Most homeowners
policies cover all disasters listed below. Some policies provide
coverage only for the first 10 listed. Check your insurance policies for
the "perils" covered.
|
Dwelling & personal property |
Dwelling
|
Personal
property
|
Dwelling & personal property |
Perils |
Basic HO-1*+ |
Broad HO-2* |
Special HO-3* |
Special HO-3 |
Renters HO-4 |
Condo/
Co-op HO-6 |
Modified Coverage HO-8 |
| 1. Fire or
lightning |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| 2. Windstorm or hail |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| 3.
Explosion |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| 4. Riot or civil commotion |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| 5. Damage
caused by aircraft |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| 6. Damage caused by vehicles |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| 7. Smoke |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| 8. Vandalism or malicious
mischief |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| 9. Theft |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| 10. Volcanic eruption |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| 11.
Falling object |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
| 12. Weight of ice, snow or
sleet |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
| 13.
Accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam from within a
plumbing, heating, air conditioning, or automatic
fire-protective sprinkler system, or from a household appliance. |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
| 14. Sudden and accidental
tearing apart, cracking, burning, or bulging of a steam or hot
water heating system, an air conditioning or automatic
fire-protective system. |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
15. Freezing of a plumbing, heating, air conditioning or
automatic, fire-protective sprinkler system, or of a household
appliance. |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
| 16. Sudden and accidental
damage from artificially generated electrical current (does not
include loss to a tube, transistor or similar electronic
component) |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
| All perils
except flood, earthquake, war, nuclear accident, landslide,
mudslide, sinkhole and others specified in your policy. Check
your policy for a complete list of perils excluded. |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
* HO-1,
HO-2 and HO-3 refer to standard Homeowners Policies.
+HO-1
has been discontinued in most states. |
Disasters not covered
-
Floods
You can purchase flood coverage directly from your homeowners
insurance agent. However, the policy is provided by the Federal
Flood Insurance Program ( 800-427-4661,
http://www.fema.gov/nfip ).
You can get replacement cost coverage for the structure of your
home, but only actual cash value coverage is available for your
possessions. There may also be limits on coverage for furniture and
other possessions stored in your basement.
Flood insurance is available for renters as well as homeowners. You
will need flood insurance if you live in a designated flood zone.
But also consider buying it if your house could be flooded by
melting snow, an overflowing creek or water running down a steep
hill. Don’t wait until the evening news announces a flood season
warning to buy a policy. There is a 30-day waiting period before
coverage takes effect.
-
Earthquakes
Earthquake coverage can be a separate policy or an endorsement to
your homeowners or renters policy. It available from most insurance
companies. In California, it is also available from the California
Earthquake Authority (
http://www.cea.gov ). In earthquake prone states like
California, the policy comes with a high deductible.
-
Maintenance damage
It is your responsibility to take reasonable precautions to protect
your home from damage. Your insurance policy will not cover damage
due to lack of maintenance, mold, termite infestation and
infestation from other pests.
|
