Homeowners Insurance for Your Garage

Many homes have garages, and your use for yours might vary from your neighbor’s use for theirs. However, everyone has an insurable interest in their garage. As a result, your homeowners insurance will need to extend into that space. a house with trees in the background

However, depending on the nature and use of the garage, the way your coverage needs to apply to it can vary, too. Never assume that your policy adequately covers your garage until you confirm it with your agent.

Homeowners Insurance and Garage Coverage

Some people park their cars in their garages, while other people use theirs’ as workspaces or storage rooms. Many people make their garages a combination of all three.

Because your garage is an essential part of your home, your homeowners insurance will usually cover the garage in a variety of cases. Both the structure and possessions inside the garage will have coverage. The policy can kick in in case of unexpected or unavoidable hazards like house fires, vandalism, theft or severe weather damage.

However, the different garage features might trigger different parts of your policy.

If your garage is part of the home, then it is part of the dwelling itself. Therefore, your home’s primary dwelling coverage will have jurisdiction over these losses.
Garages that are not attached to the home will have coverage under a different portion of your policy called other structures or detached structures coverage.
Possessions within the garage will continue to have coverage under your policy’s possessions/personal property coverage. However, your car will not have any coverage under this policy. It will need to have coverage under auto insurance.

Depending on your intended use for your garage, you might need to make some augmentations to your policy to get the right balance of coverage.

The limit for your detached structure coverage is likely only a percentage of your total dwelling coverage. However, the value of the detached garage might exceed this value. Still, you might be able to buy expanded coverage for the structure. This can come in handy if you have a lot of unique features in the garage.
All contents insurance will limit how much it will pay for your possessions. Therefore, you’ll have to declare the value of items stored in your garage if you want them to have coverage. Keep in mind, if you store high-value belongings in your garage, then you might need to buy increased coverage tailored to those items.

As your garage begins to accumulate belongings, always think about the impact this will have on your homeowners insurance risks and liabilities. We can help you cover your losses and assist you in adapting your policy to your own needs.

Homeowners Insurance for Your Garage

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