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

Intermediate debt (5 to 10 years) without periodic payments but the entire amount (balloon payment) is due at the maturity date. If full payment is not made, the lender may foreclose on the ...

A style of architecture originating in Europe in the 1920s. The international architecture design was very functional and emphasized buildings constructed of steel, reinforced concrete, and ...

Situation in which very few prospective buyers of real estate are rejected by lenders. This may be due to ample money supply, lower interest rates, and/or relaxed credit standards. See also ...

Range reconnaissance, or surveying, for the purpose of preparing grazing capacity estimates. There are two parts to a range survey: mapping of grazing cover varieties and associated ...

Also called profit and loss statement. A financial statement depicting a business entity's operating performance and reports the components of net income, including sales of real estate, ...

Tax assessed on a transfer of property made without adequate legal consideration. This tax is based on the appraised value of the property at the time of transfer.Also, gifts of property ...

Escrow, often known as collateral, is a legal concept. A third party is designated to hold an asset, resource, or a sum of money used in a transaction on behalf of the other two parties, ...

A portion of a real estate company's assets financed with debt instead of equity. It involves interest an principal obligations. Financial leverage is beneficial to real estate investors ...

Map presented to a municipality's planning agency by a real estate developer for consideration and approval. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions