What does HO personal property coverage not cover?

Standard homeowners (HO) personal property coverage (Coverage C) does not cover your home's physical structure, certain high-risk natural disasters, or specific types of excluded items.

Structural and Building Elements

• Walls, floors, and roofs: These are covered under dwelling coverage, not personal property.
• Built-in appliances and fixtures: Permanent items like attached cabinets, HVAC systems, and built-in plumbing belong to the home's structure.

Excluded Perils (Events)

• Floods and surface water: Damage from rising water, heavy rains, or overflowing rivers requires a separate flood policy.
• Earthquakes and landslides: Earth movement is excluded and requires a separate endorsement or policy.
• Water back-up: Overflow from sewers, drains, or sump pumps is generally not covered unless you buy an add-on endorsement.
• Wear and tear: Damage from normal aging, rust, decay, or lack of maintenance is excluded.

Excluded or Limited Property Items

• Motorized vehicles: Cars, trucks, and most motorcycles are excluded (though motorized equipment used to service the property, like a lawnmower, may have limited coverage).
• Pets and animals: Dogs, cats, and other household pets are not insured as personal property.
• Business property: Equipment, inventory, or supplies used for a home-based business often have strict limits (such as $2,500) or no coverage at all.
• High-value valuables: Items like fine jewelry, art, cash, and firearms have strict payout caps (special limits) unless you purchase a scheduled personal property rider.
• Roommates' belongings: Property belonging to renters, non-relative tenants, or unregistered roommates is not covered.

Standard homeowners (HO) liability insurance does not cover intentional acts, business activities, or injuries involving certain vehicles or aggressive pets.

Homeowners liability insurance (Section II) protects you if you are legally responsible for someone else's injury or property damage. However, standard policies contain specific exclusions.

Common Exclusions in Homeowners Liability Insurance

• Intentional and Criminal Acts: Deliberate damage or injuries caused by a purposeful violent act or crime are not covered.
• Business Activities: Lawsuits arising from a home-based business (like a home daycare or retail operation) are excluded. You need a separate business liability policy.
• Auto, Aircraft, and Large Watercraft Accidents: Injuries or property damage caused by driving cars, piloting aircraft, or operating large motorboats (above certain horsepower limits) are excluded.
• Aggressive or Excluded Pets: Many insurers deny liability coverage for dog breeds deemed aggressive or animals with a known history of biting.
• Damage to Your Own Property: Liability pays for others’ injuries and property damage, not for damage to your own home or belongings or injuries to members of your immediate household.
• Transmitted Diseases: Most policies exclude liability claims arising from the transmission of communicable diseases.

Personal property coverage pays to repair or replace your movable belongings—such as furniture, clothing, and electronics—if they are damaged, destroyed, or stolen in a covered event.

What Items Are Covered

• Furniture and Decor: Couches, tables, beds, rugs, and artwork.
• Clothing and Personal Items: Shoes, jackets, and accessories.
• Electronics and Appliances: Televisions, computers, freestanding refrigerators, and microwaves.
• Hobby and Sports Gear: Bicycles, musical instruments, and exercise equipment.

Common Covered Perils

• Fire, smoke, and lightning
• Theft and vandalism
• Windstorms, hail, and weight of snow or ice
• Sudden and accidental water damage from a pipe or appliance leak

What Is Usually Not Covered

• The Home’s Structure: Walls, floors, and built-in fixtures fall under dwelling coverage.
• Natural Disasters: Floods and earthquakes are generally excluded unless you buy separate endorsements.
• High-Value Valuables (Beyond Sublimits): Standard policies limit payouts for jewelry, cash, and fine art unless you add scheduled coverage.

You can review details on contents protection with providers like Allstate or Progressive.

Anything classified as real property—which includes land and anything permanently attached to it—is not considered personal property.

Real Property (What Is Not Personal Property)

• Land and Real Estate: The physical ground, plots, and acreage.
• Permanent Structures: Houses, detached garages, barns, and buildings affixed to a foundation.
• Fixtures: Items permanently built into or attached to a structure, such as built-in cabinets, hardwired lighting, installed flooring, and integrated heating or air conditioning systems.
• Natural Attachments: Trees, perennial plants, and unharvested natural vegetation growing directly on the land.
• Subsurface Rights: Minerals, oil, and water rights beneath the land's surface, as well as the airspace above it.

A standard HO-3 policy explicitly excludes certain types of property, disasters, and wear-and-tear conditions.

❌ Excluded Disasters & Events

• Floods: Surface water, storm surges, and overflowing bodies of water require separate National Flood Insurance Program policies.
• Earth Movement: Earthquakes, landslides, sinkholes, and tremors are excluded.
• Government Action: Confiscation, seizure, or destruction by public authority.
• Power Surges: Electrical current or surges originating from outside the property line.
• War & Nuclear Hazards: Acts of war, civil unrest involving military action, and nuclear radiation.

⚠️ Excluded Property & Conditions

• Pets & Pests: Animals, birds, fish, rodents, vermin, and insect infestations.
• Lack of Maintenance: Damage from normal wear, tear, rust, mold, or gradual deterioration.
• Tenant Property: Belongings owned by renters, roomers, or boarders not on your lease.
• Motorized Vehicles: Cars, trucks, and motorized land vehicles (except motorized equipment for home maintenance).
• Business Data: Proprietary business records, electronic data, and accounts.