3 Items That May Not Be Covered By Your Homeowners Insurance

Insurance Blog

Owning a home brings with it many responsibilities and liabilities. You need to protect your family, your property, and other people who could become injured on your property. For this reason, homeowners insurance is an important and essential part to owning a home. But, there are several items which may not be covered by your homeowners insurance, so you need to know what your insurance covers. Here are three items that are often not covered in your homeowners insurance policy.

Trampolines

If you have a trampoline in your yard, you own a high-risk item that most likely won't be covered on your homeowners insurance policy. A new study from an Indiana University School of Medicine researcher found that from 2002 to 2011, accidents on backyard trampolines accounted for almost 289,000 emergency room visits for broken bones. This is not considering any other types of non-broken bone injuries that are sustained on trampolines. 

Some insurance companies may not renew your policy if they find out you own a trampoline. And, you should always check with your insurance company before buying a trampoline. You may find out with the proper spring mats, safety net, and a fenced-in yard with a gate and lock, your insurance company will cover a trampoline in your policy. 

Treehouse

If you are considering building a treehouse in your backyard, you might want to talk to your homeowners insurance agent first. A treehouse is considered a liability in your yard because of the danger it poses to your family members and children in the neighborhood. Even if you monitor your own children when they are playing in the treehouse, neighborhood children will be attracted to the structure while you are not at home. As falls account for 26 percent of all accidental injuries and deaths at home, you don't want to put this risk in your yard.

Some homeowners insurance companies may allow you to have a treehouse as long as you can prevent children from gaining access to it without adult supervision. This can include installing a removable ladder or steps while you are not at home. Check with your agent for more details.

Dog Attack

If you own a dog, your homeowners insurance may not provide coverage if your dog attacks and injures someone. And, some insurance companies won't sell you an insurance policy if you own a dog that is on the list of high-risk dog breeds. This list can change each year, depending upon which dog breeds have caused more reported bites for the previous year in your area of the country.

If you are applying for a new homeowners insurance policy, they may ask you if you own any dogs and what type of breed they are. It doesn't matter if your dog is aggressive or not, only if they are on the high-risk dog list.

Be aware if your homeowners insurance policy does not cover any of these three common policy coverage gaps.

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1 April 2015

Understanding Insurance Policies

When I got married, I knew that there were a few things that I needed to learn about the way the world worked. For starters, I had to figure out how insurance worked since I wanted to make the most of my life without worrying about money. I started focusing on the policies that I had in place and gradually moved towards acquiring new life insurance and the like. Having each of these coverages helped give both me and my spouse peace of mind. We both knew if something happened to me that the other would be okay. Check out this blog to learn more about insurance needs.