INDUSTRY INSIGHT
HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE
SPONSORED CONTENT
Homeowner’s Liability Goes Beyond Your Home
O
ne misconception about homeowner’s liability insurance
coverage is that it only covers incidents in the home.
In fact, the coverage under the comprehensive personal
liability portion of your homeowner’s policy is not limited by
location. It is, however, limited by the liability caps on your policy. Agents can
show you where that is stated.
Here are some examples of what likely would be covered by the personal
liability portion of your policy:
• Sports incidents. For example, you are playing golf and you drive a ball
that hits someone in the head. The person requires immediate medical
attention, and misses weeks of work. If you are found liable, your policy
will likely provide coverage.
• After shopping at your local market, you accidentally drop a bottle of olive
oil in the parking lot, and it shatters and bleeds the oil onto the pavement.
Another shopper comes long, slips and gets seriously injured. While the
assumption is that the injured party will take action against the market,
the typical practice of attorneys is to go after everyone associated with
the incident, and that would include you. Your policy should provide
coverage if you are deemed liable.
• You are on vacation at a hotel, and you are so excited to get to a
sightseeing tour that you forget to turn off the faucet. The running water
causes significant damage to the hotel structure. The hotel decides to
go after you for damages. Your policy will defend you and may pay out
damages if you are found liable.
• Your kid lends his skateboard to a friend, and the friend, who may not
be experienced with the board, gets seriously injured trying to make a
maneuver. Parents can be held liable for this injury, but there is a very
good chance this will be covered by the personal liability portion of your
policy.
• If your dog bites a stranger at the park, your policy will cover you as
the owner and responsible party for the dog, as long as the policy does
not exclude coverage for its breed. Some homeowner’s policies exclude
coverage for breeds deemed “dangerous,” such as pit bulls.
Additionally, the liability portion will usually extend coverage for the
following items, even if an incident happens away from the insured premises:
• Trailers that are not attached to a motor vehicle.
• Motorized golf carts.
• Watercraft that do not have a motor or is not more than a specified
horsepower.
• Sailboats below a certain length.
• A vacation residence; however, certain conditions may apply, and the
property may need to be added to the policy.
• Non-motorized bikes.
What isn’t covered
Here are examples where coverage does not exist and is excluded by nearly
every homeowner’s insurance policy:
• Cars are clearly excluded.
• Motorized recreational vehicles, especially if they are off-premises.
• Any incident related to business. Almost all homeowner’s policies exclude
business incidents.
• Intentional acts. Most policies have language against such acts.
Policies vary, so it is important to review yours to see what may or may not
be covered.
Additionally, some policies allow you to endorse coverage that may not
be on the policy. This is why it is so important to sit down with an agent to
address additional risks you may have and make sure coverage for those risks
is addressed.
The takeaway
Liability coverage is perhaps the most important coverage you should have,
simply because most of these cases involve attorneys and, if coverage exists,
the insurers provide for your defense as well as any settlement for up to the
limits of your policy.
If you are concerned about any potential liability issues, contact your
insurance agent.
LIFE CHANGES
AND SO DO YOUR
INSURANCE NEEDS.
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Trusted Choice® insurance
agent and I want to help protect
LIFE
CHANGES
what’s important
to you.
AND
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#iamyourstrustedchoice
INSURANCE NEEDS.
Cusumano Insurance, a local family-owned business, has been serving the Pittsburgh area
since 1958. The agency represents several insurance companies offering various options
for your personal and business insurance needs. Its experienced staff are creative problem
solvers who help find the suitable insurance companies, products and discounts to meet
your specific needs. Give them a call today for a free insurance review.
This Industry Insight was provided by:
Joann
Cusumano
Sciulli, AAI
Agency
Principal
Rosann
Cusumano
Elinsky, AAI,
LUTCF
Agency Principal
178 Clairton Blvd | Pittsburgh PA 15236
412-655-4432
[email protected]
www.cusumanoinsurance.com
Cusumano Insurance Agency, Inc. • 178 Clairton Blvd • Pleasant Hills, PA 15236
WEST JEFFERSON HILLS
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WINTER 2019
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