As a bustling city, Washington D.C. is full of renters. From politicians to restauranteurs and other busy professionals, everybody is on the go. Renting just makes sense. Still, rent prices can be exorbitant leaving little room for extra expenses. When it comes to renters insurance to cover your personal belongings, renters in D.C. often can't afford excessive premiums. With plumbing issues, crime rates, and other hazards, you also can't afford to go without protection for your personal belongings.

So if you want to ensure you're properly covered based on policy limits while renting in the District of Columbia, it's important to find one of the best Washington, D.C. renters insurance companies. But where do you start? In the table above, you can sort through all the renters insurance companies ranked on Clearsurance. The rating next to each company is the insurer's Clearsurance score. It is based exclusively on the thousands of ratings provided by customers. Note: Only those companies with at least 25 renters insurance reviews are eligible to appear in the best Washington, D.C. renters insurance rankings.

Interested in learning more about one of the companies on the list of the best renters insurance companies in Washington, D.C.? You can visit the company's profile page to find more information about the company and read reviews to learn from the experiences of other policyholders.

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What types of coverage come with a renters insurance policy?

Just like any other policy, you can usually customize your renters insurance coverage to get exactly what you need. Most policies contain some form of the following coverages:

Personal property coverage – This coverage pays the replacement cost for the personal items you keep in your apartment should they be damaged or destroyed.
Liability coverage – Liability insurance pays for medical expenses if someone is injured in your apartment.
Loss of use coverage – Loss of use pays for your hotel and food expenditures when you are unable to stay in your apartment because of damages. This may also be called additional living expenses coverage.

Beyond these basic coverage options, you may also be able to purchase identity theft protection, guest medical coverage, and other optional coverages.

You can also raise your coverage limits if you keep valuable items in your apartment, such as musical instruments, jewelry, or sports equipment.

Who offers the best Washington, D.C. renters insurance rates?

Out of the most popular renters insurance companies in D.C., USAA offers the cheapest D.C. renters insurance rates, on average. USAA is only available to United States military members and families. If you aren't eligible for USAA, your next cheapest option is Allstate.

In Washington, D.C. the average cost of renters insurance is $176 per year. In Washington, D.C., renters insurance varies based on a number of factors including the company you choose. Some companies may offer renters insurance in Washington, D.C. for a cheaper rate than other companies do. In the table below, you can see average annual Washington, D.C. renters insurance rates from some of the largest companies in the state.

Company	Average renters insurance rates
USAA*	$98.00
Allstate	$139.00
State Farm	$173.00
Chubb	$294.00

*USAA is only available to former and active military members and their families.

These average renters insurance rates are based on a policy with $30,000 in personal property coverage (with a $500 deductible), $100,000 in personal liability and $1,000 in medical payments to others. The rates displayed should only be used for comparative purposes as individual rates in Washington, D.C. will differ. Rate data is provided by Quadrant Information Services.

How much does rent cost in Washington, D.C.?

In Washington, D.C., rent costs an average of $2,072 per month. The cost of rent in D.C. can vary based on your location within the city as well as the size of your apartment.

As the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C. has many people renting apartments, but rent can be pricey in the city. The average cost of rent in Washington, D.C. is $2,072 and many neighborhoods within the city have an average monthly rent of more than $2,000, such as Chinatown, Mount Vernon Square and Foggy Bottom. However, there are neighborhoods that have a significantly lower average monthly rent cost. For example, Greenway and Kenilworth are two areas that have an average monthly rent rate of $1,091.

Another factor that affects the average monthly cost of rent in Washington, D.C. is the size of the apartment. Studio apartments have an average monthly rent rate of $1,642, while one-bedroom apartments average $1,996 and three-bedroom apartments average $2,669 per month. Even though rent can be expensive in Washington, D.C., that doesn’t mean you should go without renters insurance to save a few bucks.

Do college students need renters insurance coverage?

Many people don't realize this. Typically, college students who live in dorms located on the college campus are covered by their parents homeowners insurance policy. That's usually only the case for students who live on campus, though. College students who rent apartments off campus should consider a renters insurance policy as their items won't be covered under their parents' policy. Without a renters insurance policy, they won't have any protection in the event of a break-in, flood, or other disaster. A renters policy can protect your valuables and cover additional living expenses should your current residence become unlivable for any reason.

College students will most likely have roommates in the apartment they rent. It's not advised that students share renters insurance policies with roommates. Rather, each student should have their own renters insurance policy to protect their own belongings.

What are the biggest threats covered by renters insurance?

Theft and vandalism or malicious mischief are among the 16 perils a standard renters insurance policy protects you from. So, how does crime in Washington, D.C. compare to other states around the country? The FBI published the following statistics on crime in Washington, D.C. for 2016:

Property crime - 32,716
Burglary - 2,361
Larceny theft - 27,382

When compared to the national average rate per 100,000 inhabitants, property crime and larceny theft in Washington, D.C. rank above the national average but burglary ranks below the national average.

How can you get lower rates on your renters insurance in Washington, D.C.?

While renters insurance may be more affordable than other types of insurance, no one wants to pay more than they have to. If you can pay $150 instead of $200, it may not take much off your monthly premium, but it adds up. It's $50 less you have to pay to get protection for your valuables. This is why it's essential to get multiple renters insurance quotes when you're shopping. You may also check if insurance carriers cover your business property in the same policy. Coverage can vary widely even when you're talking about the same type of insurance.

So what are the different ways that you can lower your Washington, DC renters insurance premium and have some extra spending money?

Raise your deductible
Ask about potential discounts
Bundle your policies
Determine the value of your personal property
Pay in full by actual cash or check instead of using a monthly payment plan
Consider how much liability coverage you actually need based on your unique situation

If you bundle your auto policy with homeowners or renters insurance policy with the same company, you will usually receive a multi-policy discount (this might also be available for bundling with other types of insurance, such as a life insurance policy or boat insurance policy). Some companies also offer discounts for safety features in your apartment, such as smoke detectors, or for setting up automatic payments.

Additional insurance discounts may be available, so make sure to ask renters insurance providers about your options when you're shopping around for quotes. If you're looking for the most affordable rate, get renters insurance quotes from at least three companies before making a decision.

How does Clearsurance rate and rank the best renters insurance companies in Washington, D.C.?

Consistent with its mission towards greater transparency, Clearsurance does not keep its rating and ranking formulas in a black box. Our algorithm analyzes a range of inputs from our independent community of insurance customers, including:

Price
Customer Service
Claim service
Likelihood to renew

We want to see the whole picture of what makes one renters policy better than another. Does it cover water damage and property damage? Do they make the claims process easy, or do you get cheap renters insurance because they avoid paying out on legitimate claims? A cheap renters insurance policy is only as good as the claims process.

The algorithm also takes into account the percentage of what customers say the company does well vs. the percentage of what customers say the company could do better.

The Clearsurance customer ratings and rankings are derived entirely from customer reviews and ratings.

What is a renters insurance guide?

As we mentioned above, there are common misconceptions regarding what is and isn't covered by a renters insurance policy. Before you purchase a policy from one of these best renters insurance companies in Washington, D.C., it's important to understand what you get. For example, did you know that many renters insurance policies include liability protection in the event a non-resident is injured on the property? Plus, if your apartment becomes uninhabitable from an incident, some policies may cover your living expenses as you find temporary housing in D.C. Personal property coverage is more limited than you might think. So if you have individual property that's more valuable, you might want to add coverage for that property.

We want to make sure you’re equipped with a proper knowledge of renters insurance, so check out our renters insurance guide. Looking for more educational information about renters insurance? Check out our renters insurance blog for more information and topics related to renters insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions

#1 – Who offers the best Washington, D.C. renters insurance rates?

#2 – How much does rent cost in Washington, D.C.?