There is nothing funny about hearing a scream and watching helplessly as gr andma takes a tumble down a flight of stairs in your house. It is even less funny when she breaks her hip and decides to sue you for her medical bills, pain and suffering and diminished ability to pursue her passion of ballroom dancing. While you may be a little angry that gr andma decided to sue you, fortunately, your homeowners insurance policy will protect you against liability when someone gets hurt inside your home.
When you purchase a st andard home policy from your insurance agent, you get coverage for your dwelling. You also get coverage for the contents or your personal property inside of your dwelling and protection for accidents or incidents that might result in personal liability.
Now, the example of gr andma falling down the stairs and breaking her hip might be an unlikely scenario, but there are plenty of other things that do happen that are strange and even a bit humorous, that happen every day. Think about some of the really funny things that happen around the house that will be covered by your homeowners policy.
You can file a claim if your 300 pound friend brings her five year old daughter over to your house to play with your five year old son and has a little accident while on your property. Suppose the children are out in the backyard playing on the swings and having a gr and old time. At some point, you and your friend go out to see how the children are getting along, and your big friend decides she wants to get on the swing. As she hoists her hefty frame onto the swing, you wonder if the A-frame is strong enough to hold her. A few seconds later, you know the answer as the swing breaks and she falls flat on her butt. Who wouldn’t find that just a little funny? You might even break out into hysterical laughter. Your home insurance policy will help your friend pay for any injuries she suffered but will not pay any price for her to get over her embarrassment or loss of dignity.
You can file a claim if you accidentally do something in your house that causes some serious damage. Under your contents coverage of your home policy, you are covered for acts that are not malicious or intentional, but cause some types of damage. If you fancy yourself something of a h andyman and cause a small leak from your washing machine to turn into a gushing river of water, you will be covered if the water floods your living room and ruins your wall-to-wall carpeting. These are the kind of things that happen every day and not just on TV shows like the old I Love Lucy episodes.
When you suffer a loss to your home or are liable for a loss suffered by somebody else, it is not funny to you, at least while it is happening. Fortunately, home insurance is there to protect people from the funny things they sometimes do.
