What is dwelling insurance?

Your home is built on the foundation of keeping you safe. But what happens when it’s damaged?

Well, the dwelling coverage of your homeowners insurance policy could help pay to rebuild or repair the home’s physical structure, like walls, roof, and its connected builds, like an attached garage.

Typically, if these structures are damaged by a hazard, like, a fire, smoke, windstorm, hail, lightening and vandalism they’ll be covered.

So, how much coverage do you need?

It's standard to have coverage that's at least equal to the amount it’d cost to rebuild your home with similar materials.

Keep in mind that changing construction costs could affect those amounts.

Also, your coverage needs could change depending on the type of home you have, like a single-family home, manufactured home or condo.

It's a good idea to look into your coverage limit and deductible, and make sure they fit your current needs.

Basically, your limit is the maximum amount your homeowners insurance will pay toward a covered loss.

And your deductible is the amount you'll pay out of pocket before your insurance will kick in to help cover a loss.

Now, that you know what’s covered, let’s learn about what homeowners insurance doesn’t cover.

A standard homeowners insurance policy typically doesn’t cover damage caused by floods, earthquakes, sewer backups or damage resulting from unresolved maintenance issues.

However, you may be able to purchase separate coverage to help protect your home from these risks.

We’ve shared a lot of information, and it might be a good idea to look over your policy to learn what exactly your dwelling coverage helps protect.

Structural damage can be expensive—you’ll want coverage to protect you if it happens.

That’s what homeowners insurance will do for you.