Homeowners Insurance with contents coverage

[injunarts]

We have retired and moved to Costa Rica and had a new home built.

I called my INS insuarnce man whom I have my car insured with about
getting a homeowners policy.
When I questioned coverages he told me that the contents & theft were not covered.
He also told me that it was sold seperatly and recommended NOT buying it. According to him the process of submitting a claim and then getting paid for your loss is almost impossible !

Another interesting thing is that he told me to increase the amount of coverage on the dwelling to equal the amount of contents value
I wanted.
I’m not sure how it works here, but in the states the insurance company will only pay to repair or replace your home. Just because you have OVER insured your home to cover the contents doesn’t mean you will get the extra money.

Has any of you purchased a homeowners policy here in Costa Rica and found a way to insure the contents ?
Better yet, has anyone had a claim on the contents and gotten paid ?

Thank you all for reading this, and for the information you may have
for this US expat.

PURA VIDA

[DavidCMurray]

ARCR has a fact sheet about homeowner’s insurance. It’s not a pretty picture.

First, all the windows and doors on the house must have bars. Second, you must insure all the contents of the house. You cannot insure selectively. Then, the policy specifically excludes all the very electronics that are what thieves really want — your TV, stereo, computer, digital camera, DVD, VCR, CD player, microwave, etc. There may also be a deductible, but we didn’t bother to read that far.

[Author]

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