The Most Common Home Insurance Liability Claims

While less common than other types of home insurance claims, like water damage or wind and hail claims, liability claims can be costly, often resulting in losses much higher than more commonplace home damage claims.

Dog bites If you want to be inclusive, you can include cats as well, but pet bites top the list for home insurance liability claims. Dog bites can range from a simple nip to deep wounds that require surgery or even cases where injuries are permanent. In the US, about 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year, with the highest occurrence among children age 5 to 9. About half of dog bites involve a dog that’s familiar to the bite victim.

Your home insurance policy can provide coverage for liability due to dog bites but it’s essential to have a conversation with your broker — both to be sure your dog is covered by your policy and to review liability coverage options. In the US, the average dog bite claim is nearly $40,000, which makes it important to be sure you’re covered.

Home accidents trips and slips are common causes for liability claims and in some cases, you can be found liable even if a person injured on your property wasn’t invited. Everyone in your family may be aware of the loose stair rail out front that you’ve been meaning to fix, but a door to door salesman, a guest, or a delivery person may not notice until it’s too late. Accidents happen.

Pools and trampolines are also common areas for injuries to guests or even curious neighbourhood kids. Take steps to secure your yard whenever possible and install pool-code fencing as a climbing deterrent, if needed, but also discuss your coverage concerns with your broker to be sure your coverage can protect you if someone is injured on your property.

Falling trees or tree limbs, We usually don’t spend much time thinking about trees but they can be a risk. A dead tree or a diseased tree is more susceptible to falling and the damage a fallen tree can cause ranges from a mess in the yard to a total loss of a home — or even injuries to others. Wind and rain tend to lead to more tree claims because the wet soil doesn’t hold the tree in place as well as winds push the tree.

How a tree claim is ultimately handled depends on whose tree it is and where the tree falls and the health of the tree. If a neighbour’s tree falls on a section of your fence, these types of issues can often be handled in a neighbourly way. If the neighbour’s tree falls on your family room, however, the damage can be much more extensive and there may be a liability claim. The same is true if your tree falls on the neighbour’s home, car, or the backyard gazebo your neighbour just built. Reach out to your broker to review your liability coverage and if there are any trees on your property that are a concern, consider contacting a professional (insured) tree company to trim or remove the tree.

Intoxicated guests and injured domestic workers are also common liability claims. Your home insurance can protect you in many ways but it’s also important to review your coverage regularly with your broker. Life changes quickly and you’ll want your policy to cover the new risks life’s changes can bring.