Super Bowl party penalties: Is your insurance ready to defend your turf?
Hosting a Super Bowl bash can feel like trying to dodge a blitz. With lots of guests, alcohol and charged emotions, disaster can strike from any direction. Here’s how homeowners insurance can keep your wallet from taking a hit.
Intercepted belongings
Even small parties could include a few friends of a friend whom you don’t know. If you discover come Monday that your prized autographed football is gone, home insurance can help. Personal property coverage pays to replace stolen items, up to your policy’s limit.
Extra point: “Take a personal contents inventory,” State Farm agent Greg Sherlock said. Even going room to room and photographing belongings with your phone will help you provide claim details if something’s stolen, he said.
The action heats up … at the same time as the grill
More than 1 in 4 grill owners fire up grub for the game, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Assn. Unfortunately, Sherlock said, the festive atmosphere makes cooking fires one of the more common sources of party accidents.
If your house is damaged or destroyed by fire, you can file a claim through your home insurance’s dwelling coverage.
Extra point: Ask your insurer to help determine your home’s current rebuilding cost, Sherlock said. If it exceeds the dwelling insurance, increase limits on that coverage.
Guests on the injured list
You could be financially responsible if that big-screen TV topples onto someone’s foot or your appetizers trigger food poisoning.
A standard home insurance policy includes medical payments coverage for injuries to visitors. It also includes liability coverage, which kicks in if you’re sued for injuries, Sherlock said.
Extra point: It’s wise to check your medical payments insurance limit. A standard home policy provides about $1,000 in medical coverage per person, which might not be enough.
Ineligible partygoer behind the wheel
California law generally absolves a social host from civil liability if a guest leaves sloshed and then has an accident. But there are some circumstances that could change the equation, such as charging a cover fee to attend the party, plus serving alcohol to someone under 21 is a misdemeanor.
If your home insurance policy includes liquor liability coverage, limits are often capped at $100,000 to $300,000, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Extra point: Taking steps to prevent drunk driving is best, so invite designated drivers.
Alex Glenn is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website.
