military family through personal service and competitive rates. Created and led by former military leaders who understand the unique challenges that come with military service, AFI has supported military families for over 130 years. Their coverage options provide peace of mind for active, retired, and former military personnel, their families, and civilian Department of Defense employees.