Definition of "Hazard insurance"

Maria Lourdes Perez real estate agent

Written by

Maria Lourdes Perezelite badge icon

Keller Williams NYC - Queens/Bayside

There’s a lot of confusion regarding the hazard insurance definition. Many people think it’s a synonym for homeowners insurance but they’re wrong. Hazard insurance is actually part of the homeowner’s insurance policy.

Hazard insurance refers to one of the coverages within homeowner’s insurance; the protection against perils like fire, severe storms, wind hails and other natural events to the dwelling. Whatever happens to the structure is considered hazard insurance. That is; the other parts covered by the policy – like liability insurance and personal property insurance – are not considered hazard insurance.

But it is more than that. Flood insurance and Earthquake insurance, for instance, are not typically included in a homeowner’s insurance policy and are considered hazard insurance. So it’s fair to say that hazard insurance is a definition of a type of peril to your home that can be insured, and that peril is natural hazards from the outside world to the structure of your property.

While it is in the owner’s best interest to preserve his interest in the house with this type of insurance, it’s the mortgage companies who require this policy most of the times. Here’s why: an accident inside the house, for instance, will hurt the homeowner financially and, in the long run, that’s bad for the lender, but not immediately. However, a hazard to the structure is immediately bad because it devalues the home. If the owner doesn’t fix it and later on defaults and the house goes on to foreclosure, the lender will now potentially have a house that’s worth less than what he borrowed –making the lender unable to recuperate the investment.

Real Estate Advice:

We understand there are a lot of insurances out there and it feels like it’s draining your money away. But there’s nothing more dangerous than living without coverage and 10 out of 10 real estate agents will tell you this one is the most important one. After all, if you don’t protect your asset, in the case of an accident it will literally make you lose a lot of money.

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

When we talk about adverse environmental impacts, we always refer to the man-made negative impact on the environment. An adverse environmental impact can be defined as negative changes that ...

Interest computations based only on the original principal. For example, the simple interest on a $100,000, 8% loan is $8,000. It is compared with compound interest which is applied to the ...

Legal order for a person to present at a deposition or trial documents in his possession, such as related to a real estate transaction. ...

The substitution of one person or business for another when the substituted person or business has the same rights and obligations as the original party. An insurance company can surogate ...

Timeshare homes is the popular name given to the concept of fractional ownership in real estate, and, in fact, is a better term to explain its meaning.Why?Well, fractional ownership means ...

The direction in which a community is growing. Directional growth is measured over time, and its path strongly influences current and future market values of those properties clearly in ...

The value of property subject to tax. The tax equals the tax rate multiplied by the property's value. ...

Items of real and personal property that usually have a long life, such as housing and other real estate. ...

The term actual notice is used most often in connection with property law, but the concept can also be applied in other law areas. To define actual notice, we can look at the two major ...

Popular Real Estate Questions