What Is Considered an Intentional Act in Home Insurance?

Home insurance provides extensive protection to property owners. If you own a home, whether or not you are carrying a mortgage on it, you have one of the best investments in your financial future in your hands. The key is protecting it. With the right type and amount of insurance, you can do that. At the same time, it is important for you to know what specifically is or is not covered under your home insurance policy. These policies differ from one property to the next and from one insurance company to the next, but there are some specifics that are important for you to keep in mind.

Intentional Acts

One of the biggest areas of concern for many homeowners is in providing coverage for losses that occur and proving that those losses are not intentional acts. Most home insurance policies can specifically exclude any type of intentional act that causes harm to any person or to any property. What constitutes this? When do you lack protection, then?

The obvious answer is that you are not able to file a claim for losses for instances in which you purposefully cause damage in order to obtain funds from your insurer. This is illegal. For example, setting a fire is illegal and may warrant any home insurance policy ineffective. Other acts like this are not as obvious. For example, if you are in a fight with a loved one and someone breaks a prized collectible, that may also not be included in your plan’s coverage. The circumstances here can determine if the plan covers the loss or not.

Most home insurance policies cover accidental and unavoidable losses. These are situations where you could not have done anything to stop the incident from occurring. It does not include normal wear and tear on your home either. Understanding what type and amount of protection you have is very important. Read through your policy and specifically understand the exclusions, or types of incidents that are not covered. Doing this can help you to know when you can file a claim and when your insurer simply should not be able to help you to minimize those losses.