Most Common Items Covered by Home Insurance

As a homeowner, it’s important to know what is covered by your home insurance policy and what isn’t. While the specifics of each policy may vary, there are some common items that are typically covered by most home insurance policies. It’s important to understand what these items are so you can make informed decisions about the coverage you need. In this blog post, we’ll go over the 10 most common items covered by home insurance.

1. Dwelling Coverage:

   Dwelling coverage is the most basic part of a home insurance policy, and it covers your home if it’s damaged or destroyed by things such as fire, wind, hail, or lightning. This coverage will pay for the cost of repairing or rebuilding your home up to the limit set in your policy.

   1. Main Structure: This includes the main dwelling itself, covering the walls, roof, floors, and ceiling
   2. Attached Structures: Coverage extends to structures directly attached to the main dwelling, such as garages, carports, and decks.
   3. Built-in Appliances: Protection for permanently installed appliances like refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, and built-in ovens.
   4. Permanent Fixtures: Coverage for fixtures permanently attached to the home, such as built-in cabinets, countertops, and bathroom fixtures like sinks and showers.
   5. Electrical Systems: Protection for electrical wiring throughout the home.
   6. Plumbing Systems: Coverage for plumbing systems including pipes, faucets, toilets, and water heaters.
   7. HVAC Systems: Protection for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
   8. Foundation: Coverage for the foundation of the home.
   9. Built-in Features: This includes features like fireplaces, central vacuum systems, and intercoms, if they are permanently attached to the home.

2. Personal Property Coverage:

   Personal property coverage is another common part of home insurance, and it covers the contents of your home if they’re damaged, destroyed, or stolen. This coverage typically includes:

   1. Household Items: Coverage for items such as furniture, clothing, electronics, and appliances.
   2. Electronics: Protection for items like TVs, computers, laptops, gaming consoles, and audio equipment.
   3. Clothing and Accessories: Coverage for clothing, shoes, handbags, and other personal accessories.
   4. Furniture: Protection for sofas, tables, chairs, beds, dressers, and other household furniture.
   5. Appliances: Coverage for household appliances like refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, washers, dryers, and dishwashers.
   6. Valuables and Collectibles: Coverage for high-value items such as jewelry, artwork, antiques, and collectibles. There might be sub-limits or special requirements for these items.
   7. Sports Equipment: Protection for sports gear and equipment such as bicycles, golf clubs, skis, and exercise machines.
   8. Musical Instruments: Coverage for musical instruments like pianos, guitars, violins, and drums.
   9. Tools and Equipment: Protection for tools, gardening equipment, and other items used for maintenance and repairs.
   10. Other Personal Belongings: Coverage for a wide range of personal items not specifically listed above.

3. Liability Coverage:

   Liability coverage typically comes with a home insurance policy, and it pays for legal expenses if you are held responsible for someone else’s injury or property damage. The typical coverage includes:

   1. Bodily Injury Liability: This coverage helps pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and legal fees if someone is injured on your property and you’re found responsible. For example, if a guest slips and falls on your icy driveway and sustains injuries, your liability coverage can help cover their medical bills.
   2. Property Damage Liability: This coverage helps pay for repairs or replacements if you accidentally damage someone else’s property. For instance, if your child accidentally throws a baseball through your neighbor’s window, your liability coverage can help cover the cost of repairing the window.
   3. Legal Defense Costs: Liability coverage typically includes coverage for legal defense costs if you’re sued due to an incident covered by your policy. This can include attorney fees, court costs, and settlements or judgments.
   4. Personal Liability Away from Home: In addition to incidents that occur on your property, liability coverage often extends to incidents that happen away from your home, such as if you accidentally injure someone while playing sports or if your dog bites someone while you’re at the park.
   5. No-Fault Medical Payments: Some homeowners insurance policies include coverage for medical payments to others regardless of who is at fault for the injury. This coverage can help pay for minor medical expenses for guests injured on your property, without the need for a lawsuit.

3. Additional Living Expenses:

   If your home is damaged and you can’t live in it while repairs are being made, additional living expenses (ALE) coverage can help pay for living expenses. Typical expenses covered include:

   1. Temporary Housing Costs: ALE coverage helps pay for the cost of temporary housing, such as renting an apartment, staying in a hotel, or leasing a temporary residence while your home is uninhabitable due to a covered loss.
   2. Food Expenses: This coverage may reimburse you for additional food expenses incurred while you’re displaced from your home. It typically covers the difference between your normal food expenses and the increased costs of dining out or buying ready-made meals while you’re unable to cook at home.
   3. Utility Costs: ALE coverage may also help cover the costs of utilities at your temporary residence that are not included in your regular living expenses. This can include electricity, water, gas, and other utility bills directly related to your displacement.
   4. Transportation Expenses: If your temporary housing is located farther from your usual residence, ALE coverage may help reimburse you for additional transportation costs, such as increased fuel expenses or public transportation fares.
   5. Storage Fees: If you need to store your belongings while you’re displaced from your home, ALE coverage may help cover the costs of renting a storage unit to store your personal property.

3. Detached Structures:

   Most home insurance policies also cover detached structures such as sheds, garages, and fences. The coverage typically is a percentage of the dwelling coverage. Other examples of detached structures include:

   1. Coverage for Detached Garages: This includes protection for standalone garages on your property used for parking vehicles, storage, or other purposes.
   2. Sheds and Outbuildings: Detached structures coverage extends to sheds, workshops, storage buildings, and other outbuildings located on your property.
   3. Fences: Protection for fences around your property, including boundary fences, privacy fences, and ornamental fences.
   4. Gazebos and Pergolas: Coverage for structures such as gazebos, pergolas, arbors, and other outdoor living spaces that are not attached to your main dwelling.
   5. Swimming Pools and Pool Houses: Detached structures coverage may also apply to swimming pools, pool houses, and related structures like changing rooms or equipment sheds.
   6. Playhouses and Play Structures: Protection for playhouses, treehouses, swing sets, and other recreational structures for children.
   7. Utility Buildings: Coverage for utility structures such as pump houses, well houses, and utility sheds used to house equipment or machinery.
   8. Driveways and Walkways: Some policies may also include coverage for detached driveways, sidewalks, and walkways on your property.

6. Medical Payments to Others (MedPay):

   This coverage will pay for medical bills if someone is injured on your property, regardless of who is at fault.

   1. Guests’ Medical Expenses: Coverage helps pay for reasonable and necessary medical expenses incurred by guests who are injured on your property, such as emergency room visits, ambulance fees, doctor’s visits, X-rays, and surgical procedures.
   2. No-Fault Coverage: Unlike liability coverage, which requires you to be found legally responsible for the injury, MedPay coverage is “no-fault,” meaning it applies regardless of who is at fault for the accident. This can help expedite the claims process and provide timely assistance to injured guests.
   3. Coverage for Minor Injuries: Is designed to provide swift reimbursement for minor injuries sustained by guests on your property. It can help cover medical expenses for injuries that may not meet the threshold for a liability claim or lawsuit.
   4. Family Members’ Coverage: It may extend to cover medical expenses incurred by family members who are injured on your property, although coverage for household residents may vary by policy.
   5. Funeral Expenses: In some cases, the coverage may also help cover funeral expenses if a guest dies as a result of injuries sustained on your property.

7. Identity Theft Protection:

   Many home insurance policies now include identity theft protection, which helps cover the costs associated with identity theft such as legal fees and credit monitoring. Coverage may vary between insurance companies.

   1. Identity Theft Resolution Services: This may include access to a team of identity theft resolution specialists who can assist you in navigating the process of restoring your identity. They can help you report the theft to the appropriate authorities, file fraud alerts with credit bureaus, and dispute fraudulent charges and accounts.
   2. Expense Reimbursement: Identity theft protection may offer reimbursement for certain expenses incurred as a result of identity theft, such as legal fees, notary fees, and postage costs associated with resolving the issue.
   3. Credit Monitoring: Some policies may provide credit monitoring services to alert you to suspicious activity on your credit report, such as new account openings or inquiries. Early detection can help you take prompt action to prevent further damage to your credit.
   4. Identity Theft Insurance: This coverage may provide financial compensation to cover losses resulting from identity theft, such as unauthorized charges, lost wages due to time taken off work to resolve the issue, and the cost of reapplying for loans or credit.
   5. Document Replacement Assistance: Identity theft protection may offer assistance in replacing lost or stolen identification documents, such as driver’s licenses, passports, and Social Security cards.
   6. Fraud Resolution Assistance: Some policies may provide assistance in resolving other types of fraud-related issues, such as tax fraud, medical identity theft, and employment-related identity theft.

8. Valuable Items Coverage:

   If you have valuable items like artwork, jewelry, or antiques, they may not be fully covered under your personal property coverage. You can purchase extra coverage to protect these items.

   1. High-Value Items Coverage: Valuable items coverage extends protection beyond the limits of standard personal property coverage for specific high-value items such as jewelry, fine art, collectibles, antiques, valuable musical instruments, furs, and other expensive possessions.
   2. Increased Coverage Limits: With valuable items coverage, you can specify the items you want to insure and their corresponding values. This allows you to increase the coverage limits for these specific items to ensure they are adequately protected in case of loss, theft, or damage.
   3. Broader Coverage: Valuable items coverage often provides broader coverage compared to standard personal property coverage. It typically covers a wider range of perils, including accidental loss, mysterious disappearance, and damage caused by handling or wear and tear, which may not be covered under the base policy.
   4. Appraisal or Documentation Requirements: Insurers may require you to provide appraisals, receipts, or other documentation to establish the value of the items you wish to insure under valuable items coverage. This helps ensure accurate coverage and expedite the claims process in the event of a loss.
   5. Deductible Options: Some insurers offer deductible options for valuable items coverage, allowing you to choose a deductible amount that suits your needs and budget. A higher deductible may result in lower premiums, but it also means you’ll be responsible for covering a larger portion of the loss out of pocket.
   6. Specialized Coverage for Specific Items: Certain high-value items may have unique risks and require specialized coverage. For example, you may need additional coverage for loss or damage to a valuable engagement ring or a rare piece of artwork that standard homeowners insurance may not adequately protect.

8. Natural Disasters Coverage:

   Depending on where you live, you may want to consider additional coverage for natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. These items may not be covered under a standard home insurance policy.

   1. Windstorm and Hail: Most homeowners insurance policies provide coverage for damage caused by windstorms and hail, which can include damage to the roof, siding, windows, and other parts of the home.
   2. Fire: Fire damage is typically covered under standard homeowners insurance policies, including damage caused by wildfires. However, it’s important to review your policy to ensure that you have adequate coverage for fire-related risks.
   3. Lightning: Damage caused by lightning strikes, such as electrical fires or damage to electronics, is usually covered by homeowners insurance.
   4. Explosion: Explosions, whether caused by natural gas leaks, propane tanks, or other factors, are generally covered by homeowners insurance policies.
   5. Volcanic Eruption: Damage caused by volcanic eruptions, such as ash damage or lava flow, may be covered by homeowners insurance in some areas.
   6. Earthquake: Earthquake coverage is typically not included in standard homeowners insurance policies and must be purchased as a separate endorsement or policy. Coverage for earthquake damage may include structural damage to the home, personal property damage, and additional living expenses if you’re displaced from your home.
   7. Flood: Flood damage is generally not covered by standard homeowners insurance policies and requires a separate flood insurance policy. Flood insurance provides coverage for damage caused by rising water from sources such as overflowing rivers, heavy rainfall, storm surges, and melting snow.
   8. Hurricane and Tropical Storm: Damage caused by hurricanes and tropical storms, including wind damage, storm surge, and flooding, may be covered by homeowners insurance depending on your policy and location. However, coverage for hurricane-related risks can vary significantly depending on factors such as your proximity to the coast and whether you have additional endorsements or exclusions in your policy.

As a homeowner, it’s important to understand what items are covered by your home insurance policy. The items listed above are common items that are typically covered, but it’s important to remember that there are differences between insurance companies and policies. It’s always a good idea to review your policy annually with your agent to make sure you have adequate coverage. By understanding what’s covered and what’s not, you can be prepared for whatever life may throw your way.

Reach out to Gordon Insurance to review your existing policy or talk about a new policy.