Do you insure your AG Pool?

[NWMNMom]

Wondering if anyone insures their pool for damages (tree falling on it or hail or ???) I would assume any company would exclude damage to the liner as that is an assumed risk, but I worry about a tornado or tree falling or something like that causing structural damage. I think if it is not specifically listed in the homeowner policy, it is not covered. Does anyone know anything about this topic?

[matt4x4]

Mine's covered automatically, not sure if that's through contents coverage or my outbuilding coverage, but it's covered.

[CarlD]

If you have homeowner's insurance and you followed the building rules of your town, you should be insured. If you skipped getting a building and electrical permit, and you were required to, your insurance company is probably not obligated to pay you for the damages.

That's why when putting up ANY pool, you should be sure to following the building regs for your town.

[sevver]

Not only did I put it up without a permit, but I ran electric and gas without one. And put in a brick sidewalk too.

[CarlD]

Yup. And if ANYTHING happens, your H/O insurance may well deny your claim, especially damage--they can do that if it's not a compliant structure. I don't know if that includes personal injury insurance.

[CoffeeBean]

This gives me something new to think about since our pool and decking is surrounded by trees.

Maybe this is a dumb question but...We did have a permit to build but that was 3 years ago and I've tossed the thing since it was completed. How would anyone know if you had one or not?

Our town doesn't have any regs for building an AG pool other than to have a fencing system which we have.

CoffeeBean

[AnnaK]

I think if it is not specifically listed in the homeowner policy, it is not covered. Does anyone know anything about this topic?

I know a little. I was an insurance company exec in a former life. Your HO policy has an automatic coverage extension for detached structures; the amount is a percentage of the main dwelling coverage and varies by company and type of policy, i.e., a standard fire policy will have a lower coverage extension than a package policy. Most HO policies are package policies.

The presence or absence of a building permit does not negate coverage but it will impact the amount you can recover in case of loss. If, for instance, you have replacement cost coverage and want to invoke that, you will have to replace or repair the damages under current building codes. If you don't invoke replacement cost, the insurance company will depreciate the structure based on its age, materials used, and workmanship, and you may come in at under your deductible.

Look at the declarations page on your last renewal notice. It will show the amount of coverage for 'outbuildings' or 'detached structures'. That's the amount available, in theory, to replace or repair anything that's not physically attached to the main dwelling. If you have a deck attached to the house and the pool is connected to the deck, then all of this is considered the main dwelling. Make sure the amount of coverage is appropriate for what you have.

Most insurance companies require that a pool is fenced or that the property containing the pool is fenced, and that the gate has a locking mechanism. While this may not be spelled out in the contract per se you will have received an endorsement with one of your renewal notices which amends the contract. Insurance companies tend to slip these things in and they always limit your coverage.

However, swimming pools are an 'attractive nuisance' which present an absolute liability. Fenced or not, if you have a serious bodily injury to a third party (not a resident of the premises) your liability coverage will pay. They'll try to deny and they'll give you grief but they will have to pay.

Hope this helps.

[matt4x4]

Yes, Anna is correct, and there's a BIG difference between liability and replacement coverage, one can have one, but not the other, a tree falling on the pool had NOTHING to do with Liability, and everything to do with replacement coverage.
Not having a fence around the pool will have nothing to do with replacement coverage, however it can affect liability insurance coverage.

[AnnaK]

[snip] . . . a tree falling on the pool had NOTHING to do with Liability, and everything to do with replacement coverage.

That depends on whose tree and whose pool it is.

If your tree falls on the neighbor's pool, it's property damage under the liability portion of the HO and is covered for full replacement cost under the tree owner's policy. Ditto if the neighbor's tree falls on your pool.

If your tree falls on your pool, coverage MAY exist under the dwelling portion of your own policy, depending on what caused the tree to fall. Damage subsequent to wind and hail is covered because wind and hail are covered perils. If the soil softened from excessive rain and the tree uproots as a result, it's not covered. Any loss resulting from poor maintenance of the trees (inadequate pruning, for instance) is not covered.

Sigh . . . someone stop me

[ivyleager]

That depends on whose tree and whose pool it is.

Sigh . . . someone stop me

If it falls and no one hears??????????????