Can You Just Get Fire Insurance on Your Home?

Property insurance safeguards homeowners from financial losses to their dwellings. Fire is a significant concern, leading to questions about specific coverage types, particularly whether it’s possible to secure insurance solely for fire damage. Understanding the nuances of fire coverage, both as a standalone option and as part of broader policies, is important for protecting one’s most valuable asset.

What Fire Insurance Typically Covers

Fire insurance specifically addresses the peril of fire, encompassing direct damage to a home’s structure and contents. This coverage extends to physical destruction caused by flames, which can char walls, collapse roofs, and weaken foundations. Fires often lead to extensive smoke and soot damage, and most policies include provisions for cleaning and restoring affected items. The intense heat from a fire can also cause significant damage to a home’s structural integrity and systems.

Additionally, fire insurance covers damage from efforts to extinguish a fire, including water damage from suppression systems or hoses. Explosions, often associated with fire incidents, are also commonly covered under basic fire insurance provisions. Lightning strikes are another peril generally included in fire insurance coverage. These protections form the core of fire insurance.

Standalone Fire Insurance Policies

It is possible to acquire insurance that primarily covers fire, often known as Dwelling Fire (DP) policies, such as a DP-1 form. These policies cover a property’s structure against a limited set of “named perils,” primarily fire and lightning. A DP-1 policy provides the most basic coverage, including fire, lightning, and internal explosions. Settlements for claims under a DP-1 policy are usually based on the actual cash value of the damaged property, which accounts for depreciation.

These standalone policies are not intended for owner-occupied primary residences but serve specific needs. Owners of rental properties, vacant homes, or properties undergoing significant repairs often utilize DP policies. For instance, a DP-1 policy can provide essential structural coverage for unoccupied homes. While some DP policies may offer add-ons for personal property or liability, their core function remains focused on protecting the dwelling from a narrow range of specified events.

Fire Coverage Within Standard Homeowner’s Insurance

For most owner-occupied homes, fire coverage is a fundamental component of a standard homeowner’s insurance policy, such as an HO-3 or HO-5 form. These comprehensive policies offer broader protection than a standalone dwelling fire policy. An HO-3 policy, the most common type, provides “open perils” coverage for the dwelling and other structures, meaning it covers all causes of loss unless specifically excluded. Fire is always included among the covered perils in these policies.

Beyond fire, standard homeowner’s policies protect against a wide array of additional perils. These commonly include damage from windstorms, hail, theft, and vandalism. Other covered events encompass falling objects, the weight of ice and snow, and accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam from plumbing systems. Homeowner’s insurance also includes personal liability coverage, protecting the policyholder if someone is injured on their property, and often covers additional living expenses if the home becomes uninhabitable due to a covered loss.

The Scope of Protection with Limited Coverage

Choosing a standalone fire insurance policy instead of a comprehensive homeowner’s policy leaves a property owner exposed to significant financial risks. Many common perils that can severely damage a home are not covered by basic dwelling fire policies. For example, water damage from burst pipes or frozen plumbing is typically excluded unless directly related to a fire event. This means a major plumbing leak or a pipe freezing could result in substantial out-of-pocket repair costs.

A standalone fire policy generally does not include personal liability coverage, which protects against lawsuits if someone is injured on the property. It also typically excludes coverage for personal belongings, leaving possessions unprotected unless explicitly added via an endorsement. Losses from theft and vandalism, unless directly linked to a fire, are also usually not covered, which can be a particular risk for vacant properties. Without broader coverage, homeowners face considerable financial exposure for non-fire related damages and associated costs, such as additional living expenses if their home becomes uninhabitable due to an uncovered event.