Types of Homeowner’s Insurance in Oregon

Does my homeowner’s insurance cover this? The question that many insurance agents receive every day from their customers. Today we will discuss what coverage is afforded with a homeowner’s insurance policy. 

There are four categories of homeowner’s insurance coverage options in Oregon- Coverage A-Dwelling, Coverage B-Other Structures, Coverage C- Personal Property, and Coverage D-Loss of Use.

What Does Homeowner’s Insurance Actually Cover?

Coverage A – Dwelling

Dwelling coverage provides coverage for the physical home itself. It also provides coverage for supplies and materials that are used in construction, repair, or to alter the dwelling and/or other structures located on the insured’s premises, these materials must be located on or next to the premises.

Coverage B – Other Structures – What Does This Cover?

Other structures on the insured’s premises that are apart from the main dwelling, defined by a clear space between – ei: shop, shed, barn, or free standing garage. If the structure is attached to the main dwelling via utility line or fence, etc it’s considered detached and will be covered under Coverage B. You may wonder what is my limit and how is it calculated? Other Structures limit is 10% of your Coverage A (Dwelling) limit. In other words, if your Dwelling(Coverage A) is insured at $300K, then your Other Structures (Coverage B) limit would be $30k.

Coverage A: $300,000.00 x 10% = Coverage B $30,000.00

There are exclusions for Coverage B and it is important to understand what they are. If you are unsure if your property may not be covered, ask your agent. If your “Other Structures” are being used for business purposes, being rented or held for rent to someone who does not reside in your home, coverage on this structure is excluded. One exception is if the structure is being used as a private garage only. If it’s being used as a private garage only, the renter does not have to reside on the premises for this “other structure” to be covered. 

Coverage C – Personal Property – Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Oregon

Personal Property can cover your property while being physically at your home or anywhere in the world. Personal Property can range from furniture, electronics and clothing, camping gear and at times the property of a house guest if applied to your policy upon issue. This type of coverage helps pay to repair or replace your belongings after a covered loss, such as theft or fire

The limit of coverage for Personal Property is 50% of your Dwelling limit (Coverage A). If your Dwelling limit(Coverage A) is $300K, then Personal Property limit (Coverage C) is $150K. 

Coverage A: $300,000.00 x 50% = Coverage C $150,000.00

Personal property away from the premises coverage limit is 10% or $1,000.00 of your Dwelling (Coverage A), whichever is more. Coverage away from the premise is strictly for the insured’s property, this does not apply to guests.  

In your homeowner’s policy, there are special limits of insurance. In other words, designated amounts of maximum coverage for certain items. 

See table below: 

Maximum Amount of Coverage	Items included
$2500	Business personal property at the residence
$1500	Personal records, deeds, securities, passports, stamps, letters of credit, notes (other than bank notes), accounts, proofs of debt, tickets, and manuscripts. Also included is the cost to replace, research, or restore the lost/damaged information
$1500	Trailers not used with watercraft
$1500	Watercraft, including trailers, equipment, and outboard motors (an outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom)
$1500	Electronic apparatus while in, on, or away from a motor vehicle, as long as it can be operated from the motor vehicle power source and retains its ability to be operated from a power source other than the motor vehicle. Includes tapes, wires, disks, records, and other media
$500	Business property away from the insured premises
$200	Bank notes, money, gold (not goldware), silver (not silverware), coins, platinum, medals, and bullion (Bullion is gold, silver, or other precious metals in the form of bars or ingots.

 

There are also types of property that are subject to a max amount of coverage if they are stolen. See table below for those items and their max coverage amounts.

Maximum amount of coverage	Type of Property
$2500	Firearms
$2500	Goldware, Silverware, and Pewterware
$1500	Furs, watches, jewelry, precious and semi-precious stones

 

Coverage D – Loss of Use Homeowner’s Insurance Coverage in Oregon

What exactly does this mean? Loss of use coverage is applicable when a residence or dwelling becomes uninhabitable due to damage that has been caused by a covered cause of loss. 

There are few different scenarios that would cause this coverage to kick in: 

1) Cost of Living Expenses: If the dwelling suffers a covered loss and is uninhabitable, the insurance company will reimburse the insured for the (necessary) increased cost of living expenses to keep a normal standard of living – while the property is being restored/repaired. This is referred to as Additional Living Expense. 

2) Fair Rental Value: If the loss occurred on the part of the residence premises that is rented out to others, the insurance company will pay the fair rental value while the building is repaired. Payments will be for the shortest time to repair/replace. 

Lastly, if civil authority doesn’t allow you to access your dwelling/premises because of damage to a neighboring dwelling, the insurance company will pay Fair Rental Value or Additional Living Expenses for up to two weeks. 

Graybeal Group, Inc. Offers Widest Range of Products and Pricing in Oregon

Graybeal Group, Inc. is a professional Insurance company with licensed agents and staff.  With over three decades of experience, The Graybeal Group takes pride that our agents are specialized in the needs of our customers in the areas of Crop/Agriculture, Hemp, Non-Profits, Pasture Rangeland and Forage, and Farm & Ranch.

Being able to provide the time for our agents to focus on their specialty allows us to give you – our clients – the needed coverage for your home and business. At Graybeal Group, Inc., we are committed to providing an experience that empowers our clients so they are educated on their coverage and the value we provide above all others.

For more information, we invite you to call Graybeal Group, Inc. at (541) 567-5523.