ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It’s almost move-in time for students headed to college and you may believe you’ve thought of everything – clothes, laptop, microwave. But does your college kid have renter’s insurance?

Renter’s insurance is especially important if the student lives off campus. Most homeowner’s policies will cover only 10% of the value of your college kid’s belongings. And most folks have a deductible of about a thousand bucks. That doesn’t help much if your kid’s $900 laptop is stolen.

On August 22, 2017, it was move-in day at RIT. Students had just settled in at Colony Manor, then an off-campus apartment complex. Around 8 that evening, a fast moving fire forced everyone out.

David Kirst, AAA Insurance Manager: “You’re going to want to make sure you have a renter’s policy for your child when they’re away at school. They’re very inexpensive.”

How inexpensive? According to prices compiled by Money Geek, as low as $10 a month. That’s right. You can protect your kid’s laptop, TV, furniture and PlayStation for the same price he’s paying for that Door Dash membership.

“What it covers is a lot of stuff whether it’s their belongings or liability in case, God forbid, anyone got hurt in their apartment. You want to make sure you have the proper coverage,” Kirst said.

And most policies cover far more than stuff lost in a fire or natural disaster.

Deanna Dewberry, News10NBC: “Let’s say that your roommate is wasted and spills his beer on your laptop. Is that covered by your renter’s insurance?”

David Kirst: “That would be covered.”

It’s important to remember that all those valuables in student housing plus lots of foot traffic in shared spaces is an equation for higher theft rates in and around many college campuses across the country.

“It’s going cover if your belongings are stolen out of a vehicle. Someone may smash your window and grab a laptop, grab a backpack. Also a lot of college kids are going to have bikes. You want to make sure bikes are properly covered on that renter’s policy as well,” Kirst said.

Some policies put limits on electronics, so make sure and ask your insurance agent about that before signing on the dotted line. It’s important to remember that many apartment complexes in the Empire State require renter’s insurance, often with at least $100,000 in liability coverage. Click here for CNBC’s picks for the best renters insurance policies of 2025. Click here for NerdWallet’s top 13. And click here for a list of the top insurers chosen by MarketWatch. And Bankrate provides some great information on calculating how much renters insurance to buy.

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