HO3 and HO5 – How are they different?

Submitted by carol on Wed, 08/26/2009 - 11:47
HO3 policy in home owners insurance is the basic peril policy and is the most common yet most popular type of insurance. With this policy in place your house will be protected from every danger possible unless it is specifically excluded from the policy. A standard HO 3 policy covers perils that cause damage to the dwelling, other structure of the house and also loss of use. Your personal property is covered against the 16 named perils mentioned in HO 2 policy. The exclusions in HO 3 policy include:
  1. Movements of the earth like earthquake, tremors, landslide, mudflow etc.
  2. Ordinance or law.
  3. Damage from water, flood excluded.
  4. War
  5. Any nuclear hazard
  6. Action taken by the government
  7. Act of negligence
  8. Intentional loss
  9. Power failure
  10. Vandalism
  11. Molds, fungus and wet rot
  12. Deterioration from wear and tear
  13. Shrinking or expanding
  14. Birds, rodents, vermin and other insects
  15. Any mechanical breakdown
  16. Animals owned by the policyholder
HO 5 policy is an open perils policy which provides coverage for your home and its contents against anything that would cause damage to it. There are also exclusions to this policy which are same as those in the HO3 policy. HO5 has only a few additional exclusions that are:
  1. Dampness of temperature and extreme temperature. This may not be excluded if loss of property is directly caused by rain, snow or hail.
  2. Collision
  3. Destruction or confiscation by a Government body
  4. Breakage of eyewear, porcelains and other similar fragile objects are excluded unless the damage is caused by:
  • Fire
  • Explosion
  • Riot
  • Collapse
  • Vandalism
  • Smoke
  • Theft
  • Sudden accidental tearing, burning or bulging
There are exclusions in homeowners insurance for which you may need to buy a separate policy. Insurance companies have designed policies in such a way so that you can protect your precious belongings like your home and your personal properties from harm's hand. It is important to choose your policy as per your requirements and not just for the sake of keeping a policy in place.
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