Kansas Homeowners Insurance Guide

The Insurance Department in Kansas recommends a homeowners insurance policy for any homeowner in order to provide protection from loss due to damage theft, vandalism or accidents. So intent is the state on making sure that homeowners are protected, they have instituted the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) program that may provide homeowners with access to a state-provided insurance plan if they find themselves uninsurable through private means.

Kansas Homeowner’s Insurance

Buying a qualified homeowners insurance policy in Kansas may be required by your mortgage lender in order to protect their investment. If you own your home outright, the choice is up to you as to whether you will carry coverage, but not having insurance puts you at severe financial risk from a number of factors normally covered by insurance including:

• Your Physical Structures: Your house and any attached or detached garage as well as storage sheds on your property will be protected from fire, hail, windstorm and vandalism.
• Contents: Including your furniture, personal belongings and clothing inside any of your structures will be protected from damage or loss due to any of the conditions mentioned above.
• Additional Living Expenses: If you suffer some sort of disaster like a fire or storm damage that forces you from your home, your insurance can provide you with money for expenses such as lodging, food and spare clothing/toiletries, etc. while you are away from your home.
• Liability: This coverage will protect you or your family members if you unintentionally injure someone else or causes damage to your property. This will also protect you if your property damages someone else or their property, for example, if a tree on your property falls across a fence and lands on your neighbor’s car.
• Medical Payments: This will pay for the medical bills of any non-family member who is damaged while on your property, such as a contractor. Please note an exception to this and the other coverage types is for any employees that you may have working for you out of a home business. They will not be covered by your homeowners policy.

The Fair Access to Insurance Requirements

For those rare situations when a homeowner is unable to find a company that will provide them with insurance coverage at any cost, the Kansas Insurance Department has instituted the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) to provide coverage. Not everyone qualifies to be on this plan, there are some basic requirements that must be fulfilled by a homeowner:

• You must apply for and be declined coverage by a minimum of three insurance companies before you can even apply to the FAIR Plan. When applying for your insurance policies, be sure to keep name, dates and information about your application and the response.
• Application to the FAIR Plan can be made through any insurance agent that normally sells homeowners insurance policies.
• Your application and the property will be inspected by the FAIR Plan to determine if you are eligible for coverage.

You should receive quotes for insurance coverage from several agencies when you are shopping for homeowners insurance in order to make sure that you get not only the best rates, but the plan that provides the best coverage for your home and your individual situation.