Most people think of homeowner's insurance as something that they need to keep the mortgage lender happy or to protect their home in case of a fire. In fact, your home insurance policy does much more than that. Here are just a few of the things you might not have realized it covers.

Dog Bites

If your dog bites someone that comes into your yard or manages to slip under your fence and bite someone on the sidewalk, you may be facing a lawsuit. Luckily for you, most home insurance policies contain a general liability provision that covers harm caused by your pets.

Items In Commercial Storage

Did you run out of space in your attic and rent a storage unit? You may not need to buy the storage company's expensive insurance policy. Your homeowner's insurance policy will generally cover household items (i.e., things not used in a business) that are stored in a commercial storage facility.

Items In Transit

If you're going away on vacation or moving to a new home, you may find your car packed with thousands of dollars worth of clothing, electronics like iPads and laptops, and other personal items. Your car insurance policy generally won't cover items carried in your car, and if you're using a rental car or truck, you will need to purchase an expensive insurance policy to receive minimal coverage that may not even cover the value of your items.

As with items you've placed in a storage facility, your homeowner's insurance policy will generally apply to items you are bringing for personal use that you don't intend to use in a business or buy and sell for profit.

Lawsuits Against You

In today's society, you may face a lawsuit for any reason at any time. A kid on a sports team you coach may have been injured, your leaky sprinkler might have created a patch of ice on the sidewalk, or you may accidentally bump into a little old lady and break her hip.

Your home insurance policy generally provides liability protection even for events that don't occur at or next to your home. The thinking is that for most people, their home is their most valuable asset, and it would frequently be targeted in any lawsuit. To protect both you and your mortgage company, your home insurance policy covers both the court judgment and your legal defense costs up to the limit stated in the policy.

To learn more, contact a local home insurance broker today.