Homeowner's Insurance Policy

Definition of "Homeowner's insurance policy"

Shon McGuire real estate agent

Written by

Shon McGuireelite badge icon

Adams Cameron & Co. Realtors


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.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

(1) Housing arrangement in which the tenants are shareholders in a company that owns and maintains the structure. (2) Agreement between two real estate brokers in which the commission will ...

Individual to whom a mortgage, or property, is pledged. ...

Right of any government agency to enact and enforce certain regulations to provide for the health and safety and general welfare of the public. ...

Also known as SIOR, the Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS® is a professional commercial and industrial real estate association that works on an international level. In the US, ...

ADU in real estate is an abbreviation for Accessory Dwelling Units. In everyday discourse, you might have encountered the term under the following nicknames: granny flat, backyard cottage, ...

Mortgage for an extended time period (e.g., 25 years) Type of real estate investment trust (REIT) that gives long-term mortgages to real estate developers and contractors on new or ...

The term collusion may make you think about colluding from the start, and you wouldn’t be far from the truth. The definition of collusion is a secret, non-competitive, and, at times, ...

A report published by a governmental unit which is publicly available. For example, the decennial census report published by the U.S. Department of Commerce is a public report. ...

The period when a financial debt, such as a mortgage, must paid. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions