How to Find the Best Home Insurance in Illinois

Before you start shopping for home insurance in Illinois, it’s helpful to understand what’s included in the policy. Most standard home insurance policies will include these types of coverage:

• Dwelling coverage helps to pay for expenses related to damage to your home’s structure, which could include your roof, walls, and porch.
• Other structures coverage pays for damage that detached structures, like a shed or detached garage, might sustain.
• Personal property coverage helps to cover the costs of the personal belongings that are inside your home, often including furniture and electronics.
• Personal liability coverage helps to cover expenses that might occur if a person is injured, or if their property is damaged, while that person is on your property.
• Medical payments coverage helps to cover medical bills that others accrue because of an accident that occurs on your property.
• Loss of use coverage helps to pay for expenses, like a hotel room or rental property, that you might have if your house is damaged and left uninhabitable.

In addition to these standard coverages, you might want to add on optional coverages for more comprehensive protection:

• Flood insurance: Most standard home insurance policies don’t cover damage caused by floods. Since Illinois has so many lakes and rivers, floods can and do occur. It may be a good idea to buy extra flood insurance coverage, especially if you live in a high-risk flood area.
• Valuable items coverage: While personal property coverage can help to replace stolen or damaged items like furniture, the limits may not cover more expensive items, like jewelry. A valuable items policy increases your coverage limits to replace the higher value of your more expensive items.