How a Trampoline May Affect Your Homeowners Insurance Policy

I recently had a client who for 15 years was insured with a company they “thought’ covered the liability exposures of their trampoline. Even after I mentioned to her that I was pretty sure that her contract did not provide coverage for trampolines, her broker continued to tell her that she was covered. I did my research for her and called several other brokers who write business through the same company. She did NOT have coverage. Make sure that when you are buying insurance you are purchasing coverage that WILL protect you. In this case it was in her best interest to get rid of the trampoline. California is known as a litigious state, which is another reason you don’t want to have a trampoline that is not insured.How can you find out if your policy covers the liability of having a trampoline? With most policies it is very easy to find out. If you look at your actual contract, at the front you will find the “contents”. Look for the exclusions section of your policy and turn to that page. Read down this list of exclusions and you will most likely see the trampoline listed there. It is a good idea to read this portion of your contract anyhow to see what other exclusions may apply to your policy. You may be surprised.The best way to make sure that you are covered properly is to search for an agent who knows what they are talking about and are doing more than just quoting and selling insurance. Have your agent go over the contract with you and review any possible exclusions. Many companies will exclude coverage that you not aware of just to make their rate look cheaper. Remember, with insurance, cheapest is usually not what you want. It is OK to search for a good value, but it’s best to have a professional do it for you. If you have assets to protect you should not be buying insurance online, or over the phone with an 800 company where you speak to someone different every time you call in, and you have no idea who you are really speaking with. Buy from someone that you can hold accountable, this is why insurance agents carry errors and omissions coverage.A trampoline is just one small example of why it is important to understand what your insurance actually covers. Why pay for insurance if you are not sure what you are getting?