Every home is different. Consider home insurance that’s unique to you.
Get the insurance your home needs.
Your home is the center of your life. It’s also your biggest investment. That’s where home insurance comes in, covering the unique risks you face. We’ll help you find a policy that protects you from the small and large risks related to owning a home. Because it’s more than just a house, it’s your home.
What are the risks your home faces?
Imagine if your house caught on fire. Not only would you lose your home, but you’d also be burdened financially and emotionally. Without adequate home insurance, you would be left with no way of raising the funds to pay off the balance of the mortgage. That’s why it’s important to have a homeowners insurance policy that covers your risks and fits your needs. It may also protect you from more common things like pipe leaks and property damage. Even small issues can add up, and having coverage helps you protect your biggest investment.
Interactive Graphic
Fire
Risk Factor
Most fires are devastating. Besides the emotional impact, the physical damage to your home can be significant. If you lost your home to fire, do you have adequate insurance to replace your home and its contents? Remember, inflation rates on building materials and construction costs rarely track with real estate values. As a result, rebuilding a home can often cost significantly more than expected.
Solution
Make sure your homeowners policy contains replacement cost coverage with no cap. This protects you if the cost to reconstruct your home is higher than your current limit of coverage. And, be sure that your insurance includes rebuilding your home to code. Very often, local ordinances and building codes change over time, which may require additional costs.
Personal Property / Contents - Property Damage
Risk Factor
When your home suffers damage due to an unexpected event, your personal property is also at risk. Furniture, appliances, clothing, electronics, and other personal items can also be damaged or destroyed.
Solution
Your homeowners insurance policy typically covers personal property, including the contents of your home and other personal items owned by you or family members who live with you. Make sure your homeowners policy includes replacement cost coverage for personal property so that you always receive the full cost to replace whatever item is damaged.
Additional Living Expense / Loss of Use
Risk Factor
When there is substantial damage to your home due to unexpected events such as lightning, fire, or a storm, you may not be able to live in your home until it can be repaired or rebuilt–potentially incurring additional living expenses for lodging, food, and other daily needs.
Solution
Ensure that your homeowners insurance policy provides additional living expense or loss of use coverage to compensate you for the additional costs you incur for reasonable housing and living expenses if a covered event makes your house temporarily uninhabitable while it's being repaired or rebuilt.
Valuable Possessions
Risk Factor
Typically, there is a sublimit on homeowner insurance policies for valuable possessions, such as jewelry, furs, fine arts, and other collectibles.
Solution
Obtain a personal floater or schedule your valuable possessions to ensure you’ll have the money to replace them.
Medical Expenses
Risk Factor
If a guest is injured while on your property, even when it’s due to a friendly game of baseball, you may be required to pay any medical expenses associated with their injury.
Solution
Your homeowners policy should include medical expenses coverage to take care of injuries and treatment - generally not of a serious nature. In the event a person is injured on your property and requires medical attention, you would be able to submit the injury-related medical expenses to your insurance carrier. Medical expenses are usually paid without a liability claim being filed against you.
Personal Liability
Risk Factor
In the unfortunate event that someone slips and falls while on your property, you and your family may be held liable for any injuries that result.
Solution
Your homeowners policy includes personal liability coverage to respond to incidents where injuries or damages occur to a third party where you may be deemed negligent. However, you should consider purchasing a personal umbrella or excess liability policy to provide additional coverage limits to protect your assets in case a lawsuit is brought against you.
Miscellaneous Coverage
Risk Factor
The fun that comes with having a trampoline in your backyard can also be accompanied by serious risks, which may not be covered under your standard homeowners insurance policy since coverage varies from state to state and between insurance companies.
Solution
You should make sure your homeowners insurance policy covers your trampoline, as many insurance providers refuse to take on trampoline liability and exclude the item from coverage.
Personal Injury / Defamation
Risk Factor
Young people are usually very active online. However, using social media and other sites can increase the possibility of them directly or indirectly damaging someone's reputation and exposing you, the parent, to a lawsuit.
Solution
Your homeowners insurance policy includes liability coverage for property damage caused by any member in the family, but likely does not cover rumors or statements that damage a reputation. You may need to seek additional coverage to include liability protection that covers personal injury or defamation.
Umbrella / Excess Liability Coverage
Risk Factor
You invite guests over for a pool party and one of your guests dives into the shallow end of the pool and is permanently injured. They hire a lawyer to represent them and after a long legal battle, you and your family are left financially responsible for their injuries. Do you have enough money in savings to cover your legal responsibilities as well as the legal defense costs?
Solution
An umbrella or excess liability policy increases your personal liability limits by adding protection over and above your current auto, boat, or homeowners policies-providing financial value and security. Excess liability insurance is available either by an endorsement to your homeowners policy or available as separate coverage.
Flood Coverage
Risk Factor
You do not have to live near a body of water to suffer loss due to flooding. With the changing weather patterns and more damaging storms occurring around the globe, flood losses are becoming more common in places that are not normally prone to flood damage. Your homeowners policy does not cover damage from flood. Could your home be at risk?
Solution
Purchase a flood insurance policy to protect your home and covered contents from certain types of flood losses as designated by the National Flood Insurance Program. A flood policy is purchased as a separate policy through the federal program (NFIP) or through a servicing carrier known as a write your own carrier.
Secondary Home
Risk Factor
Owning a secondary home has the potential of increasing your liability exposures.
Solution
Be certain that you extend the liability coverage under your homeowners policy to include your secondary home. You should also consider including the secondary home under an excess liability or umbrella policy to provide for additional liability limits.
Collector Cars
Risk Factor
Collector or classic vehicles often have significant value and require special documentation and unique insurance coverage to ensure they are adequately protected. Even if stored on your property, they are typically not covered under your homeowners insurance.
Solution
Insure your collector cars with a specialized insurance company that focuses on and understands the unique nature of collector or classic cars and other vehicles.
Wine Collection
Risk Factor
If you are a connoisseur of wine, you know that it is susceptible to outside environmental exposures that can ruin it. If the collection is damaged, coverage from your homeowners policy is a possible recourse. However, the damage is only insurable if it is a covered cause of loss as outlined in your homeowners policy. A deductible would also apply.
Solution
If you have a sizable wine collection, you may want to consider scheduling the collection on your homeowners policy. Doing so expands your coverage and eliminates the deductible in case of a loss. You can also consider unique coverages for wine, such as for spoilage.
Water Damage
Risk Factor
Whether entering from outside your home from a flood or from within your home’s plumbing system, water damage is the most common cause of loss to a home. Many policies exclude losses caused by backup of sewers and drains, and all unendorsed homeowner policies exclude damage caused by a flood.
Solution
Careful review is essential to protect your home and belongings from all sources of water damage. We recommend coverage solutions from insurance companies that include backup of sewers and drains. Also, identify cost efficient solutions to address the risk of flood damage in the first place.
Off-Premises Theft
Risk Factor
Surprisingly, standard auto insurance does not cover personal property or contents stolen from your car.
Solution
Most homeowners policies offer an option to include off-premises theft coverage as an endorsement, which covers you for theft of your personal property away from your residence.
Every home is different, your coverage should be too.
Finding coverage for your unique needs may seem overwhelming. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are many coverage options that may work for you. Home insurance policies cover a range of options tailored to fit the needs of your home and lifestyle. When reviewing your options, consider the following coverages:
- Additional Living Expense/Loss of Use
- Collectible Cars
- Excess Liability Coverage
- Fire
- Flood Coverage
- Jewelry, Fine Arts and Collectibles
- Medical Expenses
- Miscellaneous Coverage
- Off-Premises Theft
- Personal Injury
- Personal Liability
- Personal Property/Contents
- Property Damage
- Secondary Home
- Umbrella
- Water Back-Up
- Wine Collection
Is your home protected?
Does your current home insurance cover your needs? Chances are, it doesn’t. We’ll work with you to determine the risks your home faces and help you find customized coverage to fit your specific needs. Because whether you live in a one-story house or a mansion, it’s the place you call home. And your home deserves to be covered with insurance that’s more than the bare minimum.
Are you looking for home insurance to protect your biggest asset? Contact us to discuss homeowners coverage options for your needs.
What makes an independent insurance agency different?
What makes an independent insurance agency different?
Unlike agencies that represent only one insurance company, Heinz Insurance Group is an independent insurance agency. That means we represent multiple insurance carriers and work for you—not just one insurance company.
Instead of trying to fit your needs into a single company’s products, we can compare coverage, pricing, and underwriting guidelines across a variety of insurers to help find the best fit for your situation. If one company isn’t competitive or can’t insure your property or vehicle, we can often look to another carrier without you having to start over somewhere else.
Being independent also means we’re here for the long term. As your needs change or insurance rates increase, we can review your coverage and shop your policies with our carrier partners to make sure you’re still getting the right protection at a competitive price.
Our goal is simple: to provide expert advice, personalized service, and insurance solutions that fit your needs—not just one company’s products.
Do you only insure customers in Virginia?
No. While Heinz Insurance Group is headquartered in Virginia, we also write insurance in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Maryland. Our licensed agents can help you compare coverage options for your home, auto, business, life, and other insurance needs in any of the states where we’re licensed. If you’re moving or own property in one of these states, we’d be happy to review your options and help you find the right coverage.
How often should I shop or review my personal insurance policies?
How often should I review my personal insurance policies?
It’s a good idea to review your insurance anytime you experience a major life change, such as buying or selling a home, moving, purchasing a new vehicle, adding or removing a driver, getting married, welcoming a new family member, or making significant renovations to your home.
How often should I shop my personal insurance policies?
As an independent insurance agency, we can shop your insurance with multiple carriers whenever you feel your rates have become too high or your coverage needs have changed. You don’t have to do the shopping yourself—we’ll compare your options and help you determine whether switching makes sense.
That said, we generally recommend shopping your insurance every three to five years if your situation hasn’t changed. Insurance companies tend to favor customers who maintain continuous coverage and don’t switch carriers too frequently, so moving your policies every year isn’t always the best long-term strategy.
Do you insure homes that don't fit the standard guidelines?
My home needs repairs. Can I still get homeowners insurance?
Yes, in many cases. While some insurance companies have strict underwriting guidelines regarding the condition of a home, Heinz Insurance Group represents a wide variety of insurance carriers, including specialty companies that can often insure homes needing repairs or renovations.
Whether your home has an older roof, deferred maintenance, cosmetic issues, or other conditions that make it difficult to qualify with a standard carrier, we may have options available right away. In some situations, a specialty carrier can provide coverage now while you complete repairs, and we can help you transition to a standard carrier later if it makes sense.
Every situation is unique, so the best first step is to contact us. We’ll review your property’s condition, explain your options, and work to find the best coverage available for your home.
I've inherited a vacant home. Can you insure it?
Yes. Standard homeowners insurance is generally not designed for vacant homes, but we work with companies that specialize in vacant home insurance. Whether the home is being sold, renovated, or held by an estate, we can help you find appropriate coverage until it’s occupied or sold.
I have a swimming pool and trampoline. Can I still get homeowners insurance?
Yes. Many of our carriers will insure homes with pools and trampolines, although safety requirements such as fencing, self-latching gates, safety covers, or trampoline enclosures may apply. We’ll help you find a carrier whose guidelines fit your property.
My home is more than five miles from a fire station. Do you have insurance options?
Yes. Distance from a fire station is an underwriting factor, but it doesn’t automatically prevent you from obtaining homeowners insurance. We represent carriers with different guidelines and can often find options for homes in rural areas.
My roof is over 20 years old. Can I still get homeowners insurance?
Often, yes. While some carriers have strict roof age requirements, others are more flexible depending on the roof’s condition, material, and remaining useful life. We have several companies that may still be able to offer coverage.
I own a pit bull or another restricted dog breed. Can you still help me?
Yes. While some insurance companies have breed restrictions, others evaluate each situation individually or have no breed restrictions at all. We work with multiple carriers and will help you find the best available option.
Home Insurance FAQ
What does home insurance actually cover?
A standard home insurance policy covers your home’s structure, personal belongings, personal liability, and additional living expenses if a covered loss displaces you. The specific risks covered depend on your policy type and the coverages you select.
Is home insurance required by law?
Home insurance is not required by law, but most mortgage lenders require you to carry a policy as a condition of your loan to protect their financial interest in the property. Homeowners who own their property outright are not legally obligated to carry coverage, though it is strongly recommended.
How is my home insurance coverage amount determined?
Your coverage amount is based on the estimated replacement cost of your home, what it would cost to rebuild it from the ground up at current labor and material prices, not its market value or purchase price. An insurance agent can help you calculate the right coverage amount based on your home’s size, construction type, and features.
Does standard home insurance cover floods?
A standard home insurance policy does not cover flood damage and must be purchased as a separate policy through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private insurer. If your home is in a designated flood zone, your mortgage lender may require you to carry flood insurance.
How can I save money on my homeowners insurance?
Am I paying for coverage I don't need?
Possibly. Over time, your insurance needs can change, and your policy should change with them. It’s important to make sure you’re not paying for optional coverages or endorsements that no longer fit your situation, while also making sure you have the protection you do need.
At Heinz Insurance Group, we’ll review your policy with you and explain what each coverage does so you can make informed decisions. Our goal is to help you avoid paying for duplicate or unnecessary coverage while maintaining the protection that’s important to you.
Can a higher deductible lower my homeowners insurance premium?
Yes. Choosing a higher deductible is one of the easiest ways to reduce your homeowners insurance premium.
Your deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket before your insurance company pays a covered claim. Generally, the higher your deductible, the lower your premium will be.
Is my home insured for the right amount?
Your homeowners insurance should be based on the cost to rebuild your home—not its market value or purchase price.
If your dwelling coverage is set too high, you could be paying more premium than necessary. If it’s too low, you may not have enough coverage to rebuild after a total loss.
Let’s Get Started
Home Insurance Quote Request
"*" indicates required fields
Don’t like forms? Contact us at or email us.
