Personal liability insurance is about financial protection – for you and your family. Personal liability occurs in the event of an accident, in or out of your home, that results in bodily injury or property damage that you are held legally responsible for. Personal liability claims could include medical bills, legal fees and more if a guest is injured on your property. With personal liability coverage you may be able to avoid paying out of pocket for incidents like these, up to your coverage limits. That’s why personal liability coverage is a vital component of your homeowners insurance or renters insurance policy.
It’s important to understand what personal liability insurance covers. Let’s say a guest visits your home and while walking through your yard trips and falls on your deck stairs. The guest suffers a broken arm and sues you for damages – which can be thousands of dollars. This is where personal liability insurance can kick in. Personal liability will cover the costs of medical bills, as well as your legal defense fees, up to the limit of liability coverage on your policy.
It is equally as important to understand what isn’t covered by personal liability insurance.
When deciding on the amount of personal liability coverage to purchase on your homeowners policy, there are many factors to consider: how often do you host gatherings at your home, your personal assets, if you have a swimming pool or trampoline, to name a few. Your insurance agent should work with you and guide you to the amount of protection you feel is necessary to protect you and your family.
If you feel you need more protection than what is offered on your homeowners policy, you can purchase an umbrella policy. Umbrella insurance provides additional liability coverage that can help protect assets such as your home, car, and boat. It can also help cover defense costs, attorney fees and other charges associated with lawsuits. An umbrella policy can cost as little as a dollar a day while providing an additional $1 million dollars of liability. Accidents occur and an umbrella policy provides peace of mind. I cannot stress the importance of adequate liability enough.
For more information on personal liability or an umbrella policy, please give us a call at 724-575-7237.
Take a look at this video from one of our top carriers, Travelers Insurance, explaining liability coverage.