6 THINGS HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE COVERS

Homeowner insurance is an important necessity for homeowners. This insurance can help safeguard your home from sudden losses or catastrophic events that may wreak havoc on your property or finances.

Generally, standard homeowners insurance covers destruction and damage to your interior and exterior, the loss or theft of your properties, including personal liability for harm to others. But, some of us aren’t aware of the specifics when it comes to homeowner insurance?

Does your homeowner insurance cover your pet should they get stolen or killed? What about damages as a result of a pipe leakage or a riot? If you love the idea of homeowner’s insurance and wish to purchase one to safeguard yourself and your finances from sudden losses, you must be aware of what this insurance covers.

Below we have highlighted 6 major things homeowner’s insurance covers. But, before we delve into that, let’s consider what homeowner insurance is.

What is homeowner insurance?

If you have homeowner insurance, the chances are that you already have an idea of what this insurance entails. But, for those who don’t have this insurance, here is a terse definition of what this insurance is all about.

Homeowner insurance is like every other insurance. The difference between this insurance and auto insurance is that the former protects your home against damages that happen to the house itself, including the belongings inside. A typical homeowner’s coverage can also safeguard your property, some of your stuff, including yourself.

Moving on, let’s consider some of the things a homeowner’s insurance covers.

  1. Flood Coverage

If I told you that your homeowner insurance covers damages done to your home due to a leaking pipe in your bathroom or an overflowing toilet, would you believe it? Maybe, or maybe not.

However, the truth remains that, when such an unpleasant event happens in your home, you can bank on your insurance to cover the cost of the ensuing damages. So, you don’t have to wait till a flood from Missouri sweeps into your home before you make an insurance claim.

An internal flood caused by leakages is covered under your homeowner’s insurance, same with an external flood caused by natural disasters. However, this doesn’t mean you should leave those major pipe leakage unattended simply because you want to cash in on your insurance. If the insurance company finds out, you regret your actions.

  1. Property damage

Of course, I bet you are aware that your home insurance covers damages done to your home due to hail, fire, or some other natural disaster. But, are you aware that if a riot destroyed your home, your insurance would come to your rescue?

Well, say you live in the tranquil environment of Southern Bucks, and a riot breaks out, leading to the destruction of your properties; typical home insurance in southern bucks, PA, should provide you with enough coverage. This means that whatever was damaged or stolen during the cause of the riot will be repaired and replaced, thanks to your coverage.

  1. Personal Injury

The beauty of homeowner insurance is that it aims to provide you with a safety net against any incident that may siphon your finances. So, if, for instance, Mr. Albert, who is your neighbor, decided to visit you one day and suddenly slip on a patch of ice on your front walk (injuring himself in the process), your homeowner insurance will protect you should Mr. Albert decide to take you to court.

Mind you; this coverage is usually limited to a certain dollar value. So you must know how much coverage you have and what is added. Umbrella insurance can offer extra liability coverage if you think it is required.

  1. Fire

A house fire, which is every homeowner’s worst nightmare, is widely regarded as one of the most common causes of damage to the home. Fortunately, most homeowner’s insurance policies protect structures including possessions against fire outbreaks.

If perhaps, a home is completely ravaged by fire, most standard [policies that cover fire also cover the cost of additional living expenses, like hotel stays, rentals, etc.

  1. Jewelry, Fine arts, and collectibles

Say you have the famous Salvator Mundi painting by renowned artist Leonardo da Vinci and it gets stolen. What happens? Or maybe one of those unique collectibles gifted to you on your trip to Malaysia got destroyed in a fire. Do you forget about it and move on? Or will your homeowner insurance cover the damage or theft, whichever the case may be?

You see, most homeowners insurance policies cover jewelry, art, and collections, including other possessions, subject to your policy’s deductible and coverage limits. But, there is usually a low limit on the coverage. Thus, we’ll advise that you arrange for separate coverage for your jewelry, fine arts, and collectibles if you wish to provide them with adequate coverage in the event of a fire, theft, or other natural disasters.

  1. Wine collection

Say you have a collection of 1811 Chateau D’yquem, which costs around $117,000, and it gets destroyed by a fire. What happens next? Do you bear the loss, or will your insurance cover it?

In such a situation, your homeowner’s insurance may cover the loss or damage of your precious 1811 Chateau D’yquem. But, this is only possible in some cases and against certain insurance perils. For example, if you experience a power outage due to fire, lightning, windstorm, hail, riots, vandalism, etc., and your win collection overheats or freezes, you may be able to recover your losses under the food spoilage clause of your insurance policy.

Conclusion

Homeowner insurance boasts of multiple coverages of which most of us aren’t aware. As a homeowner with this insurance in place, or one who is considering buying one, it is essential that you understand what your insurance covers. If you feel like your home insurance covers more than what is listed above, or if you want to find out if certain coverage is included in your policy,  it makes sense to contact your insurance company rather than assume.

Mary Perreault

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