The first thing to note about swimming pools and insurance is that they increase the cost to rebuild a home, which does raise your home insurance rates.

Installing a pool tends to cost at least $10,000, and averages $35,000. Your insurance rate won’t jump by anywhere near that much, of course, but it’s factored into the overall cost to rebuild your home.

It’s important to realize that all insurance pairs up a financial value to certain levels of risk. Every one of us at OTC insurance loves to lounge in a pool on a hot summer day, but occasionally people do have accidents. Most of the time it’s just your neighbor’s kid refusing to get out of the pool to go to the bathroom- watch out for those warm spots! but sometimes the situation can be a bit more serious.

This is where your personal liability insurance coverage protects you. It steps in to pay the legal and medical fees if anybody gets hurt on your property and sues you.

You know the drill to avoid those kinds of accidents, but we thought we would remind you:

1. Keep your gate fence locked when you’re not supervising the pool.
2. Be sure that any child using the pool is well supervised.
3. Ensure that everything in the pool is in proper working order, such as the pump, diving board, and slide.
4. Keep lifesaving flotation devices nearby for emergency use (just in case).
5. Be cautious with the use of alcohol at pool parties or even when the pool is not in use. Don’t let people slip and fall in there.
6. Post pool safety rules and remind all family members and guests about them before they go for a dip.
7. Make everyone use the pool in pairs so that there’s always someone around to help, if needed.

This kind of advice applies to above-ground and in-ground pools for homeowners’ insurance. You need to do everything in your power to make sure that people use the pool safely.

Frequently asked questions about pools and insurance

Dealing with a more specific situation? We’ve collected our experience for it right here with a few FAQ.

Can I get Airbnb pool insurance?

Pools can make insurance for Air B&B a bit more complicated. You’ll need to look at insuring your entire home while using it as a rental property. 

You can buy home insurance policies that cover both short-term and long-term rental coverage from certain companies. However, those options aren’t a part of most standard home policies. You’ll need to ask for the additional coverage and price it out with your current provider.

If you manage several properties for short-term rentals, then you might even need to consider purchasing a commercial property insurance policy.

Does homeowner’s insurance cover pool leaks?

This one’s tricky because it depends on the circumstances.

1. Did the pool leak damage anything else, like the concrete deck or the foundations of your home?
2. Did the leak occur due to negligence or lax maintenance?
3. If an act of nature caused the leak: is that cause specifically excluded from the policy?

Homeowners are generally held responsible for maintaining their own properties, so general wear and tear on the pool wouldn’t warrant an insurance claim. It’s the same for insurance covering burst pipes. If the damage would be considered foreseeable and preventable, then it wouldn’t be covered.

Does homeowner’s insurance cover the pool liner?

Pool liner leaks or repairs generally fall under the “regular maintenance” category, but certain situations could warrant filing a claim.

 For example, if a storm knocked a neighbour’s tree branch into your pool and ripped the liner, then you could very well have a successful claim in the making.

You’d still need to review your policy to make sure that it doesn’t specifically exclude any of those circumstances in your agreement, but it falls outside of “wear and tear” in that situation.

Whether it’s a leak or liner repair, remember that successful insurance claims work out because everything was done within a reasonable measure to prevent damage. Liner-related claims would work the same way.

Does insurance cover pool collapse?

It depends on every policy, so the best answer is to search your existing home policy for any specific exclusions concerning pools, above-ground pools, or structural collapses on your property. That’s step #1.

Above-ground pools contain a lot of water, so you’ll also need to consider the ramifications of potential water damage to your home if that structure collapsed.

The main difference between above-ground and in-ground pools is that the water could seep into the foundations of your home much faster, without you noticing.

Before getting a pool a few questions to investigate are:

1. What kind of water damage coverage does your policy have?
2. What kind of damage could that much water cause if it seeped into your basement or foundations?   
3. What was the cause of the collapse? Was it due to lack of maintenance, and or wear and tear? Was it caused by a sudden and accidental peril?

Be sure to read the fine print in your policy or contact your broker!