Image Alt: carports and home insurance
Around the country there are many locations where you’ll find carports on just about every home that you see. In fact regarding carports Melbourne is awash with them, as more and more people look to add the low cost and a more convenient garage alternative to their property. Carports can essentially do the same job as a garage, albeit in a less secure way. With this being said, people enjoy using a carport as they are much more accessible, easy to use and they can in fact look great when they are designed in a way which fits in with the rest of the property.
Something which many of you have been asking regarding the carport, is whether or not this is something that is going to be covered on your home insurance. There is no direct answer to this mainly because of the fact that each home insurer can differ. With this being said, we can give a broad answer based on what the majority of home insurers say.
Attached or Detached
One of the most important considerations to make here is whether the carport is attached to the rest of the property or not. If it is attached then this can be considered as a dwelling which means that it will get covered. If you take a look at your home insurance policy you will see the amount for the main dwelling — your property — and then a section below for ‘other structures’. Other structures usually have around 10% of the coverage which your main dwelling does. If the carport is attached it is classed as the main dwelling, if it is not then it will classed as ‘other structure’.
Insuring Your Carport
You should look to get additional coverage for your carport if it is not attached to the main dwelling, if the cost of replacement or repair is more than the cost which you are offered on your policy. For example if you have paid $30,000 for your carport and your home is valued at $250,000, you may wish to take out extra cover. This is because of the fact that in most cases you will only be offered 10% coverage for the second structure, which in this case will give you $25,000. This will be no good if something happens that sees you needing to completely replace your carport after an accident.
The short answer here is that your carport is most certainly covered by your home insurance. This however is not to say that you do not need to take out additional cover. This is the same situation for those who have custom sheds, especially if they are filled with valuable items. The key will come down to how much you spend on the construction of your carport and whether or not you have sufficient cover with your insurance policy that will help you in the event of major damage or replacement. Always check the fine print and if you are in any doubt, speak directly with your insurers.
