Personal Property: Do the Inventory
Walk through your rental and add up the replacement cost of everything — furniture, electronics, clothing, kitchenware, and anything else you'd need to repurchase. Most renters land in the $20,000–$50,000 range, but this varies enormously based on lifestyle; a minimalist studio renter and a family with years of accumulated belongings need very different limits.
Liability: Set It at $300,000
The standard minimum is $100,000, but raising it to $300,000 typically costs only about $1 more per month — there's little reason not to take the higher limit given how small the cost difference is.
Loss of Use: Usually a Percentage of Personal Property
Most policies set loss-of-use coverage as a percentage (often 20-30%) of your personal property limit automatically — worth confirming this is enough to cover a realistic length of displacement in your area's rental market.
High-Value Items Need Special Attention
Standard policies cap categories like jewelry, art, and musical instruments at $1,500–$2,500 by default — well below what many individual pieces are worth. A scheduled personal property endorsement raises these specific sublimits for an added cost.
When to Revisit Your Coverage
Update your inventory and coverage amount after any major purchase (a new laptop, furniture, jewelry) or life event — coverage set when you moved in three years ago may no longer reflect what you actually own today.