Homeowners Insurance

Your home is your base camp.
We'll help you safeguard it.

Our comprehensive home coverage and around-the-clock service mean you're always supported. Say goodbye to cookie cutter insurance. We offer you customizable coverage that's as unique as your home.

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Protecting Your Most Important Asset – Your Home

Owning a home is part of the American dream for most people. When the unexpected happens, homeowners insurance from Homesite can prevent your dream from turning into a nightmare.

Homeowners insurance is more than just something the mortgage lender requires before you can take out a loan. It is a valuable financial tool designed to protect your home and its contents fromdamage due to events like:

 

  • Weather and natural disasters
  • Fire and smoke
  • Theft of personal property
  • Vandalism

 

Home insurance also protects your assets by providing liability coverage which covers you againlawsuits for injury or property damage that occurs as a result of an accident.

 

What your policy covers:

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Your home

Covers damage or loss to your dwelling caused by a covered incident, and is based on the cost to rebuild your home.

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Your personal possessions

Covers damage, destruction or theft of your personal property.



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Loss of use

Reimburses you for living expenses that exceed your normal living costs if you cannot live in your home due to a covered loss.

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Medical payments to others

Pays for medical bills when someone is injured on your property, regardless of fault.

How Home Insurance Works

Homeowners insurance is a “multi-line” insurance policy. Within the insurance industry, property and liability are often considered separate lines of coverage with separate premiums. With Homesite home insurance, your premium payments cover both property and liability. The premium is based on multiple insurability factors, the replacement cost of the home (which is u sually not the same as its market value) and its contents.

When damage occurs to your home, property, or another person, you submit a claim to your insurance carrier. The carrier then checks to see whether the claim is covered under your policy, and if so, pays for the cost of the damages.

IMPORTANT: Insurance policies can vary significantly in what and how much is covered. Always read your policy carefully to make sure you understand what it covers and what it doesn't.

 

The Benefits of Homeowners Insurance

The primary benefits of having home insurance are obvious. It pays for the cost of fixing any damage covered in the policy – even if your home is totally destroyed. What many people don’t know is that it can also pay for the cost of temporary housing while your home is being repaired.

In addition to your regular belongings, homeowners insurance can also cover the loss of items that are valuable and/or near and dear to your heart. For example, jewelry, expensive musical instruments, family heirlooms, antique furniture and more.

You can also get policy riders, also known as “endorsements,” to cover damages not covered in a basic homeowners policy. These coverages can include earthquake, sewer backups, identity theft and more. In fact, you may be surprised at some of the losses home insurance policy riders cover:

 

  • Pet bites. When your pet bites someone damages can easily cost $35,000 or more.
  • Bring your home up to code after a covered loss. Suppose your home suffers fire damage. Your policy could include paying for upgrading a damaged electrical system that meets the latest codes.
  • Damage from falling debris. Suppose a tree in your back yard topples over and takes out your entire patio. Homeowners insurance may replace it at no cost to you (except for the deductible).
  • Damage due to power outages. If the power goes out in your area for an extended period of time, a home insurance rider can cover the cost of replacing spoiled food in your refrigerator.
  • Damage away from home. Do you like to travel? Do you have kids in college? Parts of you personal property and liability coverage may apply to those situations.

 

Perhaps most important, homeowners insurance provides peace of mind that is hard to put a price on. There’s nothing like being able to sleep well every night knowing your most important asset is protected from disaster.

 

Add additional coverages to customize your policy:

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Identity theft protection

Covers up to $15,000 of expenses you incur as a direct result of identity theft.
 

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Personal injury protection

Protects you against claims of libel, slander, and invasion of privacy under your homeowners insurance policy.

Coverage for valuables

Offers open perils coverage for your valuable items such as jewelry, furs, cameras, musical instruments, silverware, fine arts, and golfer’s equipment.

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Extended coverage on your home

Provides additional coverage, up to 25% or 50% of your Dwelling Coverage, if the amount to replace your home exceeds the amount of coverage provided by your policy.

The Homesite Home Insurance Advantage
  • Broad coverage. We provide homeowners policies with broad coverage for a loss to your home or personal belongings. If you can’t use your home due to a covered loss, there is coverage for additional costs you might incur. Our personal liability protection may cover injury or property damage to others caused by you or a member of your household. In addition, your policy may include medical payments coverage when someone gets injured on your property.
  • Optional coverage. Our policy riders include coverage for valuable items, identity theft, libel, slander, extended coverage on your home and more.
  • Customized coverage. Tell us what is most important to you and we’ll customize a homeowners policy to cover it.

 

Get an Online Insurance Quote in Just Minutes!

Getting a personalized home insurance quote with Homesite is quick and easy. Get started today!

 

 

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Home Insurance FAQ
+ Q: Is Homeowners insurance required?
A: It depends. You are not required by law to have homeowners insurance. However, if you take out a loan to finance your home, most lenders will require home insurance until the loan is paid off. This protects their investment in the event your home is damaged or destroyed, and you are unable to pay the cost of repairing it. Even if your lender doesn’t require homeowners insurance, or if you pay off the loan and own your home outright, it’s a good idea to have it. Doing so will protect your investment in what is likely your biggest and most important asset.
+ Q: What property and perils are excluded from most homeowners policies?
A: Most homeowners buy “HO-3” insurance, a hybrid policy that covers both “named” and “open” perils. A named perils policy covers only those risks explicitly stated in the policy. Anything not stated in the policy isn’t covered.

An open perils policy provides full coverage for your home and personal property unless your policy excludes it. The policy must state that it doesn’t cover a specific risk; otherwise, it will be covered. Common exclusions for open peril policies include perils due to earthquakes, flooding, war, nuclear hazard, pollutants, actions by the government, neglect, intentional damage or loss, fungus or mold, and more. The typical HO3 policy provides coverage for your structure on an “open” perils basis and personal property on a “named” perils basis. Many policies offer an option of covering personal property on an “open” perils basis, but that is normally an additional coverage offered for additional premium.

Home insurance exclusions vary according to the type of policy and the insurer. Always read the policy carefully to understand what is covered and what is excluded.
+ Q: How much is home insurance?
A: Many factors determine the cost of a homeowners insurance policy, starting with its geographic location. If you live in a high-crime area or other high-risk area (i.e. prone to hurricanes or tornadoes), monthly premiums can cost more. Others include what discounts you qualify for, the age of the home, whether or not you have prior claims, what type of coverage you want, and the limits of that coverage. One of the biggest factors in determining the cost of the policy is the amount of dwelling coverage you purchase, which is the amount of coverage you need to replace your home when a loss occurs. The more dwelling coverage you select, the more the policy will cost.
+ Q: Is Homeowners insurance tax deductible?
A: In the vast majority of cases, the answer is no. The IRS doesn’t consider homeowner insurance premiums to be a deductible expense and does not allow itemizing payments for insurance on your tax returns.

There are two exceptions to this rule. First, if you operate a business out of your home, you may be able to deduct a percentage of your premiums based on the square footage of your home office. Second, if you claim rental income on your home, the cost of homeowners insurance on the part of the property used as a rental may be tax-deductible. Consult your tax preparer for details on how to deduct homeowners insurance.
+ Q: Does Homeowners insurance cover earthquake damage?
A: Most base homeowners insurance policies do not cover earthquake damage. However, they usually cover losses from fire that results from an earthquake. If the fire causes extensive damage to your home and you must temporarily live elsewhere, the policy may also cover additional living expenses until your home is repaired.

Earthquake insurance is available in most states as an optional coverage available for an additional premium.
+ Q: Does Homeowners insurance cover flood damage?
A: Most base homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood damage. However, you can buy flood insurance as an addition to your homeowners policy. This insurance can be obtained through a private insurer or the National Flood Insurance Program. If you live in a floodplain or other areas at risk of flooding, your mortgage holder may require you to purchase a flood policy. Otherwise it is an optional coverage. Learn more and get a quote for Flood Insurance.