Insuring your home against financial catastrophe can involve a number of high-stakes decisions. From which carrier to use to how large a deductible to choose, the insurance industry has become endlessly complicated. Volcanic eruptions, riots and falling planes? Your standard policy definitely covers those unlikely events. Pit bull bites, sinkholes and mold infestations? Perhaps, perhaps not. Flooding? Definitely not.
Here you will find an overview of what homeowners insurance protects and what it doesn’t, and how you can make informed decisions about buying coverage.
What Type of Homeowners Insurance Should You Get?
If you have a mortgage, homeowners insurance isn’t just extra security and protection — it’s required. Find out the average cost of home insurance in your state by using the below map.
Source: National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
is injured on your property.
The most popular insurance is an “all risk” policy, although people with newly constructed homes may qualify for comprehensive coverage. Whether you live in a mobile home, condo, single family home, or rent an apartment, you can find a policy to protect your home and/or property.
A bare-bones policy that doesn’t include liability coverage. It’s no longer available in most states, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Also called a “broad form” policy. The coverage protects your home from 16 different types of perils (see above list).
A “special form” policy that covers the attached structures of your home as well as detached structures like a garage, cottage and fence. It also includes personal liability coverage. The name “All Risk” Policy is misleading as the policy doesn’t cover all risks. It does cover the aforementioned 16 perils and everything except the named exclusions in the policy, which include war, power failure, flood, vermin and nuclear disaster, among others.
This is an insurance policy for renters. It covers your personal belongings, though not the structure of the property you rent.
A “comprehensive form” policy that covers the structure of your home and offers broader coverage for personal property. You’re protected from the same perils as an HO-3 but don’t have to prove your belongings were damaged by a peril named in the policy. This form of coverage is usually for new or recently constructed homes.
A policy for condo and co-op owners that works similar to HO-2 coverage. It covers the structural parts of the building you own, plus your personal belongings.
This coverage is like an HO-2 policy, but it protects mobile homes.
A policy that typically covers the replacement cost — minus depreciation — of damage to an older home.
Homeowners insurance is complicated, and rate quotes hinge on numerous variables. Check out our guide on comparing homeowners insurance quotes.
Homeowners and renters insurance policies almost never cover floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural hazards. Learn how to protect yourself from Mother Nature’s worst.
You can’t control the wrath of nature, but you can prepare for the worst. Here are steps to take to get ready for an emergency, and what to do if disaster strikes.
Homeowners coverage varies based on the type of policy you buy and where you live. The most bare-bones insurance policy is known as “dwelling fire,” also known as HO-1 coverage, and it insures against hazards that include fire, smoke, lightning and explosions.
No homeowners policy covers flood damage if it’s caused by rising water. That peril is covered through a separate flood insurance policy from the federal government.
You need a separate federal flood insurance policy.
This risk is covered by separate earthquake insurance.
If you live in Hurricane Alley, you might need a policy from your state’s windstorm plan.
Many carriers have begun to exclude mold damage from policies.
You might be able to buy a special rider for this peril.
Some insurers exclude such breeds as pit bulls, Akitas and Rottweilers.
You might be able to buy a special rider for this hazard, too.
Say FedEx delivers work-related package to your house, and the driver slips and falls. Your policy doesn’t cover liability.
If your roof is simply old rather than damaged, you pay for the repair.
Does Your Location Affect Your Coverage?
Yes, where you live affects your coverage and policy costs. If you live in California, earthquake coverage isn’t part of your standard policy. You’ll need separate coverage, which usually carries a high deductible. And if you live in Florida or another hurricane-prone state, you might need separate windstorm insurance.
Some of the language in your policy might seem ridiculously specific, but there’s a reason for the hairsplitting. “Civil unrest” is covered in standard policies, but “war” isn’t. And the extensive damage left by Hurricane Katrina led to many lawsuits over whether water damage was technically caused by a flood or a windstorm.
For most homeowners, the high-value part of the policy applies to the structure of your home. If an insured hazard hits your humble abode, your coverage will pay to fix or rebuild your house. Insurers typically cover not just your living quarters but also garages, fences, tool sheds and gazebos. In addition, insurance policies generally pay to replace personal belongings if they’re stolen or damaged in a fire, hurricane or other covered disaster.
Be sure to review your dwelling coverage occasionally because capital improvements and inflation can affect your home’s cost of replacement. Due to the so-called 80 percent rule, if your coverage limits fall below 80 percent of the full replacement cost of your home, your insurance company may reduce the amount it pays on a claim.
In a typical policy with $200,000 in coverage for the dwelling, the insurer would cover up to $100,000 to replace furniture, electronics and other personal items. Pricey items such as jewelry, furs and silverware typically are covered, but many insurers impose dollar limits if they’re stolen. If you have an extensive jewelry collection, though, you might consider paying for an endorsement, which specifies coverage under certain special circumstances or for itemized valuables.
Homeowners policies also include liability protection, which pays for legal costs and any court awards in the event of a lawsuit against the homeowner. Typically, this coverage is limited to $100,000. Finally, your policy might pay for your living costs if your home is rendered uninhabitable.
Pays to replace home and possessions minus a deduction for depreciation — so don’t expect to get $2,000 for that ancient laptop.
The most generous coverage that pays to rebuild your home no matter the cost, useful if you’re the victim of a disaster that causes a spike in the costs of labor and construction materials.
If you’ve lived in your house for years, creating an inventory might seem tedious. Start with your most recent purchases and then work backward to your older possessions. It’s better to have an incomplete list than no list at all.
Source: Adapted from the Insurance Information Institute.
Don’t feel like cataloging every article of clothing, book and knickknack in your home? Jack Hungelmann, author of Insurance for Dummies, suggests tallying the value of furniture, TVs and other major items, then doubling it. That should approximate the value of all your stuff.
The average user is able to develop “a complete picture inventory of a property and generate detailed reports” in about an hour or less by using this app, according to its iTunes Store description.
This app gives you the ability to quickly produce a complete estimate of your belongings. The free version has a 25-item limit, while the $4.99 version unlocks all of the app’s available features.
Doubling as an organizer and home inventory resource, MyStuff2 allows you to keep track of your personal possessions. The “Lite” version is free; the main version of the app is $4.99 and the “Pro” version is $8.99.
This app is described as the “perfect companion for your move.” It helps with creating a visual inventory of your belongings through photos, videos, tags and other features. The basic version is free and it’s $4.99 for the “Plus” version which has additional features.
Stuffanizer is a visual inventory app that allows users to set custom locations, create tags and take photos to keep track of their stuff — for $2.99.
One of the most important variables determining how much you’ll pay for coverage. Hurricane Alley and Tornado Alley are the most expensive places to insure a home — Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma top the list of priciest markets. Idaho, Oregon and Utah are the cheapest states to buy homeowners coverage.
If your Florida abode is a wood-frame house with jalousie windows, you’ll pay more. If it’s a concrete-block structure with impact-resistant windows, you’ll pay less. Insurers use a catastrophe model to determine prices. Rate regulation is the duty of insurance commissioners in each state.
If State Farm, Allstate, Nationwide and other carriers are competing for customers in your area, rates are likely to fall. This is known as a soft market. In the opposite case, a hard market, rates tend to rise.
How much insurers pay for this form of reinsurance can affect rates. Catastrophe reinsurance indemnifies the insurer for losses in excess of a stipulated sum arising from a single catastrophic event or series of events.
What Kind of Discounts Might You Expect?
Bundling your home insurance with your car insurance (buying it from the same insurance carrier). These are known as multi-line discounts.
Having dead-bolts and/or a home security system.
Bringing your old wiring up to code.
What happens if you’re the victim of a burglary, fire or other insured claim? First, your policy requires you to mitigate the damage as soon as possible. So, for instance, if you have a water leak, turn off the water and immediately call a company that handles water damage. Next, contact your insurance company to report the damage. When you reach your company’s adjuster, be sure to get his name and cell phone number, along with your claim number. In most cases, your carrier will come through with a check to cover your claim, up to the limits of your policy.
Whether you store it in the cloud or in a filing cabinet, your policy spells out what your insurer owes you in case of a loss.
If you have a large collection of jewelry or art, buy an endorsement to insure it.
Say you have a $1,000 deductible and your $500 bike is stolen from your garage. In that case, you’d be wise to keep your insurer out of the matter.
Hit by a storm or significant water damage, it makes sense to file a claim. However, you may want to skip a small, non-weather claim, lest your insurer drop you when your policy comes up for renewal.
Insurers handle each type of claim a bit differently. In case of a burglary, you’ll need to provide a police report and an inventory of the items taken. In the event of a fire or weather-related claim that damages the structure of your house, you’ll need to hire a contractor, and your insurer ultimately will reimburse you for your costs.
Source: National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Cost adjusted to 2014 dollars.
Do I Need a Public Insurance Adjuster?
The typical insurance claim goes relatively smoothly, and the carrier pays up as promised. But in some cases, an insurer simply refuses to pay what you think you’re owed. If you’re faced with an unreasonable settlement offer, it might make sense to hire a public adjuster. Unlike an adjuster who’s employed by your insurance company, a public adjuster works for you and is paid by you.
Public adjusters say they know policies and insurers’ processes, and they can persuade insurers to pay up when you can’t. You’ll pay your public adjuster a percentage of the settlement he negotiates on your behalf. Public adjusters stress that they’re not insurance agents nor paid by carriers, which puts them firmly on the side of policyholders. The National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters offers a listing of its members.
Sources: National Association of Insurance Commissioners, based on average annual premiums for 2013; Insurance Information Institute.
If you own a car, you’re familiar with the difference between insurance and a warranty. If your car is stolen or damaged in a crash or natural disaster, that’s a matter for your insurance policy. If your transmission blows out, you’ll turn to your warranty for financial help. The concept is similar for real estate.
A home warranty is a service contract that helps offset expenses if the roof springs a leak or the air conditioning needs a repair. Home warranties are a type of insurance, but they’re designed to cushion the blow of the smaller costs of routine maintenance rather than some significant loss from a catastrophic event. Sellers often provide home warranties as a tool to market their homes. A lender will require you to have homeowners insurance but not a warranty.
An individual employed by an insurance company to evaluate losses and settle policyholder claims.
This computerized method of predicting claims combines long-term disaster trends with current demographics and building patterns. The result is a prediction of the potential cost of catastrophic losses for a given area.
Insurers typically can handle billions of dollars of losses, but to protect against major disasters such as Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Katrina, they buy reinsurance that helps cover claims filed after large-scale catastrophes.
The amount of loss paid by the policyholder. It’s either a specific dollar amount or a percentage of the claim amount.
A cut-rate type of insurance policy that covers only the most basic risks.
This type of policy covers a structure and its contents but has a high deductible.
A written form attached to an insurance policy altering the policy’s coverage, terms or conditions.
A provision in an insurance policy disallowing coverage for certain risks.
Coverage for flood damage is available from the federal government under the National Flood Insurance Program. It is sold by licensed insurance agents.
A period when carriers are reluctant to sell coverage.
A numerical ranking based on a consumer’s credit history. Insurers say people with poor credit histories have proven more likely to file claims.
A specific risk or cause of loss covered by an insurance policy, such as fire or theft.
A person who negotiates with insurers on behalf of policyholders and receives a portion of a claims settlement.
The process by which states monitor insurance companies’ rate changes.
An environment of plentiful, low-cost coverage.
State-sponsored insurance pools sell hurricane coverage to people who can’t buy it in the voluntary market because of their high risk. Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas offer these plans. Georgia and New York also have special windstorm pools for certain coastal communities.