Whether beautiful flowers are being grown in your garden or it’s the place where you can enjoy a few minutes of serenity amidst a busy day, a garden promotes happiness and relaxation to its owners. But in reality, your garden holds a lot in terms of monetary value. That’s because construction or landscaping of a garden may cost you a lot of money. Plus, you need to take into consideration your tools and patio furniture, and all the other elements you’ve invested in to beautify your garden space.
With this in mind, you need to know whether your garden is covered under your home insurance policy or not. You certainly want to cover these in case of theft or protect them from any loss or damage. But how do you know if your garden — and all that’s in it — is covered by your homeowner’s insurance?
Home and Garden Insurance Coverage
Since your garden is regarded as a permanent part of your home, some standard home insurance policies include coverage for elements of the garden. Typically, your insurance would provide general coverage for sheds, patios, gates, walls, and fences.
Contents insurance also exists to provide protection for movable items such as garden gnomes and plant pots. However, insurers may only pay out a limited amount for these objects. You need to ensure that you add your garden fixtures, tools and furniture to the list of contents covered under your home insurance policy.
Theft or burglary is normally covered by both contents insurance and general home insurance. Ensure that all of your gardening equipment, such as your lawnmower or snow blower, is included in your contents insurance since if an item is not part of the list, the insurance company will not compensate you for loss or damage.
It is best to discuss with your insurance company the types of natural phenomena that they can consider in your general home insurance. Additional insurance such as a personal umbrella policy may be needed if you are not covered for natural phenomena such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, wind, hail, snow, and storms.
What garden elements need to be covered by insurance
The first step to take is to evaluate the items in your garden that you want your home insurance to cover. This is because outbuildings, sheds, and gardens are more accessible for thieves compared to the house itself. If you keep your garden tools and equipment in the shed, you also have to ensure that the shed and all its contents are included in the coverage of your home insurance.
There are some insurance providers that put limitations on how much can be claimed for the garden contents based on a standard regulation. This is the reason why you need to check the terms and conditions, as well as understand deductibles and limits before obtaining home insurance.
Normally, in filing a claim for covered losses such as the damage caused by natural calamities, deductibles refer to the standard cost that you need to pay before your home insurance policy takes effect for any damages or losses. This is also dependent on your personal property coverage, since you may have restrictions or a maximum amount that will pay for the replacement or repair of garden items that were stolen or damaged. If you’re not sure whether your garden is covered by your current policy, a quick search online can show you an Allstate home insurance quote or a comparable policy so you can be fully informed.
Limitations of homeowners insurance for gardens
There may be flaws in certain home insurance policies which you need to take into account before obtaining one. Weather damage effects on a garden, for instance, may not be part of the coverage. There are specific items in the garden also that may not be part of the home insurance coverage, and this includes exotic flowers and special plants. If you are fond of gardening and have the tendency to spend money on beautifying your home, then this should be taken into consideration.
In general, protecting your garden through ideal home insurance entails being knowledgeable regarding the coverage and limitations of your insurance. You need to understand the importance of deductibles and limits, as well as the terms and conditions of your home insurance. This will ensure the preservation of your garden, which you may have worked hard to build and beautify for a long time.