Protect Your Paradise: The Importance of Home Insurance for Your Backyard

Protect Your Paradise: The Importance of Home Insurance for Your Backyard

Summer is here, so it is time to open your pool, furnish the patio, and break out the outdoor toys.

Turning your backyard into a paradise for your family to enjoy likely took a lot of time and effort. Naturally, you are probably wondering how your investment is protected when seasonal weather causes damage or an unexpected accident results in an injury.

Whether you spend every day of summer vacation outside with your kids or love hosting cookouts, here is what you need to know about insurance for your backyard.

How Does Home Insurance Cover Backyards?

Home insurance can help protect what is in your backyard from events like fire, wind, theft, hail, and vandalism. Generally, flood- and earthquake-related damages are not covered, although separate protection is typically available.

The following coverages may help pay for damages:

• Dwelling coverage: While this coverage is primarily responsible for repairing or rebuilding your home after a covered event, it can also extend to attached features like a patio or deck.
• Other structures coverage: This coverage helps protect your property’s detached structures, such as fencing or a tool shed. You are typically limited to 10% of your dwelling coverage for other structures, which may not be sufficient depending on what you have in your backyard.
• Personal property coverage: Although your backyard’s buildings and structures are important, its contents and accessories are what makes it feel like an extension of your home. Personal property coverage can help pay to replace your patio furniture, pool supplies, tools, sports equipment, grill, lawn decor, and children’s toys if they are damaged or destroyed in a covered loss.
• Personal liability coverage: Sharing your space with friends and neighbors is all part of the summertime fun, but doing so can also increase the risk of accidents occurring at your home. For example, your child’s friend could get injured during a pool party or your grill could get out of control and spread fire to the house next door. Your personal liability coverage can help cover your legal fees, defense costs, and settlements if you are sued for a guest’s injury or neighbor’s property damage.

What Does Home Insurance Cover in Your Backyard?

Here is how home insurance protects common backyard structures and features.

Decks, Patios, and Sunrooms

How these spaces are built in relation to your home determines how they may be covered by your home insurance:

• If they are attached to your home, your policy’s dwelling coverage will generally help pay for repairs or reconstruction following a covered loss.
• If they are not connected to your home, your policy’s other structures coverage will typically apply.

In general, your personal property coverage will help you replace any damaged furniture, decorations, grills, or other belongings.

Storage Sheds and Outdoor Buildings

The structure of your storage shed, detached garage, or other outdoor building is generally insured under other structures coverage. The items kept inside, however, are usually protected by personal property coverage. This includes:

• Bicycles
• Gardening equipment
• Outdoor furniture and decorations
• Pool toys and supplies
• Tools
• And more

If your detached building houses a boat or recreational vehicle, you will likely need separate protection for any damages that may arise while they are in storage. Home insurance typically limits or excludes coverage for watercrafts, travel trailers, and other motorized vehicles.

Fences

If your fence breaks during a storm or burns down in a fire, the damages may be covered by your other structures coverage. Your policy may deduct depreciation from your claim payout based on your fence’s age, condition, and material type, but this can vary by insurance company.

Damages due to wear and tear or lack of maintenance generally are not covered. Therefore, if your fence was about to fall down before a storm knocks it over, you will likely be responsible for paying the repair costs.

Swimming Pools and Hot Tubs

The type of swimming pool or hot tub you own helps determine how home insurance handles damages:

• In-ground pools and hot tubs: Some insurance companies cover these under dwelling coverage, while others cover them under other structures coverage.
• Permanently installed above-ground pools and hot tubs: Most insurance companies consider these as other structures.
• Portable pools and hot tubs: If your pool or hot tub is not permanently installed, then it may fall under personal property coverage.

Damages to pool toys, covers, pumps, heaters, and other equipment are usually paid under your personal property coverage.

Although owning a pool or hot tub makes the summertime extra fun, it also increases the likelihood of an accident occurring. Your personal liability coverage may help cover your legal expenses if a guest is injured. We also suggest an umbrella insurance policy for many of our clients with pools, which offers extra liability protection for a relatively small premium.

Trampolines and Playsets

Trampolines and playsets are typically classified as contents for insurance purposes. Therefore, if they need to be replaced after a covered event, your personal property coverage may help with the costs.

Like pools and hot tubs, these popular backyard accessories are often seen as risky since they increase the chances of someone getting injured. This often makes having higher personal liability coverage limits and an umbrella insurance policy worthwhile.

Your Gilbert Insurance team is here to give you peace of mind this summer season. When you connect with us, our knowledgeable agents will explain how your homeowners policy provides backyard insurance to protect your paradise.