Insurance World

Homeowner insurance has a lot of different benefits and features but the actual coverage is divided into two policy sections. These sections protect you from the perils defined in the policy.

Section I

A – The Dwelling – The dwelling and attached structures

B – Other Structures – structures un-attached

C – Personal Property – contents of the dwelling

D – Loss of Use – additional living expense

The list of perils that a homeowner policy insures against are fire and lightning, windstorm or hail, explosion, riot and civil commotion, aircraft, vehicles, smoke, vandalism and malicious mischief, theft, falling objects, accidental discharge of water and steam, sudden and accidental tearing apart, freezing, and volcanic eruption.

Section II

E - Liability Coverage - Personal Liability provides coverage in the event a claim or lawsuit is brought against the insured because of bodily injury or property damage caused by an occurrence.

F – Medical Payments – medical payments provide coverage to others in the event an individual is injured on the premises and requires medical treatment.

These are the basic coverage benefits on a homeowner policy. The next step in the process is to know how much insurance you should purchase. The actual face amount is usually determined by an insurance replacement cost calculator. The calculator needs several kinds of data in order to give you a quote. It will often require the square footage of your home along with info about items that increase the value of your home like air conditioning and fireplaces. There will probably be a question about the percentage of your basement that is finished.

Homeowner insurance policies have two ways to settle a claim. It will either be settled on an actual cash value basis or a replacement cost basis. The actual cash value settlement will assess the replacement cost and subtract any depreciation because of age or use. The actual cash value policies are usually purchased on older homes. Replacement cost settlements replace the loss with like kind and quality of material without depreciation.

If you are a renter and do not have renters insurance you could be asking for a world of trouble. It is important that anyone renting anything from anyone have renter insurance in case a disaster should strike. The disaster could be in the form of damage from leaks, flooding, fire, earthquake, or tornado. It could also come in the form of lawsuits or injury if a guest to your home has hurt themselves with. If disaster strikes at any time and you do not possess renters insurance you could lose everything and have no way of retrieving it or any way of replacing it.

You see your landlord insures the home itself if anything were to happen to it, but their policy will not cover your possessions. It is important to know what you can expect when you are looking for renters insurance. Not all insurance companies are the same; they may offer different coverage than another and will almost certainly depend on what area of the world you live in. In general, your insurance company will likely cover events such as lightning, fire, smoke, and hail or a windstorm. Your insurance company may offer additional coverage with the policy or at an additional fee to cover flooding, water damage due to damaged pipes, damage to your property from vehicles or aircraft, falling objects, and riots.

In the event that damage to your possession has occurred your renters insurance, will help in one of two ways, either by issuing you a check for the actual cash value of the damaged items or issue you a check for the amount it will take to replace the damaged items. The difference between the two is simple, the actual cash value will be the amount it will cost to replace the damaged items with the depreciation value subtracted.

While you cannot replace the actual items that may be of high sentimental value, renters insurance will allow you to at least be able to retrieve replacements for your items. If ever a disaster were to strike your rented home, you could still be able to lead the same quality of life with renters insurance.

It is important that you speak with your renters insurance agent and know everything that is covered, what the costs are monthly, what your deductible is, and how to file a claim if a disaster should happen to strike.