Ghost and Ghouls Ostrander Insurance Quiz
Oct 30, 2019 03:29PM ● By Pamela Johnson
Ostrander Insurance had several spooky claims during Halloween. From cauldrons catching fire to haunted hayrides crushing pumpkins, our office was inundated with Halloween nightmares. Below are a few calls we received from our sinister clients; do you know which claims are covered or not?
1. Chucky and Freddy Myers brought their family dog, Scooby Doo, to the local haunted house. During their walk through, a ghoul jumped out and scared the kids and Scooby Doo. Scooby Doo bit the ghoul, and the injuries were frightening. Would the Myers family homeowner policy cover their pet dog, Scooby Doo, for biting someone off their property? Answer: a homeowner policy covers dog bites on and off the premise of a home. Although not the case here, insurance companies may limit coverage if your dog is of a certain historically aggressive breed or has prior bite history. Be sure to check with your agent whenever you purchase a new four-legged companion.
2. Norman Bates owns a home on the outskirts of town and rents out a small room through Airbnb. One of his guests had an unfortunate fall in the shower and cut herself on an inconveniently placed knife. Would the temporary tenant’s injuries be covered through Norman’s homeowner policy? Answer: liability coverage covers medical injuries for guests on the residential premise.However, this was a paying customer through Airbnb and thus constitutes this claim as a “business exposure.” The homeowner insurance policy excludes coverage for such business exposures for Airbnb and other similar home-sharing businesses. Norman would have to pay out of pocket for the injuries.
3. Peter Venkman & Egon Spengler bought a used 1959 Cadillac Chassis. They retrofitted the vehicle with $5,000 in custom paint jobs, custom sirens, laptops, and a high-tech speaker system. Unfortunately their friend “Slimer” took the vehicle out for a joyride and totaled it. Peter & Egon have collision coverage on their policy; would it cover all of this extra custom equipment? Answer: Custom equipment and equipment not included with the vehicle when rolled out of the factory are not included on the policy. Peter & Egon should have added their custom equipment to the policy so that it would be covered in the event of a loss.
4. Bellatrix Fantasma has the best Halloween display in town. Bellatrix has a fog machine, giant spider webs, mummies, pumpkins, lights, and music. Viewers come from all around to walk through her yard and get a king-size candy bar. However, when Bellatrix was asleep on Halloween night, a group of vandals came and destroyed her spooky display. Will Bellatrix’s homeowner policy cover the damaged items? Answer: Luckily for Bellatrix her homeowner policy covers vandalism. She will be able to put on another scary display next year. Boohoo to the vandals!
