Homeowner's Insurance Policy
Definition of "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
Let’s explore the definition of attribution in practice! Attribution is when you give an individual credit and the right to perform a specific action or the quality of one particular ...
Creates a lien against the mortgagor's property, but does not permit a lien against his or her personal assets. See also non recourse. ...
A listing of all assets a person or business owns, their cost, and appraised value. A complete inventory record should be maintained including real estate. Documentation is needed in the ...
The reason a property appraisal is being made. The purpose of the appraisal is the first step in the appraisal process. The purpose of the appraisal should answer several questions: ...
Legal action of a landlord to remove a tenant.The tenant may have violated the lease agreement such as for the tenant's failure to pay the rent. ...
Descriptive of a property boundary that follows the course of a river or estuary. For example, a land description may say its boundary follows "the meander of the river" meaning the ...
Rental based on a percent of sales or profit that in addition to the constant rental amount. ...
Net amount received when property is sold. It equals the selling price less outstanding mortgage balance less all costs incurred in connection with the sale. These expenditures include ...
Another residence in addition to the main residence where a person or family resides. An example is a second home out of the city used on weekends and during vacations. Interest and real ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.