Homeowners Insurance Coverages (2024)

Homeowners Insurance Coverages (1)

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What are the standard homeowners insurance coverages?

Standard homeowners insurance includes coverage for your house, other structures on your property, your belongings, personal liability, medical payments coverage to others, and even temporary living expenses while your home is being rebuilt or repaired due to a covered loss.

Find the typical coverages you’ll have required or available to you below, or estimate how much homeowners insurance coverage you'll need with our home insurance calculator.

Standard homeowners insurance coverages

These basic homeowners insurance coverages are included in your homeowners policy.

Dwelling coverage (Coverage A)

Covers damage to your house and attached structures

Dwelling coverage may pay for damage to your house and structures permanently attached to it.

Example: A windstorm damages your home’s roof. Dwelling coverage may pay to repair or replace what's damaged.

Other structures (Coverage B)

Covers structures not permanently attached to your house

Other structures coverage includes detached garages, gazebos, patios, sheds, pergolas, fences, and driveways.

Example: During a windstorm, a tree falls and damages your shed. Other structures coverage may pay to repair or replace the unattached structure that was damaged.

Personal possessions (Coverage C)

Covers personal belongings if they're stolen or damaged

Personal property coverage may cover your personal belongings damaged by a covered peril.

Certain limits may apply to your more expensive items like jewelry, art and collectibles but additional coverage may be available by purchasing an endorsem*nt.

Example: Someone breaks into your garage and steals your bicycle and camping equipment. Your home insurance may pay to replace the stolen items, up to the limits of your policy and minus your deductible. Learn more about how home insurance covers theft.

Loss of use (Coverage D)

Covers increase in living expenses

Loss of use coverage covers expenses above what you'd normally pay, up to your policy’s limits, if your home is damaged from a covered loss and you can't stay there while it’s being repaired or rebuilt.

Example: There's a fire in your home, and you can't stay there for two weeks while it is being repaired. If you spend $1,000 eating out, loss of use may cover the food bill beyond what you normally spend, and your rent/hotel expenses. Make sure you keep your receipts.

Personal liability (Coverage E)

Covers lawsuits against you

Personal liability coverage protects you financially if you are responsible for someone’s injuries or damage to their property.

Example: A delivery person falls because of a loose railing at your house and sues you for their medical bills, lost wages, and damaged merchandise. Personal liability may cover you.

Medical payments (Coverage F)

Covers injuries on your property

Medical payments to others coverage may pay for medical expenses if someone is injured due to a covered occurrence.

Example: Your child's friend breaks her arm at your house, and their parents ask you to pay the medical bill. Medical payments may cover the medical costs.

Optional homeowners insurance coverages

There are many types of home insurance. You may be able to add any of these coverages to customize your policy based on your needs.

Water back-up and sump discharge or overflow

Covers damage from water that backs up, overflows, or discharges from sewers, drains, sump pumps, or related equipment.

Some homes have sump pumps in their basem*nts/crawl spaces, which are designed to pump water out from underneath and around your foundation. Sump pumps, plumbing and sewers can get backed up. Water back-up coverage may pay for damage to your belongings and water removal.

Example: Your sump pump breaks down, and water backs up, overflows, or discharges into your basem*nt, damaging your carpet, furniture, belongings, etc. Water back-up coverage may pay for the sewage removal and damage to your property.

Learn about how homeowners insurance covers water damage.

Personal injury

Covers uncommon but expensive lawsuits and situations

Personal injury covers your legal fees and additional damages from:

  • Slander or libel lawsuits (something you say/write that damages a person's reputation or business)
  • Malicious prosecution
  • Wrongful eviction or wrongful entry
  • False arrest, detention, or imprisonment

Example: Your teenage child damages their teacher's reputation by spreading a rumor. So, the teacher decides to sue you. Personal injury may cover your lawyer, court fees, and any damages you have to pay.

Perils: What you're protected against

Perils are occurrences that can damage your house, other structures on your property, and your belongings.

Some of the perils that are typically covered

  • Fire or Lightning
  • Smoke
  • Damage from tornadoes
  • Power surges
  • Damage from the weight of ice, snow, or sleet
  • Volcanic eruption
  • Windstorms or hail
  • Theft
  • Explosions (e.g., aerosol can or gas grill)
  • Vandalism or malicious mischief
  • Vehicles/aircraft crashing into your home
  • Damage from falling trees or other objects
  • Accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam (damage from leaking roofs, bursting pipes, or broken appliances, but not floods)

Learn more about covered perils.

What's not covered?

Home insurance policies won’t cover floods (if you live in a flood plain, your lender will likely require this insurance) earthquakes, landslides, mudslides or sinkholes.

General wear and tear typically won’t be covered by your policy, like if your roof is old and simply needs to be replaced. However, a roof damaged in a storm and heavy winds may be covered, up to your dwelling coverage limit minus any applicable deductible

Learn more about what homeowners insurance covers and how home insurance works.

Homeowners Insurance Coverages (3)

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Homeowners Insurance Coverages (2024)

FAQs

Homeowners Insurance Coverages? ›

Coverage A — Dwelling. Coverage B — Other Structures. Coverage C — Personal Property. Coverage D — Loss of Use.

What are the 4 major categories of coverage in homeowners insurance? ›

Coverage A — Dwelling. Coverage B — Other Structures. Coverage C — Personal Property. Coverage D — Loss of Use.

What is usually covered in home insurance? ›

Homeowners insurance covers damage to your home, property, personal belongings, and other assets in your home. Your homeowners insurance policy may also cover living expenses above your normal cost of living if a covered loss forces you to stay elsewhere while your home is being repaired or rebuilt.

What are the three basic levels of coverage that exist for homeowners insurance? ›

Homeowners insurance policies generally cover destruction and damage to a residence's interior and exterior, the loss or theft of possessions, and personal liability for harm to others. Three basic levels of coverage exist: actual cash value, replacement cost, and extended replacement cost/value.

What is the main coverage in any homeowner's policy? ›

Home insurance usually covers the structure of your home and your personal belongings, typically covering the cost to repair or rebuild your home after a covered event, such as fire, hurricane, vandalism, or theft.

What is the best type of home insurance? ›

The HO-5 policy offers more protection than any other type of homeowners insurance. Personal property losses are repaid based on the replacement cost for the item, instead of the actual cash value. You'll have higher coverage limits and less restrictions on perils.

What is the most common homeowners insurance policy? ›

What it is: HO-3 coverage is the most common type of homeowners insurance. It is also known as special form coverage. Under HO-3 insurance, your home will typically be covered at its replacement cost, while your personal property will be covered up to its actual cash value.

What is not covered in a homeowners policy? ›

Termites and insect damage, bird or rodent damage, rust, rot, mold, and general wear and tear are not covered. Damage caused by smog or smoke from industrial or agricultural operations is also not covered. If something is poorly made or has a hidden defect, this is generally excluded and won't be covered.

What is usually excluded from typical homeowners insurance? ›

13 common policy exclusions. Standard homeowners insurance does NOT cover damage caused by flooding, earthquakes, termites, mold, or normal wear and tear. Learn about all the different home insurance exclusions and how to get covered.

What is not covered under a dwelling policy? ›

Dwelling coverage only applies to structures attached to your main residence, meaning that detached garages, sheds, barns, unattached guest homes, fences, or any other detached structures are typically not covered under dwelling coverage.

What is the most complete homeowners insurance policy coverage called? ›

Called a comprehensive policy, an HO-5 policy offers the highest level of insurance coverage for houses and belongings. It covers your house and belongings under all circ*mstances except those listed as exclusions in the policy. The exclusions for HO-5 policies are the same as those under an HO-3.

How can you reduce your premium for insurance on your home? ›

Check out these ten surprising strategies to reduce your premium.
  1. Avoid high-risk additions. ...
  2. Boost your credit score. ...
  3. Bundle your car and home insurance. ...
  4. Dig for discounts. ...
  5. Improve your home security. ...
  6. Increase your deductible. ...
  7. Make home improvements. ...
  8. Rethink small claims.
Mar 27, 2024

What is important in home insurance? ›

Homeowners policies typically include coverage for fire, lightning and extended coverage. Extended coverage includes coverage for perils such as windstorm, hail, explosion, riot, civil commotion, aircraft, vehicles, smoke, vandalism, malicious mischief, theft and breakage of glass.

Should dwelling coverage be the same as purchase price? ›

Your dwelling coverage limit should be enough to rebuild your home if it's destroyed. This amount isn't necessarily the same as the price you paid for the house. Instead, this number depends on the features of your home and the building costs in your area.

Which area is not covered by most homeowners insurance? ›

These are the areas that are not protected by most home insurance.
  • Flooding. ...
  • Earthquakes. ...
  • Business equipment. ...
  • Jewelry or artwork. ...
  • Power outages. ...
  • Nuclear hazard. This exclusion refers to any nuclear hazard, such as radiation. ...
  • War. Insurance companies and home policies do not cover damages caused by war. ...
  • Dog bites.

What is the first step to consider when buying homeowners insurance? ›

The first step to buying homeowners insurance is to assess your insurance needs by evaluating the value of your home, its contents and potential liability risks. You can then better determine the amount of coverage you need and compare homeowners insurance costs and policies.

What are the four levels of coverage? ›

What are the different levels of hospital insurance? The four tiers are Basic, Bronze, Silver and Gold health insurance, each including a different number of compulsory clinical categories and hospital treatments. At a minimum, each tier of hospital insurance must include: Basic tier = 3 restricted* clinical categories.

What are the 4 types of insurance every person should have? ›

Most experts agree that life, health, long-term disability, and auto insurance are the four types of insurance you must have. Employer coverage is often the best option, but if that is unavailable, obtain quotes from several providers as many provide discounts if you purchase more than one type of coverage.

What are the different levels of coverage? ›

Levels of plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace ®: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Categories (sometimes called “metal levels”) are based on how you and your insurance plan split costs. Categories have nothing to do with quality of care. (“Catastrophic” plans are available to some people.)

Does homeowners insurance cover 3 categories of claims? ›

Generally, a homeowners insurance policy includes at least six different coverage parts. The names of the parts may vary by insurance company, but they typically are referred to as Dwelling, Other Structures, Personal Property, Loss of Use, Personal Liability and Medical Payments coverages.

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