So, having your own place is great. There’s a sense of pride in owning a home, and maybe you like having people over and welcoming them into your house. (Who doesn’t like showing off a little?) You might have friends over, or maybe you like hosting your extended family. Perhaps you like having house parties to celebrate holidays and such. Having people over is great, but sometimes accidents happen. A guest could accidentally cause damage to your house, and then what would happen?
Ideally, the situation would unfold like this:
Guest: I’m so sorry, I accidentally broke your house.
You: Hey, it was an accident! It’s okay.
Guest: I’ll pay for all the repairs, no worries! I want to make things right.
You: That’s great – I really appreciate it.
That would probably be the easiest possibility, if your guest takes responsibility and sets things right by coughing up the money for repairs. But things aren’t always that simple, and you might find yourself with a question – does home insurance cover damage from guests? We’ll explore this question and go over some considerations.
Does home insurance cover a guest causing damage?
The answer to the question is, generally, yes. So you could go through your home insurance. But the real question is whether this is the wisest course of action. You have to put some thought into it.
Here’s why:
The thing is that your guest is technically responsible for taking care of the damage they cause. They’re the one who’s supposed to cover the costs of the repair. They’re liable, and if they don’t agree to pay, you could have a case to take legal action. They are legally responsible for covering the costs you add up because of the damage. Of course, it’s hard to handle these situations if it’s a friend or family member who’s the one who caused the damage. You might recoil from the thought, but you’re not necessarily overstepping in requesting that your guest pay for the damage they caused.
(To complicate matters even more, you might be risking higher premiums if you use your home insurance – another reason that you might hesitate to file the claim through your home insurance.)
At any rate, it’s not an easy situation to deal with, we admit. All you can do is handle the situation as best you can.
Make sure to check your policy.
Of course, you really need to read your home insurance policy to see what’s covered and what’s not. Are there any exclusions that you need to know about? Does the policy only protect against guest-related damage to the structure of the dwelling (meaning the floor and walls)? And does the coverage only take care of accidental problems? So, that’s something to think about if you ever need to use your insurance. To put it simply, read your insurance policy carefully and ask questions when questions are needed.
When are you liable?
If a guest gets hurt on your property as a result of something dangerous that they weren’t given notice about, you could be liable for their injuries. So, just something to keep in mind! Be sure to check your homeowners insurance policy’s liability insurance. It can protect you from liability-related losses.
Anyways, let’s wrap up with a quick recap. Your home insurance could help you cover damage caused by your guests, but you may not want to use your insurance because it could lead to higher insurance rates. The guest is legally responsible for paying for the damage, too, so there’s that. If you’re inviting a particularly accident-prone friend to your house and you’re worried, check your home insurance policy and read it carefully.
Speaking of Atlanta home insurance, we can help you get the coverage you need to protect your house – our team is good at that! Get started with your insurance quotes by filling out our online form or giving us a call. You can also LiveChat with us to get started with some quotes.