Halloween is all fun and games until a trick-or-treater trips, knocks over your jack-o-lantern, and sets your front porch on fire.
Fortunately, most homeowners insurance policies cover these common Halloween home mishaps.
Halloween Home Horrors
- Tricksters damage your home. Standard homeowners policies cover vandalism, such as eggs thrown at your home that cause dents in your siding, when repair costs exceed your deductible.
- Candles or decorations cause a fire. Your policy will cover a fire started by a Halloween candle or a string of holiday lights. If you can't live in your home because of fire damage, your homeowners policy policy will pay your living expenses while you wait for repairs.
- Something on your property injures a trick-or-treater. The homeowner liability portion of your policy covers injuries to trick-or-treaters or party guests. The injured person files a claim with your insurer.
- You crash your car into a telephone pole to avoid hitting a trick-or-treater in your driveway. The collision portion of your auto insurance would cover that accident. If you hurt anyone, the liability portion of your auto insurance would cover the cost of their treatment.
If everything on this list of Halloween home horrors occurred and you have umbrella insurance, that would cover the costs.
To make your property safe for Halloween, the Insurance Information Institute recommends:
- Pick up anything in your front yard, sidewalk, stoop, or porch that a person could trip over.
- Turn on your outdoor lighting so kids can see where they’re going.
- Use battery-powered lights in your jack-o-lanterns.
- Don’t put matches, lighters, or candles in places children can reach.
- Remember that pets, candles, and trick-or-treaters don’t mix. Keep pets away from the front door on Halloween.
- Look for safety certifications, such as UL (Underwriters Laboratories), on your decorative lights.
Related: Homeowners Insurance: Are You Over- or Underinsured?