Does my homeowners insurance cover my detached garage?

Home insurance provides coverage for the home and other structures on the property, including a detached garage. All buildings located on the property are considered part of the home for insurance purposes, including such things as a workshop, guest bungalow, or even a wooden pump house. Homeowners insurance will also cover the personal property contained in those buildings, such as furniture and decorations, appliances, tools, or stored sports equipment.

If your insurance coverage is not sufficient to handle all of the personal property you need to have installed, you can increase the personal property limits on your homeowners policy or choose to purchase a separate property insurance policy that covers your property but does not include the structures covered under home insurance. By insuring the property independently of the home, the coverage will extend to the insured items when they are being used or transported to another location.

Finally, Property damage and personal injury liability are included in your home insurance but may not be sufficient if a large amount of damage is caused. In this case you could purchase additional, or supplemental coverage on your home insurance policy or look into purchasing a separate policy called an umbrella policy to extend you liability insurance across the board for your home and auto. Umbrella insurance will cover liability costs up to a specific dollar amount, beginning after your basic policy limits have been reached. For instance, if you had $100,000 personal injury protection on your car and the extend of injuries was $200,000, a $500,000 umbrella policy would pay the remainder of your auto claim and still have up to $400,000 of additional liability coverage for your home or car, as needed.