If My Home Is Broken Into But Nothing Is Stolen, What Coverage Do I Need?

A break-in is an invasion of privacy that can leave you feeling exposed and with damage to your home or property. New Jersey is fortunate to have low break-in rates compared to other states, but more than 16,000 break-ins were still recorded in one recent year. 

As a homeowner, your home insurance can help you recover after a break-in or vandalism. To understand what coverage your insurance provides, a New Jersey independent insurance agent can help. 

How Are Home Break-Ins Covered If Nothing’s Stolen?

Just because someone breaks into your home doesn't mean they stole something. They could have vandalized your home while leaving all of your possessions behind. But damaged property can be expensive. Under the property coverage of your New Jersey homeowners insurance, theft and vandalism are covered.

Here are some examples of what home insurance would cover in the event of a break-in where nothing is stolen.

If you rent rather than own a home, you would receive similar coverage under a renters insurance policy. An agent can work with you to make sure your policy limits are adequate to cover unexpected vandalism.

How Does Your Home Insurance Cover Burglaries?

Fortunately, standard homeowners insurance provides basic coverages for potentially catastrophic events, like burglaries. There are numerous ways that your home insurance will pay for damage from a burglary.

• Coverage for structural damage: This is named in your policy as dwelling coverage and includes a myriad of listed perils, including burglary. If someone broke into your home and put several holes in your walls and broke your windows, your dwelling coverage would help pay for repairs. 
• Coverage for personal property damage: This includes your personal belongings such as clothing, furniture, electronics, and similar items for incidents such as burglary. You can also purchase a rider to extend to your valuables such as artwork, jewelry, and collectibles. You'll even get coverage for property that is stored off-premises, but it typically includes a lower limit.
• Coverage for additional living expenses: If your home is burglarized to the point that it's not safe to live in, the additional living expenses coverage will help pay for temporary housing. This includes hotel stays, meals, gas mileage, and other daily expenses. 
• Coverage for liability claims: If you walked into your home while someone was burglarizing it and that person slipped and fell on their way to your home and broke their leg, they could sue you for their medical bills. It's not fair, since they were the ones burglarizing you, but anyone can sue anyone else for whatever they want. In this scenario, your liability coverage would cover things like legal expenses, attorney and court fees, and any settlements you're ordered to pay if you lose the case. 

Since homeowners insurance provides comprehensive coverage for theft and burglary, you want to make sure your limits are high enough to cover all of your property and personal belongings. 

How Likely Is It That Your Home Will Be Broken Into in New Jersey?

New Jersey has one of the lowest reported break-in rates in the country. However, the state still experiences property crimes, so you should never assume you're completely safe from being burglarized.

Recent property crimes rates in New Jersey vs. the US

How Can You Lower Your Risk of Home Break-Ins?

Since never leaving your home or keeping all of your belongings in a locked safe is probably not an option, there are steps you can take to lower your risk of a home break-in. This includes:

• Install a home security system.
• Always lock your doors and windows when you're not home or you're sleeping.
• Make your home look occupied if you're going to be away for a long time.
• Close your garage door and lock it whenever you're not accessing your garage.
• Hire professionals to maintain your landscape while you're on vacation.
• Cancel deliveries such as mail if you're going to be away for an extended time.
• Get to know your neighbors so they can keep an eye on your home when you're gone.
• Consider deadbolt locks on all your outside doors.
• Keep your vacation plans off social media.
• Add exterior lighting and keep your exterior lights on when you're on vacation.
• Put motion-sensitive lights in your backyard.
• Prevent someone from being able to see inside your home with curtains and blinds.

How Much Home Insurance Coverage Is Enough?

Home insurance reflects the risk to insure a home. Since break-in rates are low in New Jersey, that can help with the costs of home insurance. In fact, New Jersey residents pay an average of $775 per year for $250K in dwelling coverage, which is well under the national average of $1,311. 

However, crime rates are not the only factor that impacts home insurance rates. Carriers will look at numerous things to determine your rate, such as your claim history, the age and value of your home, its location, your credit, and the amount of coverage you need.

All of these reasons are why it's critical to have enough home insurance coverage. An insurance agent can work with you to determine how much coverage is enough. The number will be based on the total value of your home as well as your personal property. If you have special circumstances or valuables, there are additional coverages and riders you can purchase so that you're fully covered. When purchasing insurance, you'll work with your agent and the insurance company to choose policy limits and a deductible that you're comfortable with.

Will My Home Insurance Premiums Be Affected after a Break-In?

Anytime you file a claim, you run the risk of your insurance premiums increasing. However, this doesn't always mean that it will be a huge increase, or that it will increase at all. If the claim is minor and it's your first claim, you may not experience any increase or a very insignificant increase.

Rates tend to increase more significantly when you start filing repeat claims. Should your rates make a large unexpected jump, an agent can help you shop for a new home insurance policy that is more in line with your budget.

How Can a New Jersey Independent Insurance Agent Help?

Even if you reside in a state or city that has a low crime rate, things happen, and understanding your home insurance coverage can help you in a variety of situations. A New Jersey independent insurance agent is your expert for home insurance as well as your advocate if you need to file a claim.

Agents will speak with you, free of charge, to learn about your property and shop home insurance quotes. They'll present you with multiple choices and help you secure the right blend of coverage and costs to keep you protected from potential break-ins and other scenarios.