Insurance perils are specific events covered in your policy. It's important to understand the limits of your homeowners insurance policy, especially any excluded perils. Here's a quick guide to the basics:
Perils commonly covered by insurance
A named perils plan covers 16 types of peril. However, it's not a universal list. For example, wind damage is not included in certain coastal zones and must be separately endorsed.
How peril, hazards & risk differ
The words risk and danger are similar to each other and are sometimes used interchangeably. However, insurance counts them as separate things. A risk is the possibility of a loss, while a peril or hazard is the actual cause of a loss.
Types of home insurance risks
Some common examples of insurance risks include:
- Swimming pools.
- Fireplaces.
- Outdoor fire pits or ovens.
- Pets.
The HO-2, HO-3 and HO-5 types of homeowners policies determine if your policies are defined against a set of specific risks based on location or home features.
Who is most affected by a home insurance peril?
A homeowner is affected by the perils insured in their policy, but so is the insurance company. Increased risk and covered perils both pose a higher cost to your insurer, which can increase the cost of your coverage.
Your mortgage lender could also be indirectly affected by home insurance risk because damage could negatively affect your home's value. To determine the specifics of your homeowners insurance, consult your provider for details.
About the Author
Judy Szablak
With over 30 years in the industry, Realtor Judy Szablak has been on national television for her real estate expertise on the HGTV Network, featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio "Morning Living” , NPR radio as an expert real estate panelist, It’s Relevant News channel, and quoted in the Wall Street Journal for her in depth knowledge of Fairfield County Connecticut real estate.
She was also on the local NPR radio station (WSHU) as a Fairfield County CT real estate expert. Judy has provided multiple online respected news sources with her real estate expertise including The Daily Easton, The Daily Weston, The Daily Fairfield, The Daily Stamford and The Daily Greenwich, as well as in print in the New York Post. She is a weekly Real Estate Columnist for WestportNow.com, another real estate column "Real Estate With Judy” is syndicated through Hearst CT Media Online and seen in The Connecticut Post, The Danbury News-Times, The Stamford Advocate, The Greenwich Time, The Hour, Fairfield Citizen, Westport News, Darien News, New Canaan News and the Wilton Villager.
Judy is also the author of the book, The Art of Buying or Selling a Home, available at all major book retailers. Additionally, Judy has been nationally recognized in a number of national real estate trade magazines, some with distribution to over 1 million members. She was featured in Real Estate Today as early as 1994 for her commitment to, and implementation of technology in real estate. Judy appeared in the Certified Residential Specialist Magazine, as she provided advice on marketing strategies and ethics in the article titled "Marketing Makeovers.”
Judy was also featured in REALTOR® Magazine, regarding image enhancement for Realtors. She was again featured in REALTOR® Magazine, in an article on "Achieving Flow” and operating at optimal peak performance. In another article in the same publication, Judy offered guidance to fellow real estate professionals as she explored the topic of implementing and maintaining personal websites. She has appeared in The Council of Residential Specialists Magazine, which featured her ideas regarding technology. Additionally, Judy authored an article on marketing and technology for the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Online Magazine. On two occasions, in 2015 and 2017, she appeared as a featured agent in Top Agent Magazine. I have a few other websites- www.TheCtrealtyBlog.com www.CtHomesAndRealEstate.com www.BestWestportHomes.com www.ThePetitePowerhouse.com www,SzablakConsulting.com
