As they say, it’s all about location. Where you live will most likely affect your entire perception of college life. Try to find an apartment that’s close to your school or within close proximity to public transportation; walking or biking your way to classes will help you save some money and make new friends along the way.

In maintaining your own residence, you must be aware of all the rights and obligations associated to it. Most often, you are legally responsible for things that happen on your premises, including injuries suffered by guests stopping by your place. To keep yourself and your belongings protected, it’s often a good idea to purchase renters insurance. While your landlord may be sympathetic of your loss due to fire, theft or water damage, his insurance policy only covers the building itself. Your renter’s insurance on the other had should keep you protected against a series of mishaps such as smoke, lightning, explosion as well as personal liability (including liability provision for dog bites).

Go green! If you want to be a good steward of the environment and improve your way of life all together, take some time to review your daily habits.

Make sure you turn off the lights every time you leave the house. Unplug your cellphone, tablet or laptop chargers when they are fully charged to avoid wasting energy. Or plug all your devices into a “smart” power strip and turn it off at night. In addition to being eco-friendly, these simple actions will prove rather friendly on your pockets, too.

Replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs. An Energy star qualified light bulb saves about $6 a year in electricity costs and can save more than $40 over its lifetime. In addition, a CFL uses about 75% less energy than a traditional incandescent bulb and lasts at least 6 times longer, studies show.

Furthermore, you could turn to local farmers markets for your everyday shopping. Not only will you be getting fresh, farm-grown produce and optimal flavors, you’ll be also contributing to saving Mother Earth by avoiding resources consumption for production and transportation processes.

Get thrifty! Use reclaimed or revamped furniture pieces to adorn your quarters. Antique shops and yard sales abound with precious gems that can help you spruce up your rental in no time. You could give your high-school desk new life by applying a fresh coat of nontoxic paint; refresh an old bookcase with some cool wallpaper; or make your own cushion or pillow cases from some nice old, clothes you no longer wear. It’s these personal touches that make a home unique and cozy. And your friends will be impressed by your eco-consciousness, too.

Depending on the duration of your trip, you might want to inform a relative about your absence and ask them to keep an eye on your property while you’re gone. If you’re so lucky as to have a trusted friend who could temporarily move into your home and water the plants, feed your dog or pick up the newspaper, you’re all set. On the other hand, you could always hire a professional house- or pet-sitter to take care of your home, although this is a much pricier option.

If you leave your apartment vacated, consider stopping mail and newspaper delivery. A stash of days-old newspapers piling up in front of your doorway is like an open invitation for burglars to come in and do their job. Your local post-office can hold mail from three to 30 days if you submit an online stop mail request. Keep in mind that each address can have one Hold Mail scheduled at a time. All mail will be held, rather than an individual’s mail.

Before you leave, conduct a thorough inspection of your home. Unplugging electrical appliances, shutting off the gas supply and making sure all the water taps are tightly turned off will give you peace of mind while you’re away, knowing that you don’t have to worry about unfortunate accidents. This is also a good time to think about your renters insurance. Is it up to date? Do you need a new policy? Protect yourself from the unforeseen with a solid rental insurance plan.

While traveling, postpone social networking until after you’re back from your vacation. Letting your friends know that you’ll be off to some far-off, tropical island for spring break is not bragging, yet it might compromise your home’s security. You never know who might be watching. Better blog about it when you come back and you’ll get to relive all the thrills!

Show increased caution while on the road to fun and adventure. Identity theft is a common misfortune experienced by negligent travelers. “Identity theft can happen at any time but can be more likely while traveling because you’re carrying a lot of sensitive information in a distracting and unfamiliar environment”, said Julie Curran, Regional President, BMO Harris Bank.

Identity theft happens when someone obtains your personal information – such as your Social Security number – and uses it without your permission to open accounts or initiate transactions in your name. This can cause financial loss and damage your credit. The most common identity theft occurs when your wallet or purse is stolen, as the thief has easy access to check cards, IDs and other personal information. Curran recommends the following steps when traveling to protect you and your family from identity theft.

-          Protect your Social Security number. Don’t carry your card with you. If asked for your number, ask why the information is needed.

-          Never leave your personal documents unsecured in a hotel room. This includes checks and legal papers or computers and smartphones that may have personal information. Placing your important possessions in a security box might be a wise call.

-          Carry the minimum. You do not need to travel with every piece of personal information you own. Only carry necessary credit cards and documents.

-          Beware of your surroundings. When accessing an ATM or using your PIN, beware of your surroundings. Cover your hand when typing in codes.

-          Don’t check-in personal information. At airports, never place personal documentation in luggage that you intend to check-in. Once it is checked-in, it is out of your control and sight.

-          Be wise about WiFi. Before you send personal information over your laptop or smartphone on a public wireless network in a coffee shop, airport, hotel, or other public place, see if your information will be protected.

1. Read your lease thoroughly before signing, be sure you understand all the terms in the contract and ask about what is allowed and not allowed on the property. Go over the rules about noise, guests, pet policy and unit remodeling. You may want to enhance your quarters later on, apply wallpaper or mount additional wall cabinets so you need to pay extra attention to such details or restrictions in your rental agreement. Breaking the lease even once may mark your reputation of a good tenant and make you liable for paying damages.  However, major repairs are covered by the landlord, also spelled out in the rental agreement. You just need to stay informed and know your rights. A set of guidelines governing the tenant landlord relationship is available at the site of the Landlord Protection Agency.
2. Keep your end of the bargain. Once you find a nice apartment and you feel comfortable with the property policies, make sure you take good care of it. The landlord will appreciate your efforts and will be much more willing to accommodate your requests when it comes to repairs or upgrades.
3. Be a considerate neighbor. When sharing space with other people, there are certain issues mostly related to noise and cleanliness that are bound to appear. Generally, these problems may be easily fixed if you approach the situation respectfully, productively and most important calmly. Nothing good ever comes out of an intense argument and if you feel there’s no other way to deal with a rude neighbor, better turn to your landlord for help. He’ll be able to mediate and let you find closure.
4. Know that you are responsible for your guests. You may be held liable if for instance a friend slips and injures himself in your kitchen or causes damage to the apartment or the common grounds of the property. To keep you protected against such happenings, consider purchasing renters insurance. Resident Shield rental insurance offers protection against personal liability as well as property loss due to fire, robbery, vandalism or lightning.
5. Pay on time. It’s no secret that property managers value residents who are financially responsible and always look for ways to keep them happy. If you pay the rent on time, you become a dependable tenant which is the essence of an investment in real estate.

“Last year proved that it’s wrong to think that only major hurricanes can ruin lives and impact local economies,” said Laura Furgione, acting director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “We are hopeful that after the 2012 hurricane season, more families and businesses all along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts become more “weather ready” by understanding the risks associated with living near the coastline.  Each storm carries a unique set of threats that can be deadly and destructive. Mother Nature reminded us again this year of how important it is to be prepared and vigilant.”

Learning from past experiences, developers nowadays employ earthquake-resistant materials in the construction of apartment buildings, arrange safe exists and install emergency alarms, fire hoses , extinguishers and even basement flood pumps to be used in case of vicious happenings. Most new apartments and restored properties have been equipped with all the safety features and retrofittings necessary to ensure their protection against major damage during earthquakes, storms or other natural calamities.

Damage caused by most disasters, including hurricane, earthquakes and poor maintenance is covered by insurance policies but destruction or loss of renters’ possessions is not usually covered by the landlord’s insurance. If you rent a house or an apartment, renters insurance is your best bet against a wide array of mishaps, losses from fire or smoke, windstorm, lightning, vandalism, theft, explosion, or water damage.

Here are a few tips to further protect your home in case disaster strikes.

Preparedness can be a life saver. Assess your apartment’s vulnerability to natural calamities. Know whether the location of your home is prone to tornadoes, floods or landslides and have an evacuation plan prepared for you and your family (pet included). Find safe areas within your building where you could take refuge if winds become strong such as basements, bathrooms or hallways.

Keep an emergency kit at hand. A basic emergency supply kit could include the following items: water, non-perishable food, flashlights, generators and battery-powered equipment such as cell phones and a portable radio, a first aid kit and essential medications.

Inspect your property from time to time and make sure your landlord has all the spring cleaning issues taken care of. Trim trees and shrubbery so branches don’t fly into your home, clear clogged rain gutters and downspouts. Also take some time to review your insurance policy. It’s not my idea of fun either but it’s true what they say: better to be safe than sorry.

For additional information and tips that may help you, your family or your business prepare for a natural disaster go to Ready.gov.

To make sure it doesn’t catch you by surprise, now is a good time to review your renters insurance policies with your agent or the company in charge with your home’s safety to make sure you have enough coverage for the protection of your family and your belongings. Aside from these, there are ways you can keep secure from the dangers of destructive storms:

1. Trim back the dead wood from the trees around your house. It will reduce the stress produced by the wind on trees and eliminate potential damage from falling limbs.
2. Move loose items indoor, like patio furniture and gardening tools, and brace your doors and windows, ensuring that they close and seal properly.
3. Keep your large windows protected and move valuables away from windows.
4. Inspect your basement, you might have to reseal the whole space.
5. Stock up on repair item such as sandbags, lumber, plastic tarps.
6. Prepare to be without electricity, stock up on canned food, bottled water, candles & flashlights, medicine & first aid equipment, batteries.
7. If you have a pool, lower the level of water before the storm so that the water doesn’t overflow and enter your home or ruin the landscape.
8. Check your ceiling and roof and have them repaired immediately if you find even the slightest sign of leaks.
9. While you’re up there, check the gutters too to make sure they drain well. If you find little granules collecting in it, it’s a good sign that your roof’s coating needs to be resealed.
10.  Make sure that all your power boxes and exposed electrical wires are secured.

Here are a few simple things you can do yourself to turn your apartment into a green nook, whether you’re a homeowner or living in a city rental.

As the weather warms up, turn to natural ventilation to cool off your home. Open windows and doors as much as you can during the day and when it’s not enough, consider using cooling fans. Ceiling or window fans are an efficient and inexpensive alternative to the good old-fashioned A/C that will help you keep your home fresh while saving energy.

Furnish your quarters with recycled stuff. And that does not mean you should only shop from thrift stores and yard sales. Many furniture companies use repurposed materials and sustainable designs to build décor pieces, including Cisco Home, an eco-friendly furniture business and longtime supporter of chemical-free furniture manufacturing.

Improve air quality by introducing greenery into your home. More than beautifying a room and making it an inviting place to live, houseplants clean the air of toxins and carbon dioxide while releasing oxygen. Moreover, research has found that when people are near plants, they feel more relaxed, calm and proactive. Click here for a list of common houseplants that are considered to be effective in mitigating indoor air pollution.

Reach for the “stars”. Green homes are not just friendly to the environment; they are also kind to our pockets…in the long run. Outfitting your digs with Energy Star home appliances, eco-friendly air conditioning, and energy-efficient lighting may cost you a little more upfront, but the investment usually pays for itself within a few years by reducing electricity bills.

To keep your home accessories and equipment fully protected, consider purchasing renters insurance as it will definitely give you some peace of mind when thinking of your investment.

1)      Echo Boomers comprise a significant demographic of renters. Some young adults prefer apartments and condos, others seek single family properties. Rentals come in all shapes and sizes but each is susceptible to a range of misfortunes. Renters insurance protects all sorts of rentals, offing Echo Boomers the protection that they need to live with peace of mind.

2)      Young adults lead the pack in costly electronics consumption. Many of us outfit our lives with tablets, smartphones, computers, home entertainment systems and more. Insuring these items can ensure their replacement in cases of theft or destruction.

3)      The young crowd is known for social activities. Holiday gatherings, book clubs, gaming parties and other social events pack our calendars. Renters insurance protects guests while they are on your property, so that you can entertain with comfort and assurance.

4)      Ready, set, travel! Echo Boomers are frequent travelers, scooping up online deals and hitting the road. Travel leaves our homes and possessions unguarded. Renters insurance offers retribution for goods that are stolen or damaged by inclement weather when we’re away.

5)      Young adults have recently left the nest and are establishing our place in the world. That means that we may encounter our first fried turkey for Thanksgiving, host our first Super Bowl barbecue, and plenty of other milestones. Without experience to back us up, young adults are more susceptible to accidents. Protect yourself, your guest, and your property from acts of mayhem with the proper insurance.

6)      Many young adults are just starting our careers, meaning that our financial cushioning is thin at best. The funds needed to replace valuables and cover emergency medical expenses may not be on hand when we need it. Renters insurance helps minimize the financial impact of losses and injuries.

7)      When misfortune strikes, everyone needs an advocate. The staff at Resident Shield is on hand 24/7 when you need to report a claim. They can help answer questions and guide you on the path back to normalcy.

The safe assumption to depend on is that if you are an apartment renter, you should carry a policy covering the contents of your apartment. Here are a few groups of renters who may not realize they should be insured.

Students – College students living in university-owned or off-campus housing for 9 months of each year are considered apartment renters, even if their college provides the living situation. Because theft can be common in college communities, college students should always carry renters insurance. Though parents may think their offspring are covered by their homeowners insurance policy while they are at college, that policy is likely to cover only about 25 percent of the costs if something were to happen to a students’ possessions. Despite having just a carload of stuff at school, the high cost of replacing electronics – computers, TVs, gaming stations, music devices – is argument alone for students carrying their own renters insurance.

Seniors – The situation for seniors living in assisted care or retirement living facilities is similar to that of students. Renters insurance protects the value of any possessions the resident has brought with them to their new home, as well as any family possessions stored in a storage unit. *Keep in mind that offsite possessions are typically covered only to $1000 or 10 percent of their value by renters insurance.

Military personnel – Renters insurance is especially important for our nation’s military personnel who are frequently traveling away from their apartments for long periods of time. Potential for break-ins and accident damage while residents are away is always higher than with consistently occupied units. Special rates for military personnel on renters insurance policies are easy to find.

Consumers in the US and Europe are the most responsive to the newest features and adopt them much faster than in the past. Last year, sales of security systems in the US generated over $4 billion, after a $3.5 billion in 2008, says the Consumer Electronics Association.

One of the latest technologies being researched is the “activity forecasting”; this intelligent software should be able to recognize human activity in security footage as it is being recorded. Based on those, it should have the ability to predict what might occur next and thus help prevent a crime before it takes place.

These days the companies that sell home security systems take their gear and improve it by overlaying connectivity features, making possible for owners and renters to lock the door or activate motion detection sensors from afar, should they have to. Some companies offer “interactive solutions” packages, meaning it enables the owners to arm or disarm the security system through a smartphone or other mobile, web-connected device. Moreover, they can receive notifications via email or SMS about any emergency, be it home invasion, fire, etc.

If you’re tech savvy, the future looks safer and more comfortable because the app world is also evolving. We have now apps through which the security of our homes can be monitored remotely. People Power launched in beta-testing Presence, an app that transforms your old iPhone in a remote video camera and audio monitor. The iPhone (or iPad) doesn’t need a cellular or data plan as it communicates over the Wi-Fi network at home and secure servers, streaming video and sound to the new iPhone or iPad, regardless if you’re at home, at work, or on the other side of the world, all you need is 3G or 4G wireless networks. It will be available in the app store at the end of the first quarter of 2013 and an Android version will follow later this year.

Even if you’ve invested in a cutting edge home security system, it’s still a good idea to carry renters insurance to protect and replace your belongings if needed.  No system is ever fail-safe, so have an affordable back-up plan just in case.

Our houses can feel a bit overstuffed with the holiday gift-giving frenzy and post-holiday clearance sales so you might want to start by going through your closet, storing, donating or pitching excess items. The entire cleaning process will get a lot easier if there’s less stuff to organize, arrange or move around when dusting or vacuuming. You can give your unwanted clothes a new life by donating them to a charity program; or re-purpose old items and turn them into unique accessories or décor pieces for your home. For a singular feel, you can make pillow cases out of an abandoned window drape or upcycle an old sweater into a gorgeous bag.

It’s often hard to remember the environment when you’re in the midst of a major cleaning spree, yet there are some simple things you can do to keep your carbon footprint at a minimum. Even the biggest messes can be effectively attacked with eco-friendly cleaners such as baking soda, borax, vinegar, or lemon juice. White vinegar has got acetic acid which can remove tough stains while sanitizing surfaces. It eliminates foul smells and can dissolve mineral deposits from glass and stainless steel. It works brilliantly on coffee makers, refrigerators or other smooth surfaces and can be used for refreshing both fabric and leather sofas.

Instead of using store-bought aerosol fresheners to cover up odors around your house, which may contain formaldehyde and benzene, both toxic to humans, try making your own all-natural alternatives. Mixing a few drops of vanilla with almond extract and a cup of water and spritzing it around the house will infuse your quarters with an enticing aroma. To tackle smells in your garbage can, sprinkle baking soda under your trash bag and keep your windows open as much as you can during the day.

In addition, to keep your belongings protected, it’s often a good idea to purchase renter’s insurance. Although your landlord is probably insured against property damage, the landlord’s policy does not usually cover the tenant’s personal possessions. Resident Shield renters insurance provides coverage both for the policyholder’s belongings and for liability that may result from an accident occurred at the rented residence.