School is winding down, the weather is heating up, and you’re dreaming of all the awesome stuff you’re going to do this summer. But before you assemble that trampoline to keep the kids busy or purchase those fancy, new jet skis, you might want to make a quick call to your insurance agent.
Here is a list of summertime activities that may require additional insurance:
- Pools or trampolines
- Boats or other watercrafts
- Summer camp (yes, there’s special insurance for this!)
- Your vacation property
- Rental cars
Whether you have an in-ground or above-ground pool, it may be worth checking to see if you need additional homeowners’ coverage. Some policies automatically cover bodily injury or death for any type of pool, but some consider them separate from the house, leaving you unprotected for certain types of liability. Although it may be your family’s happy haven in the summer, pools can be dangerous and you don’t want to find yourself in deep water when it comes to paying someone’s medical expenses following a pool-related accident. Even if you are covered, you may not have a lot of protection. Sometimes, a nominal price increase is enough to significantly bulk up the amount of coverage on a skimpy policy.
Similarly, trampolines are a popular way for parents to get children outside and keep them active but they can also cause some nasty accidents like broken bones or head injuries. Homeowners’ insurance is probably the last thing on your mind when you bring one home for your family, but you may want to see if trampolines are excluded from coverage by your policy before you agree to host all the neighborhood kids for the long summer months.
You want to make sure you aren’t leaving yourself exposed while you’re enjoying the sun and fun. A quick check to see how well you’re covered can make sure your summer adventures leave you with only great memories and not unpaid liability expenses.
