You encourage your kids to think for themselves and use their imaginations in their games around the house. That’ll teach you . . . You were relieved when you narrowly averted disaster with that spectacular barehanded catch in the kitchen, but your jaw dropped when you saw the “great idea” your kids had—to play living-room shinny with their skates on.

You take a deep breath and explain to your little darlings as calmly as possible that that wasn’t quite what you had in mind. Gazing down on your formerly magnificent floor, you wonder, “Is this covered by my home insurance or not?” Let’s take a look, shall we?

DAMAGE DONE BY YOUR KIDS AND CIVIL LIABILITY

Let’s start with the case in our ad, damage caused by children. It’s tough not to laugh when you see it, but it doesn’t seem so funny when it happens in real life, whether at home or anywhere else.

What you need to know is that parents can be held legally liable for physical or material damages their children cause to other people. That’s because parents could be found to have failed in their duty to supervise their children and teach them how to act.

So you may have to pay for damage done to others through the fault of your children. Imagine for example they’re outside playing with matches and start a fire that ends up burning down a neighbour’s shed or garage. It would then be your civil liability coverage, part of your home insurance, that would cover you, up to the amount specified in your policy, because you would be responsible. The amount of liability coverage recommended for people with children or pets, or who travel out-of-province, is $2 million. When you consider the example here, you can see why!

The civil liability coverage included with your home insurance covers damage that other people might suffer through your fault or the fault of your family. But what happens when your kids damage your own house or belongings, as we saw in the video? As you probably guessed, civil liability coverage, however essential it may be in many situations, won’t help you here.

BASIC HOME INSURANCE VS. COMPREHENSIVE

What do we need to know about home insurance in this case? Well, besides civil liability, home insurance of course covers your belongings and property. But to what extent, and for what? That depends on the type of coverage you choose—the options being basic and comprehensive.

Basic (or specified perils) home insurance protects your home, accessory structures, and personal possessions against damage caused by the perils listed in your policy. That includes things like fire, theft, windstorms, lightning, and hail.

Comprehensive home insurance, also known as all-risk or all-perils insurance, covers, as the name suggests, all risks (and perils), unless your contract specifically excludes them. The coverage is much broader. Any damage that’s not specifically excluded is covered, almost the opposite of basic home insurance, in which anything that’s not specifically listed is not covered.

The import thing to remember is that there are always exclusions, limitations, and conditions, and that’s true of both comprehensive and basic insurance. Pools, leaky roofs, and sewer backup, for example, aren’t covered unless you take out special coverage for them. There are also things that might be covered only up to a specified amount.

That’s why you should always read your home insurance policy carefully and ask your insurance representative about what your insurance coverage includes and for how much. You get enough surprises from your kids—there’s no point getting them from your insurance too!

THE BOTTOM LINE: COVERED OR NOT?

Bearing all that in mind, how about that living-room-floor-turned-hockey-rink? Big surprise: child-inflicted rink conversions are only covered by comprehensive home insurance. Remember too that you need to notify your insurer immediately.

It turns out that your kids’ awe-inspiring indoor sports experiment isn’t designated as a risk under basic policies. If you have kids and pets, it could be smart to have the most comprehensive home insurance available. In any case, it’s worth taking the time to work out what you need, shop around, and compare quotes and prices for a wide variety of coverage options.

The moral of the story? Never underestimate your little angels’ powers of creative destruction, especially when the time comes to pick your home insurance. Then you can focus on what really matters—enjoying life with your children with the peace of mind to face the endless gifts and challenges that they, and the world, send your way. We at Promutuel Insurance are there for you, with advice and the best coverage for your specific needs.