Few connections are as vulnerable to conflicts as the ones between neighbors. Fence lines, Fido's bathroom habits, and Friday night parties hosted by unsupervised teens are just a few common examples of matters that inspire some not-so-neighborly arguments. Most Illinois residents can readily point a finger at a neighbor who has proven to be less than considerate. But there is at least one thing every single one of us can do to be a better neighbor: have home insurance liability coverage.
What does insurance have to do with being a better neighbor? Plenty! Being a good neighbor means much more than keeping your property in tip-top shape, bringing a batch of cookies over to the neighborhood newbies, or refraining from mowing your lawn at 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings. In fact, having liability coverage on your home insurance plan can go a long way in helping you to maintain positive relationships with those who live nearby.
Here are five examples of how home insurance with liability coverage can save the day, and your relationship with the folks next door:
- Your children are enjoying an impromptu game of baseball in the backyard. The littlest one, a rookie with great potential, knocks the ball clear into the neighbors' yard...and right through their kitchen window. Your neighbor demands compensation for the cost of a new window, as well as the damage done to the kitchen's brand-new interior paint as a result of the flying glass shards. Your homeowner's liability insurance will likely cover the costs.
- It's Halloween, and the candle burning inside of your front porch jack-o-lantern sets fire to some windblown faux spider webs, which then blow over to the neighbor's porch, setting fire to the Adirondack chairs on which he and his girlfriend had been lounging just minutes before. Furious, your neighbor contacts his lawyer, who would like to sue you for destroying his client's property and endangering his life. Your insurance company can intervene and negotiate a settlement, which your home insurance liability coverage will likely pay for.
- Old Mrs. Barnaby, irredeemably fond of cats, stops to pet yours during one of her rare jaunts outside of her house. Your unfriendly feline bites and scratches the senior's wizened arm. Mrs. Barnaby calls an ambulance to take her to the hospital. She then files a lawsuit in which she demands compensation her for her medical bills, her pain and suffering, and her many scars. With liability coverage on your home insurance plan, you are likely able to afford a lawyer who can deal with the lawsuit.
- A giant branch from the big, old oak tree that stands in your front yard breaks off during a storm, and lands on top of your neighbor's fancy new bicycle, flattening it. Your neighbor would like her bicycle to be replaced. Your home insurance liability coverage will most likely make the replacement possible without putting a dent in your bank account.
The right kind of homeowner's insurance makes it possible to meet a neighbor's justifiable demands-or contest the less rational ones with the help of a lawyer-without having to pay out of pocket. For more information, contact Scott Broderick Insurance Services today.
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