Vacation Home Insurance: Just the Facts

A vacation home should be a place to relax and get away from the rigors of everyday life. But without vacation home insurance, what would happen if your home were destroyed in a fire? Or if a snowstorm caused severe damage? Learn about vacation home insurance and protect your home today.

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How Does Vacation Home Insurance Work?

Like standard home insurance, vacation home insurance protects your home and possessions against the following perils:

  • Storm damage (snow, rain, hail, wind, tornadoes, etc.)
  • Fire
  • Lightning
  • Burglary
  • Vandalism

Vacation home insurance also offers liability insurance to cover losses stemming from a slip-and-fall incident, dog bite or other accident occuring on your property.

Things to Consider

Getting vacation home insurance creates unique challenges. If your vacation home resides in an area with severe weather concerns, you need enough coverage to provide for those concerns. For instance:

  • Flood insurance is not covered by a standard vacation home insurance policy. A separate flood insurance policy is required.
  • In cold weather areas, winter storms can cause major damage in a short period of time. Winterize your home before departing for an extended period.
  • If forest fires are a concern, take steps to fireproof your home. This may be as simple as clearing vegetation from around the perimeter.
  • Earthquake insurance is not covered by a standard vacation home insurance policy and must be purchased independently.

Insurance Discounts

Vacation home insurance may cost more than the policy for your primary residence. Since you don't live in your vacation home year-round, the unoccupied home is more susceptible to burglars, and damage caused by storms or thieves may not be noticed for months, leading to a whole host of other issues.

To keep your insurance costs low, it may be worthwhile to look into the following discounts:

  • Multi-policy discounts for homeowners who bundle their home and auto insurance with a single insurer.
  • Safety discounts for homes with security systems, particularly systems which alert outside agencies.
  • New home discounts for brand-new homes or homes with up-to-date electrical wiring, HVAC system, plumbing, and overall structure.
  • Non-smoking discounts, senior discounts or loyal customer discounts.

Whether you're buying a cabin in the Pacific Northwest or a beach cottage in North Carolina, make sure your vacation home insurance provides adequate coverage. Getting the right amount of insurance is the best way to keep your home protected. You can compare home insurance quotes for free using InsWeb's quote form.