Homeowners Insurance & Other Structures

You know the importance of having homeowners insurance in order to protect your home from the unexpected — and it’s also important to understand what’s included in your policy, so you can make sure you’re properly covered. When choosing your coverage, a couple terms you may run into are Other Structures or Coverage B. What does Other Structures mean and how does it protect your home? Let’s take a look.

What Is Covered by Other Structures in Home Insurance?*

When an insurance company refers to Other Structures or Coverage B on a homeowners insurance policy, they’re talking about detached buildings on your property. Other structures could include things like:

• Detached garages
• Gazebos
• Sheds
• Swimming pools
• Fences

Keep in mind that the other structures on your property are covered for the same types of events that your home is covered for, such as damages from vandalism, fire and falling objects. For example, if a tree falls on your shed, other structures coverage helps cover repairs. Your policy will include everything you need to know about what’s covered or not covered, so make sure to take a look to help you understand how you’re covered. Then connect with an agent — with their knowledge and experience, they can explain each section so you gain more confidence in your coverage.

Property Coverage for Other Structures

It’s important to know that other structures coverage protects the structure itself — not the things you store inside. That’s where the personal property coverage of your homeowners insurance policy steps in to help.

The personal property on your home insurance covers your belongings whether or not they’re in your home. So when deciding your coverage amounts and creating a home inventory, be sure to take into account the contents of your shed, garage and other detached structures where you might have personal property.

Are Other Structures Included in My Homeowners Insurance?

When shopping for a homeowners insurance policy with American Family Insurance, you’ll have three options for other structures coverage:

1. You can choose a blanket coverage amount that covers all buildings and structures on your property (except structures used for farming or agriculture).

2. You can pick and choose which buildings or structures to cover and appropriate coverage levels for each. Your agent can help you evaluate the value of your detached structure so you have accurate coverage limits.

3. If you don’t have any structures or you don’t want coverage for your other structures, you won’t need to select this type of coverage.

Connect with your American Family agent (Opens in a new tab) to review your coverage. They’ll be happy to answer your questions and help you determine if you need Other Structures coverage added to your policy.