Townhouses: HO-3 or HO-6?
An often asked question is, “Which is more appropriate when writing a townhouse within a homeowners’ association that purportedly provides the real property coverage for the entire building?” This is…
Homeowners
What to Tell Your Clients About Halloween and Trick-or-Treaters
Halloween pranks can cause injury or damage. Even if no pranks are pulled, a trick-or-treater could suffer injury on the insured’s premises. What should we tell our clients about Halloween…
Property Deductibles: Subtracted from the Limit or the Loss
A concept as common as the application of a “property deductible” is rarely taught or even considered, it is simply “understood.” The problem is we tend towards the belief that…
Replacement Cost and the 180-Day Limitation Myth
Carriers seem to believe that a property loss must be discovered within 180 days of the event causing the damage for the policy to respond on a replacement cost basis;…
Meth Labs, Explosions, and Homeowners’ Insurance
A house exploded in Charlotte, NC. Rumors of a meth lab began to swirl leading to an analysis of the HO policy to answer the question, does the insurance carrier…
3 Underutilized Homeowners’ Endorsements
In the “HO-2000 world,” ISO has promulgated over 145 homeowners’ endorsements. Some of these endorsements take protection away (we want to stay away from those), some apply to specific exposures…
Kids at College: Does ISO’s Age Limitation Really Apply?
Based on the dictionary meaning of “resident,” is there really an age limitation on kids away at college? Paragraph 5.a.(1) states that an insured is a relative who is a…
Vacation Coverage – Or the Lack of Coverage: A Far-Out Tale of an Eventful Vacation
What coverage does your insured have when they travel for vacation? More importantly, what coverage don’t they have? Although there is worldwide protection for the insured’s stuff, what are the…
Trusts: Watch Out – Lawyers Strike Again
Trusts are often used as a means to avoid some of the issues related to probate and estate taxes. However, the lawyers rarely tell insureds that when a trust is…
Why Defining Actual Cash Value is Amazingly Difficult
The concept of actual cash value (ACV) is far more complicated than “replacement cost minus physical depreciation.” In fact, the meaning of replacement cost differs based on the state. To…
