In the state of Tennessee homeowners insurance is not required unless there is a mortgage on the house, but it is one thing a person does not want to be without.

In Tennessee about the two biggest natural disasters that occur are tornadoes and flooding. Here is the catch however. Homeowners insurance will cover damage done by tornadoes but will not cover flooding caused by rain, melting ice, snow et cetera. This type of coverage must be purchased through a government agency and the home must be in a flood plain.

Murfreesboro is considered “Tornado Alley” in Tennessee. Therefore, they have slightly higher premiums on their homeowners insurance. Jacksboro in Campbell County as well as counties such as Scott, Fentress, Claiborne, and Union also seem to get hit hard by severe thunderstorms.

In the state of Tennessee to be able to get homeowners insurance if you have a pool on the property, the pool must be enclosed with a fence and have a locking gate. If it is an above ground pool it must have some way to keep children and pets out of it when not in use. If a pool does not have this protection the insurance company will likely either not write a policy or exclude any type of liability coverage on the pool. This means that if someone gets hurt in the pool and sues the homeowner there is no coverage under the homeowners insurance policy.

Now, in Tennessee, there is a list of dogs that an insurance company will either exclude or will not write a policy if these dogs are on the premises. Some of these dogs are Pitt Bulls, Chows, Doberman Pinschers, and Rotweillers just to name a few. If you have one of these dogs the insurance company does have the right to exclude liability coverage for the dog. Some companies are even beginning to cancel policies if any of the “black listed” dogs are on the property.

In Tennessee a property cannot be in poor shape to qualify for homeowners insurance. There must be handrails with all steps that lead into the house. There can be no exposed electrical wiring, no junk (cars, old refrigerators, or any other hazard to children, pets, or others), no hazardous chemicals, and no other type of damage which could be considered hazardous on the property. In this case the company will, again, more than likely exclude liability for these hazards.

Therefore, Tennessee does have some strict rules and regulations when writing a homeowners insurance policy.