by KYW's Amy Feldman

When the Hunter’s Glen apartment complex in New Jersey was hit by fire, it lost 6 units, and 50 tenants had to be evacuated. Who is legally responsible to pay for the damage to the tenants' personal property?
 
One of the most common misperceptions of apartment dwellers is that the landlord's insurance will cover them in the event of a fire or other damage the tenant did not cause.  The landlord's insurance will pay for the damage to the building, but not to the tenant's personal belongings.  A recent survey found that despite the fact that renters insurance is one of the least expensive policies, nearly two thirds of all renters--fifty million of eighty million renters nationwide--don't have renters insurance.  Renter's insurance is a combination of personal property insurance and personal liability insurance, in case a guest of yours is hurt at your apartment.  Consider a replacement cost policy that covers not what you paid for your property but what it will cost you to replace it. 

Obviously the New Jersey tenants were lucky in that no lives were lost. But without renter's insurance, it is they and not the landlord who will be paying out of pocket for the damage.