Homeowner's Insurance Policy
Homeowner’s insurance is a kind of property insurance that covers risks commonly encountered by homeowners.
There are several kinds of homeowner’s insurance policies:
Homeowners-1 (HO-1) - the most basic coverage. Basically, HO-1 provides homeowners protection against catastrophic losses only. HO-1 is a Named Peril Policy, that is; a policy that specifies exactly what it covers.
Homeowners-2 (HO-2) - known as a mid-range policy, the HO-2 provides broader coverage than the HO-1, but it’s not as robust as the HO-3, for instance. It is also a named peril policy.
Homeowners-3 (HO-3) - is the most common homeowner’s policy in the US. The HO-3 is midway between a named perils policy and an open perils policy. That is because under the HO-3, your personal properties (appliances, furniture, cars…) are insured via named perils but the house itself is insured under an Open Peril Policy, which is a list of exclusions of damages insured by the policy. If it’s not on the list, the insurance will cover it.
Homeowners-4 (HO-4) - also known as renter’s insurance, the HO-4 is a policy made for people renting a property.
Homeowners-5 (HO-5) - the HO-5 is one of the most comprehensive homeowner's insurance available. An elite policy, the HO-5 is an upgraded version of HO-3, as it also includes the personal properties under the open perils policy and not just the house.
Homeowners-6 (HO-6) - the HO-6 is for people renting condos and townhomes. Also known as the condo insurance or the townhome insurance, the HO-6 is similar to the HO-4 in scope, but it deviates from it regarding the way some aspects are calculated.
Homeowners-8 (HO-8) - the HO-8 is designed to protect older homes and remodeled buildings that are difficult to replace if destroyed. It is similar to HO-1 as it is also a basic coverage, but the HO-1 usually evaluates the house via replacement cost approach, whereas it’s difficult to do that with HO-8, which typically uses the actual cash value.
Real Estate Advice:
Search our Glossary Terms for the specific definitions of all the types of homeowner's insurance.
And find a real estate agent to help you decide which type of homeowner's insurance is the best for you.
Popular Real Estate Terms
Same as term appraisal: Valuation assessment of real property by an expert third party for the following purposes: developing a realistic market price. setting a market value at the time ...
The modified accrual method is defined as an alternative accounting method that combines the two basic methods of accounting, the accrual method and the cash method. While the accrual ...
Representative house, apartment, or cooperative used as a sales tool to show how the actual unit bought will probably appear in design and construction. An example is a model apartment. ...
Expert in real estate who has an education in real estate appraisal as well as having significant professional experience. A recognized license may be obtained from the Member Appraisal ...
Transfer of both real and personal property. An example is the sale of a home with personal belongings. Putting together a group of property to be sold together, perhaps at a discount ...
Local regulation on how real property may be used in a particular locality. The county may establish different zoning classifications and restrictions. If the ordinance is violated, ...
Property having an easement right through another adjoining property. The property through which the easement passes is considered to have the servant tenement. ...
(1) That portion of exposed beach formed by waves depositing sand as they dissipate on the beach. The size of the berm commonly varies with the season. In the summer, the waves move sand ...
fee to use a bridge or tunnel. Fee assessed to use someone else's property. ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.