<prompt> Human: Im trying to buy renters insurance because I live in an apartment building and I have no control of if someone makes a bad decision which leads to a fire. I can not afford to lose housing because I live in a rent controlled building in a city where rent is 1800 for a studio apartment in a shitty neighborhood. I work 2 jobs just to pay my bills.Im finding it difficult to get a copy of a renters policy i can actually read before I sign up for it. I have contacted a state farm agent and a farmers agent and both were surprised when I asked to read what was covered by their policy. The farmers agent said he had been selling insurance for 12 yrs and no one had ever asked him that. Is it my fault that many people dont ask basic questions?So, does anyone in California know any good renters insurance companies? How do I get a copy of a renters insurance policy so I can read it? I dont want to pay money on a policy and then if I make a claim get denied because something wasnt covered. I dont know what all I need and dont want to be taken advantaged of because I dont know much about renters insurance.  <response>: For California specifically, renters insurance typically does not cover earthquakes. And for pretty much the whole US, it doesnt cover flood. Fire, however, should be covered by your renters insurance, as should theft or vandalism. Theres a whole history about the flood part, but basically, youd have to buy a policy from the National Flood Insurance Program. NFIP policies, while backed by the government, can be written by your local insurance agent. They cover actual value, not replacement value, so keep that in mind when figuring how much you need. Your 15 year old sofa has already depreciated to 0 value, so no use in trying to cover it for flood. But things like solid wood furniture holds value for years and years. And since you dont own the land or building, you will just need contents-only coverage, which is a hell of a lot cheaper than an NFIP policy for a house. To give you a real-life example, I have an NFIP policy that I got through Geico, it covers 8000 in losses, and it cost me 125 for this years coverage. Plus, I live in the 100 year floodplain, so theres some real risk of flooding. If I was not in a flood zone, my policy would be cheaper. Likewise, you would need to buy a separate earthquake policy. I dont know much about earthquake insurance I worked in the floodinsurance industry, but I do know that California Earthquake Authority provides it. Much like NFIP flood policies, you dont go directly through the government to get it; you get it from a local agency. I would imagine covering just your belongings is much cheaper than doing so for home or other building. The California Dept of Insurance provides more information about it all here Unlike flood insurance, you can also get earthquake coverage from other insurance companies, not just the CEA, but youll have to call around to see who offers it. Most people in California just buy it from CEA.As for your insurance agent being uncooperative, I would try speaking to a different agent or just calling a whole different company. Youre being really smart to ask all this up front, instead of just making blind assumptions like a lot of people do. Ask whats excluded from the coverage, as that should be easy enough for them to answer, and if something is excluded that you want covered like flood, then ask them how you can get coverage for it. Ask what the coverage amounts are like with flood policies, theres a minimum you can get, and what your deductible options are. And ask about any special items you own, like antiques or collections or valuable art or an expensive gaming rig. And if you purchase a policy, read through it, and dont like what you see, you can always call them back to add something or even just to cancel it. I bought an auto policy once that I read through and didnt see the value in for what I was paying, so I found another company that offered better, and I canceled that first policy after all of 2 days. 