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

The appraisal approach is used to estimate the value of an asset, based on various factors to reach the closest educated guess of the asset. While an appraisal approach does consider the ...

Judicial action to establish property ownership. In a quiet action, adverse claimants are required to state their claims or be forever stopped from any future title claim. The basic ...

Has not been registered on the companies books. It belongs to the person holding it. See also bearer bond; bearer instrument. ...

In conducting a real estate transaction, each party is presumed honest and fair with no deceit. The intentions are honorable and realistic. If deception occurs without prior knowledge, the ...

In real estate, the term "preamble" refers to an introductory statement that outlines the fundamental principles and goals guiding the industry's practices. Specifically, in the National ...

Holder of a real estate license who solicits a prospective buyer of property and receives a commission for his efforts. ...

Aerial navigation that may interfere with a property owner, such as creating undue noise. The value of land near an airport may decline in value for this reason. Further airport congestion ...

In real estate, the basis to set an adjustable rate mortgage, such as a 6-month certificate of deposit (CD) rate, cost of funds index, or prime rate. A statistical measure stated as ...

When answering the question of what is a real estate investor, several aspects should be considered. First, a real estate investor, also known as a real estate entrepreneur, allocates ...

Popular Real Estate Questions