Classroom Activities/Suggestions
Current Events
Search local newspapers (or major metro papers on the web) for articles relating to renters insurance. A popular feature is an apartment fire where the tenant didn't carry insurance.
Personal Property Inventory
Provide copies of the sample personal property inventory in this section. Have students complete the inventory just for one room in the house—their bedroom is usually an eye-opener. Cost figures can be obtained from catalogs, magazines and the web.
for a downloadable copy of the Personal Property Inventory.
Cost of Insurance
Create a scenario—living in an apartment, $30,000 in personal property, etc. Contact a local insurance agent or search the web to obtain quotes based on varying amounts of insurance coverage (both personal property and liability) and deductibles.
Divide and Conquer
Divide into groups—debate the pros and cons of carrying renters insurance.
Real Life Cases
Create a variety of apartment living scenarios (single vs. married; expensive lifestyle vs. budget-conscious; replacement cost endorsement carried vs. not carried; insurance purchased vs. not purchased, etc.). Students should be given an insurance "budget" amount and the option to buy/not buy coverage. Create various "life events" that occur (fire, theft, friend trips and falls) to see if the choice they made was the best one.
