Homeowners Basics

Homeowners insurance provides financial protection against disasters. A standard policy insures the home itself and the things you keep in it.

Homeowners insurance is a package policy. This means that it covers both damage to your property and your liability or legal responsibility for any injuries and property damage you or members of your family cause to other people. This includes damage caused by household pets.

Damage caused by most disasters is covered but there are exceptions. The most significant exceptions are damage caused by floods, earthquakes and poor maintenance.

A standard homeowners insurance policy includes four essential types of coverage. They include:
- Coverage for the structure of your home.
- Coverage for your personal belongings.
- Liability protection.
- Additional living expenses in the event you are temporarily unable to live in your home because of a fire or other insured disaster.

This part of your policy pays to repair or rebuild your home if it is damaged or destroyed by fire, hurricane, hail, lightning or other disaster covered by your policy. It will not pay for damage caused by a flood, earthquake or routine wear and tear. When purchasing coverage for the structure of your home, it is important to buy enough to rebuild your home.

Most standard policies also cover structures that are detached from your home such as a garage, tool shed or gazebo. Generally, these structures are covered for about 10% of the amount of insurance you have on the structure of your home. If you need more coverage, talk to your insurance agent about purchasing more insurance.

Your furniture, clothes, sports equipment and other personal items are covered if they are stolen or destroyed by fire, hurricane or other insured disaster. Most companies provide coverage for 50% to 70% of the amount of insurance you have on the structure of your home. So if you have $100,000 worth of insurance on the structure of your home, you would have between $50,000 to $70,000 worth of coverage for your belongings. The best way to determine if this is enough coverage is to conduct a home inventory.

This part of your policy includes off-premises coverage. This means that your belongings are covered anywhere in the world. Some companies limit the amount to 10% of the amount of insurance you have for your possessions.

Expensive items like jewelry, furs and silverware are covered, but there are usually set limits if they are stolen. Generally, you are covered for between $1,000 to $3,000 for all of your jewelry and furs. To insure these items to their full value, purchase a special personal property endorsement or “floater” and insure the item for it's appraised value. Coverage includes “accidental disappearance”, meaning coverage if you simply lose that item. And there is no deductible.

Trees, plants and shrubs are also covered under standard homeowners insurance. Generally you are covered for 5% of the insurance on the house—up to about $500 per item. Perils covered are theft, fire, lightning, explosion, vandalism, riot and even falling aircraft. They are not covered for damage by wind or disease.

Liability covers you against lawsuits for bodily injury or property damage that you or family members cause to other people. It also pays for damage caused by your pets. So, if your son, daughter or dog accidentally ruins your neighbor’s expensive rug, you are covered. However, if they destroy your own rug, you are not covered.

The liability portion of your policy pays for both the cost of defending you in court and any court awards—up to the limit of your policy. You are also covered not just in your home, but anywhere in the world.

Liability limits generally start at about $500,000. However, experts recommend that you purchase at least $1,000,000 worth of protection. Some people feel more comfortable with even more coverage. You can purchase an umbrella or excess liability policy which provides broader coverage, including claims against you for libel and slander, as well as higher liability limits. Generally, umbrella policies cost between $200 to $350 for $1 million or more of additional liability protection for both home and auto.

Your policy also provides no-fault or voluntary medical coverage. In the event a friend or neighbor is injured in your home, he or she can simply submit medical bills to your insurance company. This way, expenses are paid without a liability claim being filed against you. You can generally get $1,000 to $5,000 worth of this coverage. It does not, however, pay the medical bills for your family or your pet.

This pays the additional costs of living away from home if you can't live there due to damage from a fire, storm or other insured disaster. It covers hotel bills, restaurant meals and other living expenses incurred while your home is being rebuilt. Coverage for additional living expenses differs from company to company. Many policies provide coverage for about 20% the amount of the insurance on your house. You can increase this coverage, however, for an additional premium. Some companies sell a policy that provides an unlimited amount of loss-of-use coverage, but for a limited amount of time.

If you rent out part of your house, this coverage also reimburses you for the rent that you would have collected from your tenant if your home had not been destroyed.

Reproduced from The Insurance Bureau of Canada

There are several types of insurance polices you can purchase. Please remember that the wording and what is covered may vary within these general categories from one insurance company to another. Trade names may also be used. Insurance with the same name doesn’t mean it is the same policy from one company to another.

This is the most inclusive home insurance policy; it covers both the building and its contents for all risks, except for those specifically excluded. There are two types of insurance risks that are not normally included in any home insurance policy – those for which you can buy insurance (“optional coverage”) and those for which insurance is not available (“uninsurable peril”).

If you are looking to save money by carrying the financial risk of some losses yourself, you may wish to consider a named perils policy that covers only those perils that are specifically stated in the policy.

If the comprehensive policy costs more than you want to pay and the named perils policy seems too risky, a mid-priced compromise is the broad insurance policy. This policy provides comprehensive coverage on the big-ticket items like the building and named perils coverage on the contents.

Some insurers offer very basic or “No Frills” coverage for properties that don’t meet their normal standards. If there are physical problems with your home that keep it from meeting insurers' standards, you may save money in the long run by correcting these problems in order to qualify for better coverage.