Home insurance guides
Practical, jargon-free articles to help you understand homeowners insurance and make confident decisions.
Coverage
How much homeowners insurance do I need?
A practical framework for choosing dwelling, personal property, and liability limits that fit your home.
Read guide →Basics
What does homeowners insurance actually cover?
Dwelling, other structures, personal property, liability, and loss of use — explained in plain English.
Read guide →Saving Money
7 ways to lower your home insurance premium
Discounts, deductibles, bundling, and home upgrades that can meaningfully reduce your premium.
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Do I need flood insurance?
Standard homeowners policies don't cover flood. Here's how to decide if you need it.
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Home insurance vs. home warranty
Two very different products. Here's the difference and when you might want each.
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Does homeowners insurance cover roof damage?
A standard HO-3 policy covers roof damage from sudden, accidental perils like wind, hail, fire, and falling trees, but not wear, age, or neglect, and how much it pays can hinge on your roof's age.
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Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?
Sudden internal leaks like a burst pipe are usually covered, but flood, sewer backup, and slow leaks are handled very differently. Here's the line between the two.
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Does homeowners insurance cover wind and hail damage?
Wind and hail are covered perils on a standard HO-3 policy, but coastal areas often carry a separate percentage deductible, and hail roof claims may be paid at actual cash value.
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Does homeowners insurance cover fire and wildfire damage?
Fire, wildfire, and smoke are core covered perils on a standard HO-3 policy. The harder problem in high-risk areas is finding a policy at all.
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Does homeowners insurance cover a fallen tree?
A fallen tree is usually covered when a storm topples it onto your house, garage, or fence — but a healthy tree that hits nothing, and damage from a neglected dead tree, often are not.
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Does homeowners insurance cover mold?
Mold is usually covered only when it grows from a sudden, covered water loss like a burst pipe, and even then most policies cap the payout. Here is how to tell when you're protected.
Read guide →Requirements
Is Home Insurance Required? What the Law Says vs. What Your Lender Requires
No U.S. state legally requires homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly does. Here is the difference between what the law mandates and what a lender, HOA, or flood program can require of you.
Read guide →Requirements
Florida Home Insurance Requirements: What You Actually Need
Florida law does not require homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly does. Here is what is actually mandatory, why hurricane and flood coverage matter so much, and how roof age affects whether you can get a policy at all.
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Texas Home Insurance Requirements: What's Actually Required?
Texas law doesn't require homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly will. Here's what's actually required in Texas, plus the coastal wind and flood rules that catch many homeowners off guard.
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California Home Insurance Requirements: Is It Required and What You Need
California does not legally require homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly does. Here is what California homeowners actually need to know about coverage, the FAIR Plan, earthquakes, and flood.
Read guide →Requirements
Louisiana Home Insurance Requirements: What Do You Actually Need?
Louisiana doesn't legally require homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly does. Here's what that means for wind, flood, and hurricane coverage in one of the country's toughest insurance markets.
Read guide →High-Risk
Home Insurance for Older Homes: What Insurers Look For
Older houses draw extra scrutiny over wiring, plumbing, and roofs, and can cost more to insure. Here is what carriers check, how the HO-8 policy works, and how documented updates lower your premium.
Read guide →High-Risk
Manufactured & Mobile Home Insurance: Coverage and Cost
Standard homeowners insurance won't cover a mobile or manufactured home. Here's how the specialized mobile-home form works — what it covers, why actual cash value matters, and how to shop a thin specialty market for the best rate.
Read guide →High-Risk
Coastal Home Insurance: Wind Deductibles, Pools & Costs
Coastal homes cost more because wind and hurricane exposure drives loss. Learn how percentage deductibles work, what to do when carriers decline you, why flood is always separate, and how mitigation credits cut your premium.
Read guide →High-Risk
Home Insurance With an Old Roof: What's Covered
A 15-to-25-year-old roof rarely makes you uninsurable, but it changes the deal — surcharges, inspections, and depreciated payouts. Here's how insurers price roof age and how to protect your payout.
Read guide →High-Risk
Vacant Home Insurance: Coverage When Nobody Lives There
An empty house is a coverage trap: standard homeowners policies quietly suspend vandalism, glass, and water protection once no one lives there. Here is how vacancy clauses work and what to buy instead.
Read guide →Claims
How to File a Home Insurance Claim: Step-by-Step Guide
Just had storm, water, fire, or theft damage? This step-by-step guide walks you through filing a home insurance claim correctly — from documenting the loss and preventing further damage to the Proof of Loss form and getting paid the full replacement cost.
Read guide →Claims
Home Insurance Claim Denied? What to Do Next
A denied or underpaid home insurance claim is often the start of a negotiation, not the end. Learn how to read the denial, gather counter-evidence, use the appraisal clause, and escalate through your state insurance department.
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Does Filing a Home Insurance Claim Raise Your Rates?
Filing a home insurance claim can raise your premium at renewal and, after several claims, risk non-renewal. Here's how CLUE reports, claim types, and the pay-out-of-pocket math shape a smart decision.
Read guide →Claims
What Is a Public Adjuster and Do You Need One?
A public adjuster is a licensed professional you hire to handle your insurance claim, unlike adjusters who work for your insurer. Here's how they're paid, when they're worth it, and how to hire one safely.
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How Long Does a Home Insurance Claim Take to Settle?
Home insurance claims can settle in days or drag on for months. Here are the stages from filing to payment, the state deadlines insurers must meet, and the documentation habits that get you paid faster.
Read guide →Coverage Decisions
Replacement Cost vs. Actual Cash Value Explained
Replacement cost pays to rebuild or replace with no depreciation deducted, while actual cash value pays only the depreciated amount. Here is how each settles a claim, why roofs are the common catch, and which one you actually want.
Read guide →Coverage Decisions
How Much Dwelling Coverage Do You Need?
Your dwelling limit (Coverage A) should equal what it costs to rebuild your home today, not its market value or purchase price. Here is how to set that number correctly and avoid an underinsurance penalty.
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Home Insurance Deductibles: Flat vs Percentage
Home insurance deductibles come in two forms: a flat dollar amount for everyday claims and a percentage deductible for hurricanes, wind, hail, or earthquakes. Here's how each works and how to choose one you can afford.
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Home Insurance Endorsements Worth Adding to Your Policy
Endorsements are add-ons that expand your homeowners policy to close real gaps. Here are the highest-value riders, what each one fixes, and how to decide which are worth the cost for your home.
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Do You Need Umbrella Insurance? A Homeowner's Guide
Umbrella insurance adds a layer of liability coverage above your home and auto limits. Here's who actually needs it, how much to carry, what it excludes, and how insurers decide whether you qualify.
Read guide →Requirements
New York Home Insurance Requirements: What You Actually Need
New York law doesn't require homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly does. Here's what's actually required, plus the coastal hurricane deductibles, flood rules, and last-resort options that catch New York homeowners off guard.
Read guide →Requirements
New Jersey Home Insurance Requirements: What You Actually Need
New Jersey does not legally require homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly does. Here is what New Jersey homeowners actually need to know about coastal wind deductibles, the FAIR Plan, and why flood is a separate policy in one of the country's most flood-exposed states.
Read guide →Requirements
Colorado Home Insurance Requirements: What's Actually Required?
Colorado has no law requiring homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly does. Here's what actually drives coverage in Colorado, from wildfire and one of the country's worst hail corridors to the new state FAIR Plan and the roof rules that catch homeowners off guard.
Read guide →Requirements
Oklahoma Home Insurance Requirements: What's Actually Required?
Oklahoma law doesn't require homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly does. Here's what that means in one of the country's most tornado- and hail-prone states, from percentage wind and hail deductibles to how your roof actually gets paid for.
Read guide →Requirements
Georgia Home Insurance Requirements: What's Actually Required?
Georgia law does not require homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly does. Here is what is actually required in Georgia, plus how coastal hurricanes, inland hail and tornadoes, and the Georgia Underwriting Association shape the coverage you need.
Read guide →Requirements
North Carolina Home Insurance Requirements: What's Actually Required?
North Carolina doesn't legally require homeowners insurance, but your mortgage lender almost certainly does. Here's what that means for coastal wind, the Beach Plan, named-storm deductibles, and flood in a state exposed to both Atlantic hurricanes and inland flooding.
Read guide →Coverage
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Dog Bites?
Most homeowners policies cover dog bites through your personal liability coverage, not your property coverage. Here is how much protection you actually have, why some breeds get excluded, and what happens to your policy after a claim.
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Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Theft?
Theft is a covered peril on a standard homeowners policy, and your belongings are protected even away from home. The catch is the category limits on valuables and the deductible math that makes small claims not worth filing.
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Does homeowners insurance cover burst pipes?
A pipe that suddenly bursts is usually covered, including the damage to floors, walls, and belongings — but the policy typically won't pay to replace the pipe itself. Frozen-pipe coverage comes with a condition: you must have kept heat in the home or shut off and drained the water.
Read guide →Coverage
Does homeowners insurance cover sewer backup?
A standard homeowners policy excludes water that backs up through sewers, drains, or a sump pump — the exclusion is written into the form by name. Coverage is available, but you have to buy it separately, and it carries its own limit rather than your full dwelling limit.
Read guide →Coverage
Does homeowners insurance cover earthquake damage?
No — standard homeowners policy forms exclude earthquake damage, so protection has to be bought as an endorsement or a separate policy with a percentage deductible. The one exception is fire after a quake, which your existing policy generally covers.
Read guide →Coverage
Does homeowners insurance cover lightning and power surges?
Lightning is the first named peril on the standard homeowners form, so a strike that damages your home, starts a fire, or fries your electronics is normally covered. A surge that came from the utility grid instead of a storm is a different story, and on that same form the electronics are the exact part carved out.
Read guide →Requirements
Pennsylvania home insurance requirements
Pennsylvania has no law requiring you to insure your home — the real obligation comes from your mortgage, your association, or federal flood rules. Here is what actually applies in the Commonwealth, including the state-run mine subsidence fund that covers a peril standard policies exclude.
Read guide →Requirements
Illinois home insurance requirements
Illinois has no law requiring you to insure your home — the real requirements come from your mortgage lender, your condo or homeowners association, and federal flood rules. Here is what each one demands, and what Illinois weather makes worth carrying anyway.
Read guide →Requirements
Ohio Home Insurance Requirements: What the State, Your Lender, and Your HOA Actually Require
Ohio has no law requiring homeowners insurance, so the real requirements come from your mortgage lender, your condo or homeowners association, and federal flood rules. Here is who can compel coverage in Ohio and what they typically demand.
Read guide →Saving Money
Why Did My Home Insurance Go Up? What's Driving Increases
Home insurance premiums have risen sharply even for homeowners who never filed a claim. Here is what is actually driving it, which parts are about your house, and what you can realistically do.
Read guide →High-Risk
Home Insurance Non-Renewal: What to Do Next
A non-renewal notice is not the same as a cancellation, and it is not the end of your options. Here is how much notice you get, why it happens, and the order to work through your alternatives.
Read guide →Basics
Home Insurance for First-Time Buyers: What You Need Before Closing
Your lender will require a policy in force before closing, and you get to choose the insurer. Here is what to buy, when to buy it, and how escrow changes what you actually pay each month.
Read guide →Coverage Decisions
Landlord Insurance vs. Homeowners Insurance: What Changes When You Rent It Out
A standard homeowners policy may not cover losses while your home is rented out. Here is what a landlord policy adds, what it costs, and the short-term rental gap that catches people out.
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Does Homeowners Insurance Cover a Home-Based Business?
Barely. A standard policy caps business equipment at $2,500 in the home and $250 away from it, and usually excludes business liability entirely. Here are the three ways to close that gap.
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Condo Insurance vs. Homeowners Insurance: What You Actually Need
A condo needs two policies working together: the association's master policy on the building, and your own HO-6 on everything inside. Here is where the line sits and how owners end up underinsured.
Read guide →Claims
How to File a Car Insurance Claim: Step-by-Step
What to collect at the scene, how the claim moves once you report it, the deadlines your insurer has to meet, and what to do when you disagree with the settlement.
Read guide →Claims
What Happens When Your Car Is Totaled?
The insurer pays what the car was worth, not what you owe or what it costs to replace. Here is how that number is decided, how to challenge it, and the check you should not cash too early.
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