Common NJ Homeowners Insurance Claims at Halloween

Enjoy Your Treats and Avoid the Tricks and Other Halloween Horrors!

Halloween is all candy, fun, and games until a trick-or-treater trips and breaks a leg or even knocks over your jack-o-lantern and sets your porch on fire!

Fortunately, most NJ homeowners’ insurance policies cover these common Halloween home mishaps:
1. Candles or decorations cause a fire. A house fire starts due to faulty decorations or a Halloween string of lights is covered by most standard NJ homeowners policies. If your home is unlivable due to the fire, your policy should include Additional Living Expense Insurance to pay for hotel expenses and other additional living costs while you’re unable to occupy your home.
2. Mischief Night tricksters damage your home. Whether you have a low cost basic NJ homeowners’ policy or an Elite NJ Homeowner policy, damages to your home caused by vandalism will be covered when cost of repairs exceeds your deductible.
3. A trick-or-treater or parent trips and falls on your property. If injured, turn to your bodily injury liability coverage for protection. To make sure you have adequate limits for severe or catastrophic accidents, be sure to have an Umbrella policy which provides liability limits that exceed your homeowners’ policy coverages.
4. You crash your car into a telephone pole to avoid hitting children in the street. Damage to the pole is covered by your NJ auto insurance liability. Collision coverage applies in excess of a deductible to pay for damages to your car. If injuries are sustained, coverage provided by the Bodily Injury Liability Limit and/or NJ Personal Injury Protection of your auto policy will apply.

To make your property safe for Halloween, here are some tips:
1. Avoid using any kind of open flame. Use battery powered candles, jack-o-lanterns, and lights that have been tested for safety – look for a certification mark from UL, CSA, ETL or another nationally-recognized laboratory. Avoid cornstalks, dried flowers, and crepe paper as they are highly combustible.
2. Choose your decorations carefully and be mindful about where you put them.
3. Turn on your outdoor lighting to make sure your property is visible so children and adults can see where they are going.
4. Pick up anything in your front yard, sidewalk, stoop, or porch that a person could trip over. Keep all entrances and exits of your property clear of any obstructions.
5. Keep pets away from the front door and out of the yard on Halloween.
Don’t fear the spooks of Halloween. For peace of mind, call and speak with one of our licensed agents. They are ready to help make sure you are properly insured for this holiday, and every day.