Opening the Door to Homeowners Insurance

Your home is your castle, so the saying goes. And you're going to want to protect it. Homeowners insurance can give you just the protection you need. It provides coverage if your home is damaged or destroyed. It also covers your family's possessions and provides you with compensation for liability claims, medical expenses, and other expenditures that result from property damage and bodily injury suffered by others.

Why you need it

You may need homeowners insurance because your mortgage lender requires it. But even if you own your home outright, you still need homeowners insurance to protect that which you can't afford to lose. It's really that simple. After all, you've spent years building up a solid financial foundation for you and your family. Without homeowners insurance, all of that hard work can go down the drain in a matter of minutes when, for example, a tornado devastates your house, a burglar robs and vandalizes your home, your dog bites and severely injures your neighbor, or your mail carrier slips on your front steps and breaks his leg.

Property coverage

The main purpose of homeowners insurance is to protect your home and other structures, like a shed or detached garage. Your policy will cover not only the cost of the damage (the exact amount depends on your policy) but also your living expenses (up to a limit) while you wait for your home to be repaired.

In addition to protecting your home, the typical homeowners policy covers your personal property, both on and off premises. Your personal property consists of the contents inside your home (e.g., furniture, appliances, clothing, jewelry) as well as outdoor items (e.g., sporting equipment, lawn tools). It's important to note that homeowners policies set specific dollar limits for certain types of personal property (e.g., jewelry, coins).

Although policies vary, a typical homeowners policy provides coverage for damage to property caused by:

• Fire and lightning
• Windstorm and hail
• Explosions
• Theft or vandalism
• Vehicles
• Smoke
• Falling Objects
• Weight of ice, snow, and sleet
• Freezing of plumbing, heating, or air conditioning system
• Riots

But be aware that homeowners insurance does not cover a wide variety of perils (e.g., flood, earthquake damage). You may need to purchase an endorsement or separate insurance policy to ensure adequate coverage in these instances.

When reimbursing you for a loss, insurance companies use one of two methods to determine the value of property:

• Replacement cost: This pays you the cost of replacing damaged property, with no deduction for depreciation, but with a maximum dollar amount
• Actual cash value: This pays you an amount equal to the replacement value of damaged property minus a depreciation allowance

Keep in mind that before an insurance company reimburses you for a loss, you'll need to satisfy a deductible.

Liability coverage

In addition to insuring your property, the typical homeowners policy includes liability protection that provides coverage for damages caused by your negligence. Medical payments to third parties and your legal costs for any lawsuits brought against you are also included. Most homeowners policies provide a standard amount of liability coverage (usually a minimum of $100,000) per accident.

Purchasing homeowners insurance

Homeowners insurance policies are written individually, typically at the time you purchase a home or when you take out a mortgage on a home. For the most part, you'll want to purchase enough property coverage to cover the replacement cost of your home and its contents. The amount of liability coverage you'll need to purchase will depend on the assets you would like to protect (e.g., home, car, investments).

The cost of homeowners insurance depends on the amount of your coverage, any endorsements you add to the policy, and policy deductibles. But since premiums for similar policies vary from company to company, it pays to shop around and compare rates.