Your Insurance Policy Covers Your Personal Property for What?

Your homeowners insurance policy covers you for damage to your home, your "other structures" and your personal property. The home and other structures are covered for any damage that occurs that is not excluded by your policy. (I know, that is a mouthful, but I will explain it in another post.)

Your personal property, however, is covered only if the insurance policy says that it is covered. So, what is your personal property covered for?

1. Fire
2. Windstorm/hail (but boats are only covered for this damage if they are in a fully enclosed building, and all property is covered for rain if it is in a fully enclosed building, but only if the wind causes an opening in the building)
3. Explosion
4. Riot
5. Aircraft, including missiles (Bet you are glad you have THAT coverage, right?)
6. Vehicles
7. Smoke (but not smoke from agricultural smudging or industrial operations)
8. Vandalism and malicious mischief
9. Theft
10. Falling objects (for property in a building, only if the outside of the building is damaged first)
11. Weight of ice, snow or sleet
12. Accidental overflow of water
13. Sudden tearing apart
14. Freezing
15. Sudden electrical Current
16. Volcanic eruption

There is the full list. If you have damage from something other than these 16 items, your insurance policy will NOT cover your personal property. Some of these coverages have exclusions that are pretty detailed. Theft, for example. I will cover those in a future post.