Ski season: property and auto insurance tips

Ski country in the four states runs from Arizona Snowbowl above Flagstaff and Lee Canyon outside Las Vegas to the Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe, the Cottonwood Canyons and Park City in Utah, and Sun Valley, McCall and the resorts near Boise in Idaho. The season brings a particular set of losses: roofs and decks under heavy snow, pipes in cabins that sit empty all week, skis stolen from cars in resort lots, skier collisions, and slides on icy steps at a rented condo.

Each of those falls under a different part of a household's insurance, and some fall under none. This guide sorts them, covers the work to do before the season, and ends with the decisions worth making once a year.

What the season does to cabins and condos

The weight of ice, snow and sleet is a named peril on standard homeowners forms, so a roof, deck or carport that collapses under a heavy load is generally a covered loss. The limits are in the detail: some forms cover awnings, fences, patios and similar structures from snow load only when the main building is also damaged, so a freestanding pergola or an unattached deck may not be paid on its own.

Ice dams cause a quieter loss. Meltwater backs up under shingles and runs into ceilings and walls. The interior water damage is usually covered as sudden and accidental; the cost of removing the ice and repairing the roof's worn flashing may not be. Freezing is the other big one. Most forms exclude freeze damage to plumbing in a vacant or unoccupied house unless the owner kept the heat on or shut off the water and drained the system. A cabin used only on weekends needs one or the other every time the owner leaves.

Condos add the association. The master policy covers the building to a line the governing documents draw, and the owner's HO-6 covers the rest. When a burst pipe in one unit floods three below it, the association's deductible can be passed to the owners as an assessment, and loss assessment coverage on the HO-6 is what pays that share.

Renting the cabin for the season

A second home in a ski town is often rented out for weeks at a time. A homeowners or dwelling policy written for personal use can exclude or limit losses during a rental, and liability for a guest who falls on an icy step belongs to a policy that knows the property is rented. Short-term rental endorsements and dedicated rental dwelling policies exist for this. The platform's host protection programme is not the same thing as insurance on the owner's name and should not be treated as a replacement.

Suppose a Park City condo owner rents the unit for a ski week, a guest slips on an unshovelled walkway, and the medical bills and lost wages reach $90,000. If the owner's HO-6 excludes business use and carries no rental endorsement, the claim may be declined, and the owner faces it personally. With a rental endorsement and liability of, for example, $300,000, the policy defends and pays. These are hypothetical figures; the endorsement is the point.

Gear, cars and resort parking lots

Skis, snowboards and boots stolen from a car are personal property, not part of the car, so the claim goes to the homeowners or renters policy, subject to its deductible, rather than to the auto policy. Damage to the car during the break-in is an auto comprehensive claim with its own deductible. A rooftop cargo box or ski rack bolted to the vehicle is generally treated as part of the car or as custom equipment, depending on the carrier.

Suppose a family's skis, boards and boots worth $4,000 are taken from an SUV at a resort lot and the thief breaks a window costing $600. With a $1,000 homeowners deductible and a $500 comprehensive deductible, for example, the home policy pays $3,000 and the auto policy pays $100. Two claims, two deductibles, and two entries on two claim histories, which is why a small theft is sometimes better absorbed than filed. Those figures are hypothetical.

Expensive gear used heavily can be scheduled on a personal articles floater, which pays without the homeowners deductible and covers loss and breakage as well as theft. It is worth pricing for a household with several high-end setups.

On the slope and on the canyon road

A skier who collides with another skier and injures them is liable in the same way as a pedestrian who knocks someone down. Personal liability coverage on a homeowners, condo or renters policy follows the insured household anywhere, including the slopes, and defends and pays such a claim up to its limit. Injuries to the skier themselves go to health insurance; the home policy's medical payments coverage pays only for other people.

Snowmobiles are different. A homeowners policy covers snowmobile liability, if at all, only on the insured property, so a sled on a trail needs its own policy. The same applies to a rented snowmobile on a guided tour, where the rental agreement usually makes the rider responsible for damage.

On the road, the ski-specific auto issues are the canyon rules, rental cars and passengers. Utah's Cottonwood Canyons and other mountain routes can require traction devices or four-wheel drive during storms, and a car without them may be turned back; getting stuck or sliding off is a collision claim on the car and a liability claim if another car is hit. A rental car picked up at a ski airport is usually covered by the personal auto policy's liability, and by its collision and comprehensive if the policy carries them. Carpooling friends to the resort does not change the coverage, but a driver who is paid for rides may fall outside a personal policy.

Before the season, and after a loss

The pre-season list is short and done once.

• Have the roof, gutters and heat tape on a cabin checked, and arrange for snow removal from decks and walkways, especially if the property is rented.
• Decide how the cabin will be protected from freezing when empty: heat left on with a monitoring thermostat, or water shut off and lines drained. Some carriers offer credits for water shutoff valves and temperature sensors.
• Confirm how the condo master policy, the HO-6 and loss assessment coverage fit together.
• Tell the carrier if the property will be rented and add the right endorsement or policy.
• Photograph the gear and keep receipts; schedule the most expensive items.
• Check that the car's comprehensive and collision coverage is in place before the canyon drives start.

After a loss

After a loss, stop further damage if it is safe to do so, photograph everything, keep receipts for emergency repairs and snow removal, and report the claim promptly. For an ice dam or burst pipe in an empty cabin, the adjuster will ask when someone last visited and what the thermostat was set to, so keep a record of visits.

The decision points

Four questions cover most households. Is the mountain property protected against freeze losses the way the policy requires? Does the policy know about any rental use? Is expensive gear scheduled, or is the household comfortable absorbing a theft under the deductible? And is the personal liability limit, with an umbrella if the household has one, high enough for a serious injury on the slope or at the cabin?

If those are settled, the recommendation is to change nothing and enjoy the snow. If not, we review cabin, condo, auto and umbrella coverage together across the carriers we represent in Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Idaho, and we tell you plainly when what you have is right.