Dwelling coverage or dwelling insurance covers your house and everything attached to it (roof, garage, countertops, flooring, etc.). Often called “Coverage A,” it’s automatically included in every homeowners or condo policy. Because your home is usually your most important asset, dwelling coverage is arguably the most important part of homeowners and condo insurance.
What does dwelling insurance cover?
Dwelling coverage literally protects the roof over your head, your house, plus certain structures attached to it.
- Your house
- Attached garage
- Attached deck
- Verandas, screened-in porches, etc.
- Chimneys
- In-ground pool
- Building materials permanently installed (flooring, ceilings, countertops, cabinets, vanities, etc.)
Detached garages, sheds, barns, unattached guest homes, fences, or any other detached structure won’t usually be protected under dwelling coverage. No worries! These structures are still covered by homeowners insurance, under “Other Structures” coverage.
What risks does dwelling insurance usually cover?
This list may vary by insurer and state:
- Fire
- Hail or windstorm
- Lightning strikes
- Tornadoes
- Explosions
- Falling trees or other objects
- Theft and vandalism
- Damages caused by weight of snow, sleet, or ice
- Damages caused by a motor vehicle
- Water damage (from leaking roofs, broken pipes, water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers, or other appliances, but not floods)
How your dwelling coverage amount is calculated
Most insurers will ask you a lot of questions about your home to give you an accurate insurance quote. Things like the age and type of your roof, the year your home was built, square footage, flooring, number of rooms, etc. Their goal is find out how much it would cost to rebuild your home from scratch if there was a total loss. The rebuild price is called the “replacement value.” That’s usually going to be a different amount than your home’s fair market value or the figure you might see on a realtor’s website.
Contact us for a quote today!