Home / Home insurance
Home insurance
The house, the things in it, and somewhere to stay if you cannot live there for a while. Plus a plain account of what the standard form leaves out, before you buy rather than after.
What a home policy covers
Our homeowners policy is the common form most carriers use for an owner-occupied house, with six parts. Each has its own limit, and all six are on your declarations page.
Dwelling
The house itself and anything built onto it: the roof, walls, built-in appliances, an attached garage. The limit should be what it would cost to rebuild, which is not the same as what the house would sell for.
Other structures
A detached garage, the fence, a shed, a pool cabana. Usually 10 percent of the dwelling limit, and you can raise it.
Personal property
Furniture, clothes, electronics and the rest, at home or with you on a trip. Replacement cost is standard, so we pay what it costs to buy new.
Loss of use
Hotel or rental costs, extra food and mileage while your home is being repaired after a covered loss.
Personal liability
When someone is hurt at your home, or you damage someone else's property, and you are responsible. Includes your legal defense.
Medical payments to others
Small medical bills for a guest who is hurt at your house, without anyone having to prove fault.
Wildfire
A fire that starts in your kitchen is covered by the standard form. A wildfire, one that spreads to your home from brush or open land, is covered when your policy carries our wildfire endorsement. We price it as its own line, so you can see what the risk where you live costs.
The endorsement is available for most homes we write in both states. Where a state fire hazard map rates an area very high, we may not be able to offer it. In that case we will tell you at the quote, explain how to get fire cover through the state's insurer of last resort, and write a Harborline policy beside it for everything else: theft, water damage, liability and the rest.
Lower the wildfire price. A Class A fire-rated roof, ember-resistant vents, enclosed eaves and five feet of cleared ground around the house each earn a credit on the wildfire endorsement. Our inspector will tell you which ones you already have.
Earthquake
No standard home policy in either state covers earthquake damage. In California we offer earthquake cover with every home policy, written as a separate policy through a state-backed earthquake program. Its deductible is a share of your dwelling limit, from 5 to 25 percent, so it is built for the large loss rather than a cracked tile. In Arizona, earthquake cover is an endorsement on your Harborline policy.
Deductibles
| Applies to | Options |
|---|---|
| Most claims | $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 |
| Wildfire endorsement | The same as most claims, or 1 or 2 percent of the dwelling limit for a lower price |
| Earthquake | 5 to 25 percent of the dwelling limit, set by the earthquake policy |
Options worth asking about
- Extended replacement cost
- Pays up to 25 or 50 percent above your dwelling limit if building costs jump after a large disaster, which is exactly when they do.
- Building code upgrade
- Pays for the parts of a rebuild that today's code requires and your old house did not have.
- Water backup
- Damage from a sewer or drain that backs up into the house. Not in the standard form.
- Scheduled items
- Jewelry, art, instruments and collections listed at their appraised value, with no deductible.
- Home business
- Equipment and liability for a small business run from home.
Discounts
- Bundle
- Home with auto. Usually between 10 and 20 percent across both policies.
- Wildfire mitigation
- Credits for the roof, vents and cleared ground described above.
- Protective devices
- A monitored burglar or fire alarm, fire sprinklers, or an automatic water shutoff valve.
- Newer roof
- A roof replaced in the last ten years.
- Claims free
- No paid claims in the last five years.
- New purchase
- Your first three years in a home you have just bought.
What home insurance does not cover
- Wildfire, unless your policy carries the wildfire endorsement.
- Earthquake, unless you buy the separate earthquake policy or, in Arizona, the endorsement.
- Flood, including mudflow after a fire. Flood cover comes from the federal flood program or a private flood policy, and your agent can place it.
- Wear and tear, slow leaks that went on for months, termites and other pests.
- Mold beyond a small limit, unless it follows a covered water loss.
- Renting the house or a room to short-term guests, without the home-sharing endorsement.
Coverage is subject to the terms and limits of the policy you buy. Your agent or our service team will go through any of it with you, and we would rather answer the question now than after a claim.
See your price
Start with your ZIP code on the home page and choose Home or Bundle. The quote shows the wildfire line on its own.