Washington Homeowners Insurance
(Quotes, Cost & Coverage)

Get homeowners insurance quotes, cost & coverage fast. Home insurance protects your house, personal belongings and the cost of medical expenses for someone injured on your property.

WA Homeowners Insurance

A significant portion of our lives are spent in and around our homes, be it owned or rented. For most of us it is the largest investment we ever make. We fill it with the belongings we amass during our lifetime. Any loss, therefore, is devastating, and so it is important that you protect it. The best way to do this is with Washington homeowners insurance.

An owner-occupied single family dwelling provides living accommodations for an individual, a couple, one or more adults raising children, or a multi-generational family. The individuals living in the dwelling may be related by blood, marriage or other arrangement such as adoption, foster parenthood or a guardianship. The household may also own a pet(s). Owner occupied means that the property owner(s) live on the property and that the premises are not leased or rented out to others.

The on-premises exposure includes the land and all structures on that land, such as a garage, storage shed, or swimming pool. Off-premises exposures include activities of the dwelling owner and all members of the household, including students who live away from home as long as they are in school and are younger than 24 years of age.

In the event of a storm, fire or other disaster, your WA home insurance will provide you with financial protection. Washington homeowners insurance is purchased in a package policy. That means it covers both damage to your property and your liability or legal responsibility for any injuries for a visitor on your property, like slipping on a icy front walk or being bitten by your dog or other pet.

What Does Washington Homeowners Insurance Cover?

A Washington homeowners insurance policy has a few major parts including:

Dwelling - This covers the physical structure of your WA home, like the walls, floors and roof.

Other Structures - This can help protect the physical structure of buildings on your property that are separate from your home, such as a shed or a detached garage.

Personal Property - Personal property insures the belongings inside your home, w like furniture, computers, clothing and more. And if these belongings are stolen or damaged away from your home, personal property coverage could also kick in.

Personal Liability - Liability insurance can help pay the legal costs if someone makes a claim against you or sues you after being injured on your property. Think dog bites, slips etc.

Guest Medical Protection - This type of coverage can help cover the cost of medical expenses for a person who's injured on your property.

Loss of Use: If a fire or other insured loss damages your house, you might need somewhere else to stay. Loss of use can cover the increase in cost to live until you can move back in.

What Washington Homeowners Insurance Doesn't Cover

WA homeowners insurance typically does not cover:

• Intentional damage to property (like arson) or harm to another person (like punching your neighbor in the face because they won't turn down their music).
• Business activities or professional services offered in your place (you will need commercial insurance for those situations).
• Flood

How Much Does Washington Homeowners Insurance Cost?

How much does Washington homeowners insurance cost? The average price of home insurance is usually affordable. The premiums vary depending on the company and their underwriting rules, and it depends on the coverages and deductible selected. Following are some of the main factors that go into the price of a policy:

• Location - The more dangerous your location in WA is, for both natural and human risks, the higher premiums you will pay as there is a higher probability for claims.
• Home Size - The more square footage your home is, the more the premium will be.
• Credit - The better credit you have, the lower your rates. Most insurers look at credit and weight it heavily.
• Deductible - The deductible is your out of pocket cost before your policy kick in. Lower deductible = higher premium, and higher deductible = lower premium.
• Your Belongings - The more of your things you insure the higher your premium will be.
• Security Precautions - Having a security system, or a deadbolt lock can lower your premiums.
• Claims History - If you have made claims in the last 5 years your homeowners insurance will cost more.

How Much Should I Insure My WA House For?

Insurance experts recommend that your home is insured for at least 100% of its Replacement Cost.

Market Value vs. Replacement Cost

When it comes to home insurance, you need to make an important distinction: Market value is the amount you could sell your home for, including the land, regardless of how much it would cost to rebuild the home. It is depending on the real estate and other markets that are not tied to the actual physical value of your house.

Replacement cost is the cost to rebuild your entire home. It is tied to labor and materials. Replacement cost is not:

• The market value of the home.
• The purchase price or the land cost.
• The outstanding balance on a mortgage loan.

Ways To Lower Washington Homeowners Insurance Premiums

1. Install a smoke detector that is UL-approved on every floor of your home. Make sure that the batteries are working properly, so replace them on a regular basis. Try scheduling battery changes on your birthday so that you don’t forget this important task.
2. Have a UL-approved fire extinguisher nearby in case of grease fires in the kitchen. Regularly check that its fully charged. A carbon monoxide detector is also a good investment for homeowners.
3. Secure access doors with dead-bolt locks. At the same time, install a motion-detector alarm. This will guard against any trespasser with criminal intent.
4. You get huge savings on your Pennsylvania home insurance if you install a central burglar and fire alarm.
5. To guard against chimney fires, have your chimney, fireplace, and flues cleaned regularly as the damage from this sort of accident can be horrible and messy.
6. If your keys are stolen, change your locks immediately. You don't want to make life easier for a burglar by being careless.
7. Virtually every home insurance policy excludes damage from groundwater and flooding. Guard against this by buying a sump-pump system.
8. To prevent damage in case of hurricane or tornado, trim your trees regularly. You should also keep your walkways safe and clear of any obstacles that can cause accidents.
9. While a home with a swimming pool is attractive, you have to take some steps to prevent accidents. For one, don't install a diving board. Many of the accidents happen here. Surround the pool with an approved fence, and install a locking pool cover for good measure. Pools are considered an attractive nuisance, and kids are strongly attracted to them.
10. Instead of buying your own trampoline, just enroll in a health club with access to trampoline. You and your children would better enjoy this activity and avoid injuries at the same time.

While the tips above sound simple enough, they help reduce the possibility of an accident. Nonetheless, accidents happen and Washington home insurance can help you get through a financial loss brought about by storms, theft, fire or even vandalism.

WA Homeowners Risks & Exposures

Property exposure includes the dwelling, its contents, and any related non-business structures and their contents located on the premises. The most significant controllable hazards are fire and theft. The major uncontrollable hazards are windstorm, hail, snow and ice, flood and earthquake. The age of the structure and its maintenance are primary concerns since both can contribute to losses. Fire hazards include electrical wiring, heating, cooling, and cooking equipment. The location of the property, type of contents, adequacy of locks and alarm systems are important when evaluating theft exposures. The property's location is the key to assessing its vulnerability to natural disasters such as wind, hail, snow and ice, flood, or earthquake. The premises should be built to current code. Vegetation should be trimmed and away from the structures.

Inland marine exposure includes any antiques, collectibles, electronics, fine arts, firearms, furs, jewelry, silverware, and other types of property subject to sublimits and exclusions within the homeowners policy. As these items are often attractive theft targets, security features such as locks, alarms, off-premise/transit exposures and storage arrangements should be reviewed.

Personal liability exposure arises from conditions at the premises and the actions of the members of the household (including pets). The age of any children, the social and civic organizations, and sports that the family participates in can all impact the loss potential. In addition, the type and breed of any pet(s) should be considered. Pools, trampolines, tree houses, playground equipment, non-licensed motorized vehicles, and similar attractions must be secured to prevent young children from gaining unsupervised access.

Auto exposures are from household members driving owned, rented, or borrowed vehicles or from loaning their vehicles to others outside the household. All drivers must be identified, licensed, and have acceptable MVRs. The type of vehicle, ownership, the principle driver, garaging location, miles driven, and type of driving must be considered when evaluating the exposure. Age and experience of each driver must be evaluated. Driving courses can assist drivers of any age. The exposure of household residents temporarily living away from the household exposures such as students away at college is important to explore because of potential vehicle ownership, state compliance, garaging, and usage changes.

WA Home Insurance Quotes

Request a Washington Homeowners Insurance quote in Auburn, Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Bremerton, Burien, Camas, Des Moines, Edmonds, Everett, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kennewick, Kent, Kirkland, Lacey, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Longview, Lynnwood, Maple Valley, Marysville, Mercer Island, Moses Lake, Mount Vernon, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Pasco, Port Angeles, Pullman, Puyallup, Redmond, Renton, Richland, Sammamish, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane Valley, Spokane, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Yakima and all other cities in WA.

Washington Insurance Rules & Regulations

In Washington State, there are certain types of insurance that you should be aware of. We will be covering the limits and regulations of insurance within the state. You should be aware of these because if you operate a business, there may be certain types of insurance that you are required to carry. In addition, even if you do not have a business, there may be certain types of insurance regulations that you should familiarize yourself with. We will be taking a close look at insurance regulations for both personal and commercial here.

WA Commercial Insurance

For business liability insurance, what you should be aware of is that Washington does not require businesses to carry business liability insurance in order to operate. Washington is a pure comparative fault state which means that an insurance adjuster must first assess fault and name the adjuster or a court will reduce the award proportionate to the fault of the plaintiff. Businesses may carry business liability insurance in order to protect themselves against these types of claims.

However, Washington does require anyone who employs at least one person full-time or part-time to carry Worker's Compensation insurance to protect them if they are injured on the job. Washington does not require any type of disability insurance for businesses nor do they require commercial vehicles to carry commercial auto insurance.

Washington Personal Insurance

There are two types of personal insurance that you should be aware of. The first is auto insurance requirements. In Washington State, you are required to carry $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury coverage. You are also required to carry $10,000 in property damage as well as uninsured/underinsured bodily coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.

There are two life insurance regulations to be aware of in Washington State. First, be aware that there is no free look period like there is in most states. If you sign up for life insurance, you are not able to cancel within 10 days in order to get a refund on your policy premium. However, there is a law that requires timely payment on insurance claims in the state of Washington. In fact, the state requires that the beneficiaries account start accruing interest on the day of death. That means that insurance companies will have to pay more for each day that they fail to pay the benefit. There is also a misrepresentation law when it comes to life insurance in Washington.

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If you are looking for state specific Homeowners insurance quotes, costs and information: California Homeowners Insurance, Colorado Homeowners Insurance, Delaware Homeowners Insurance, Florida Homeowners Insurance, Illinois Homeowners Insurance, Kentucky Homeowners Insurance, New Jersey Homeowners Insurance, New York Homeowners Insurance, Oregon Homeowners Insurance, Pennsylvania Homeowners Insurance, Texas Homeowners Insurance, Washington Homeowners Insurance.