What is Dwelling Coverage? (2024)

FAQs

What is Dwelling Coverage? ›

Dwelling coverage is one part of your overall home insurance policy. It covers your home's structure —not its contents or land. Features like installed fixtures and permanently attached appliances are also covered. You can select enough dwelling coverage to rebuild your home at today's prices.

Dwelling coverage, sometimes called "dwelling insurance," is the part of your homeowners insurance policy that may help pay for the rebuilding or the repair of the physical structure of your home if it's damaged by a covered hazard.

Note: Dwelling coverage on standard policies typically won't protect against damage caused by floods, earthquakes, sewer backups, or lack of maintenance. Learn how flood insurance works and what to do if your home is damaged in an earthquake.

Covered dwelling means a dwelling that is occupied by a tenant pursuant to a residential lease or without a lease or with a lease terminable under State law, and is on or in a covered property.

Most homeowners insurance policies come with replacement cost coverage for the structure of your home. Dwelling coverage typically helps pay to repair or rebuild your home using materials of a similar quality, says the III. It generally does not take into account depreciation of your home due to factors such as age.

Another reason your dwelling coverage might be higher than the sale price is if the home is in an undesirable area, which lowered the market value. Certain homes that are older may also yield higher dwelling coverage.

One way to get an estimate is to multiply the square footage of your home by the average cost per square foot to build, but other factors can influence the price of coverage. You may also need to add an additional amount for cabinets, appliances, or special upgrades you have in your home.

Coverage A — Dwelling. Coverage B — Other Structures. Coverage C — Personal Property.

A dwelling is a home — where someone lives. Houses, apartments, and condos are all dwellings. If you know that to dwell means to live somewhere, then the meaning of dwelling won't be a surprise: it's an abode, domicile, or home.

What are the different types of dwelling policies? Like homeowners insurance policies, dwelling policies come in different tiers of coverage. These include DP-1 (basic), DP-2 (broad) and DP-3 (special), with DP-3 providing the most coverage.

Does dwelling coverage need to cover loan amount? ›

Almost all lenders will require that you carry enough dwelling insurance to cover 100% of the replacement cost of the house to protect both you and your lender from financial loss. This value is usually based on the square footage and type of home, as well as the building cost and sometimes the purchase price.

Homeowners insurance covers the actual building you live in (and associated structures such as garages). With renter's insurance, the landlord will be expected to have coverage on the building, while your insurance will cover your personal property.

Damage or destruction due to vandalism, fire and certain natural disasters are all usually covered. So is your liability if someone is injured on your property. Certain catastrophes, like flooding or earthquakes, are generally not covered by basic homeowners policies and require specialized insurance.

Dwelling coverage: Pays to repair or rebuild your home and attached structures. Installed fixtures such as attached appliances, kitchen counters and bathroom fixtures are also included under dwelling coverage — however, land is not.

Ideally, your dwelling coverage should equal your home's replacement cost. This should be based on rebuilding costs—not your home's price. The cost of rebuilding could be higher or lower than its price depending on location, the condition of your home, and other factors.

Extended dwelling coverage provides an additional layer of protection in case the cost to rebuild your home exceeds your dwelling coverage limit. This coverage is especially important in areas that are prone to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires.

Dwelling Fire Insurance Basics

The coverage is very similar to a homeowners policy, with one significant difference – a dwelling fire policy is created for someone that does not make the property their primary residence. If you need to insure a rental or investment property, a dwelling fire policy is a smart decision.