Many people have joined the property investment bandwagon. And why not? Property investment connotes several potential benefits, including tax benefits and mortgage benefits. But even with all its benefits, property investments also involve a lot of risk factors. To protect yourself from these perils, you need investment property insurance.

Investment property insurance pays for your losses or damages which you incur when problems arise in your invested property. Natural calamities, such as earthquakes, fires, or floods can destroy your property and milk you dry with all the reconstruction costs you'd have to pay for. With investment property insurance though, you are saved from those costs.

Aside from that, investment property insurance also covers your legal fees if you get sued. There might be instances where negligence brings harm to someone while in your property. Investment property insurance will help protect you from this kind of losses.


Types of Investment Property Insurance

There are two basic types of investment property insurance: residential and commercial. Residential investment property insurance covers all types of residential properties, such as homes, apartments, condo units, tenements, and the like. Commercial investment property insurance offers coverage for office units, buildings, centers, malls, et cetera.


Residential Investment Property Insurance

Your home is probably your biggest investment. To protect your home, you need investment property insurance. Residential investment property insurance can offer protection for homeowners from damages caused by perils, such as fires or earthquakes. Residential investment property insurance covers the actual structure of the house and all its contents. Some residential investment property insurance policies also include structures besides the house, like swimming pools, barn houses, gazebos, patios, et cetera.

Some residential investment property insurance policies are designed specifically for landlords. These types of residential investment property insurance protect the landlord from damages caused by their tenants.

Residential investment property insurance may also provide coverage for renters. In general, residential investment property insurance provides cover for the usual major risks like fire or storm damage, accidental damage or loss, and vandalism. In addition, those who want to purchase residential investment property insurance for their rental property may opt to have coverage for loss of rent or rent default where your tenant stops paying rent.


Commercial Investment Property Insurance

The commercial investment property insurance offers protection for damages or loss. As opposed to residential investment property insurance, commercial investment property insurance focuses more on providing coverage for the commercial aspect of your property.

Let's take the September 11 event for example. The damages caused by the bombings cost billions of dollars. Several office buildings were lost or destroyed during the attack and the costs for reconstruction are sky-high. If it were not for commercial investment property insurance, most of the businesses that were affected would have gone bankrupt by now. As a result, the property insurance industry experienced a decline due to the number of commercial investment property insurance claims filed.