Does having a pool affect your homeowners insurance?

You'll likely see higher home insurance rates if you have a pool due to your increased risk of filing a claim.

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Headshot of Kara McGinley

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Elissa SuhSenior Editor & Disability Insurance ExpertElissa Suh is a disability insurance expert and a former senior editor at Policygenius, where she also covered wills, trusts, and advance planning. Her work has appeared in MarketWatch, CNBC, PBS, Inverse, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and more.&Kara McGinleySenior Editor & Licensed Home Insurance ExpertKara McGinley is a former senior editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she specialized in homeowners and renters insurance. As a journalist and as an insurance expert, her work and insights have been featured in Forbes Advisor, Kiplinger, Lifehacker, MSN, WRAL.com, and elsewhere.

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Homeowners with a pool often see higher home insurance rates for two reasons:

  1. You have one more piece of property to cover for damages

  2. You're more likely to file a liability claim

By paying these higher rates, your homeowners insurance policy will cover damage to your pool as well as medical bills and legal expenses if someone is injured in a pool-related accident at your home and they sue you.

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Homeowners insurance with a pool — explained

Homeowners insurance typically covers damage to your pool and pool cages attached to your home against the same risks that your house is covered by, like fire or weather-related damage. It also protects your liability in the event that someone gets hurt while using your pool and decides to sue you for damages.

Having a pool increases your liability exposure since it opens up the possibility of someone getting injured or drowning while using it. This is especially true if you have a pool with a diving board or a pool with no safety fence, which could cause your rates to increase even more.

How much is homeowners insurance with a pool?

The average cost of homeowners insurance with a pool is around $1,823 per year, according to our analysis of 2022 home insurance rates from across the country.

However, how much you ultimately end up paying will depend on the type of pool you have, how much additional liability coverage you purchase, and how your insurer classifies your pool.

For example, if your pool is considered personal property or an other structure, you may consider increasing your personal property or other structures coverage limits.

Average cost of homeowners insurance with a pool

Here's a look at the average cost of homeowners insurance with a pool for some of the most popular insurance companies in the U.S.:

Company

Average annual rate with a pool

Allstate

$1,597

ASI Progressive

$2,630

Chubb

$1,922

Citizens

$6,019

Farmers

$1,902

Nationwide

$1,955

State Farm

$2,039

USAA

$1,432

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Methodology: Annual rates are based on our analysis of home insurance premiums provided by Quadrant Information Services in March 2022 for ZIP codes in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. for homeowners with a pool.

Does homeowners insurance cover damage to my pool?

Homeowners insurance may help cover pool repairs if it’s damaged by a covered peril. These are most of the same perils that are covered by dwelling coverage — the main component of your home insurance policy that covers the structure of your home.

Home

Pool damage that's covered

Damage to your pool that's caused by any of the following perils is typically covered:

  • Fire

  • Lightning strikes

  • Hail

  • Explosions

  • Vandalism

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Pool damage that's NOT covered

The following causes of damage to your pool typically aren't covered by a standard home insurance policy:

Homeowners insurance never covers flood or earthquake damage, and while you can purchase flood or earthquake insurance to protect your home from such natural disasters, both of those policy types typically exclude coverage for swimming pools.

How does having a pool impact your liability coverage?

Since pools are considered an attractive nuisance and a liability hazard, it may necessitate more than the standard amount of liability coverage.

Standard home insurance policies are typically equipped with anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000 in personal liability coverage, which will cover you for costs like medical bills and legal fees if a guest is injured in your home.

The Insurance Information Institute recommends that pool owners set their liability insurance around $300,000 to $500,000 — or more if your assets warrant it. [1] If you think you need additional coverage, you may want to consider an umbrella insurance policy, an additional liability policy you can tack on to your homeowners policy.

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Home insurance for above-ground pools vs. in-ground pools

The section of your policy that your pool is covered under can vary depending on the insurer you have andDepending on whether your pool is in- or above-ground, it will be covered by one of three parts of your policy:

Section of policy its covered under

Type of pool

Coverage limits

Dwelling coverage

In-ground pool

Up to $1 million

Other structures coverage

In-ground pool

10% of your dwelling coverage limit

Personal property coverage

Above-ground pool

50% to 75% of your dwelling coverage limit

Let's take a look at an example.

Allstate classifies above-ground pools as personal property because they're an impermanent structure that's assembled and ultimately portable, like bikes or computers.

But other insurance companies consider in-ground or permanent above-ground pools as their own separate structure, which means it's covered under the other structures coverage of your policy.

And still other insurers consider in-ground pools to be a part of your home's structure — making it covered by your policy's dwelling coverage.

7 pool safety tips to reduce your risk of filing a liability claim

Here are a few pool safety measures to help reduce your personal liability and keep you, your family, and your guests safe:

  • Build a child-safe fence around the pool

  • Install lights around the pool area

  • Use a solid, mesh, or automatic safety cover when you’re not swimming

  • Post a list of pool rules and emergency contact numbers

  • Keep a first aid kid nearby

  • Create a non-slip surface around the pool area

  • Supervise young children around the pool

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References

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Policygenius uses external sources, including government data, industry studies, and reputable news organizations to supplement proprietary marketplace data and internal expertise. Learn more about how we use and vet external sources as part of oureditorial standards.

  1. Insurance Information Instittue

    . "

    Pool safety and insurance

    ." Accessed July 14, 2022.

Authors

Elissa Suh is a disability insurance expert and a former senior editor at Policygenius, where she also covered wills, trusts, and advance planning. Her work has appeared in MarketWatch, CNBC, PBS, Inverse, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and more.

Kara McGinley is a former senior editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she specialized in homeowners and renters insurance. As a journalist and as an insurance expert, her work and insights have been featured in Forbes Advisor, Kiplinger, Lifehacker, MSN, WRAL.com, and elsewhere.

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