Norfolk Home Insurance

As a home owner, you are liable for many of the injuries a visitor can incur in your home. In the event that an invited guest or unexpected visitor should be injured in your home through no fault of their own, your home insurance would likely pay medical expenses and damages. It could even pay for lost wages if the injury resulted in the person being out of work.

When it comes to injuries, your home insurance only covers your liability as a property owner. So if you or one of your family members is injured at home, it would be your medical insurance rather than your home insurance that would pay for those injuries.

When Home Insurance Doesn't Pay
Are they any visitor injuries that your home insurance would not pay for? If someone was in your home acting in a reckless manner and you had no way to stop an incident, and their behavior causes an accident, then you would probably not be liable for that injury. However, if someone acting in a normal capacity is hurt in your home-even from something that was not the result of any negligence on your part, you would likely be responsible.

Avoid heartache and save money by having a home free of threats to health and safety, as this will help to avoid insurance claims and keep your family and friends safe.  And although you can never create a completely risk-free zone, diligence and attentiveness can work together to help you remove the most obvious threats and cut down in the opportunity for injury that much more.

Contact us at 757-593-1828 to learn more about Norfolk home insurance.

Sixty years ago, when the 1950 census data was released, it showed that eight in 10 households were occupied by married couples. Fifty years later, the 2000 census data showed that number had declined to just over 50%, signifying a sea change in the typical American household. Almost half of households were occupied by a single individual, roommates or unmarried couples (the 2010 census data is still in the process of being made public).

If you are in the "living together but not married" category, you should pay close attention to the language in your home and auto insurance policies that specifies which individuals are covered-in insurance terms, the "insureds."

Most standard home insurance policies restrict coverage to a "named insured"-the individual person(s) named on the policy and his or her resident spouse. The policy then extends coverage to "resident relatives," a term referring to individuals related to the named insured by blood, marriage or adoption (or someone under 21 in your care, such as a foster child) who are residents of the named insured's household.

This means that a home insurance company has no obligation to cover a non-insured's liability or to defend that person in a lawsuit alleging liability.

Consider this scenario: A girlfriend and her teenage son move in with the woman's boyfriend. The son seriously injures another child in a tackle football game at the park down the street. That child's parents file a suit against the mother/girlfriend.

Unless she has her own separate insurance policy (such as a "renters" insurance policy) or has been added as a named insured on the home insurance policy (which most insurance companies won't do if she isn't a relative), she has no coverage. 

The problem doesn't stop with liability. Chances are the girlfriend and her son will also move some of their personal property in with them, but clothes, electronics, school supplies and whatever else belongs to them may not be covered by the homeowner's insurance policy either. Most policies exclude coverage for personal property that is owned by roomers, boarders or tenants. This personal property exclusion is another reason why a renters insurance policy is essential for non-insured roommates.

(Source: TrustedChoice)