Home Insurance With a Pool, Hot Tub or Trampoline in Minnesota

Southern Minnesota backyards fill with pools and trampolines every June, and a surprising number of them were never mentioned to the insurance company. The William Tuttle Agency writes homes with backyard exposures from one office at 121 W Broadway St in Owatonna, and we start by asking what is out there.

Does a pool raise my homeowners insurance?

Usually, and it can also add requirements. Underwriters ask whether the pool is in-ground or above-ground, whether it is fenced with a self-latching gate, whether there is a diving board or slide, and whether the yard is secured. Some carriers decline diving boards; most require fencing that meets local code. The premium increase reflects the liability, and an umbrella policy is the efficient way to carry real limits.

What is the attractive-nuisance rule?

A legal principle under which a property owner can be liable for injury to a child drawn onto the property by something inherently attractive and dangerous — a pool is the classic example. It means the neighbor's child who climbed the fence is your liability claim, not a trespasser you can dismiss. Fencing, locked gates and covers are both the prevention and the underwriting requirement.

Are trampolines covered?

It depends on the carrier. Some cover them with a netted enclosure; some exclude trampoline injuries entirely; a few decline the home. If your policy carries a trampoline exclusion, an injury on it is uncovered — which for a serious injury can mean your assets. Tell us if you have one; we will find a carrier that covers it or tell you plainly that it is excluded.

What about hot tubs, swim spas and stock-tank pools?

Each is a pool to the underwriter, with the same liability and often the same requirements — a locking cover for a hot tub, fencing for anything a child could fall into. An indoor hot tub raises water-damage questions; a deck hot tub raises structural ones. Disclose all of them.

Is damage to the pool itself covered?

In-ground pools are generally covered as other structures for perils like fire and wind, but freezing, cracking from ground movement and pump failure are commonly excluded. Above-ground pools are often treated as personal property. Minnesota winters make the closing and winterizing routine part of loss prevention.

Why does an umbrella matter here?

Because the claim that matters is not the sprained ankle; it is the permanent injury to a child, and standard homeowners liability limits do not reach it. An umbrella policy adds a million dollars or more of liability above the home and auto policies for a modest premium. For a home with a pool or trampoline, it is the piece that makes the rest of the policy make sense. See umbrella insurance.

What if the trampoline or the diving board gets the house declined?

A diving board, an unfenced above-ground pool, or a trampoline is enough for some carriers to decline the whole home. Many agents represent a single company. We lead with Farmers Insurance and hold appointments with 20+ additional carriers, including commercial markets such as BTIS, AmTrust, RLI and Tapco — so an operation that does not fit the first market often has somewhere to go. It may simply not be the first market we call. You still deal with one licensed local person in Owatonna who answers the phone. See the carriers we represent.

How much does pool & trampoline home insurance cost in Minnesota?

The price of pool & trampoline home insurance depends on what it would cost to rebuild or replace, your claims history, the coverage limits and deductibles you choose, where the property or vehicle is garaged and the carrier — each prices differently. Published averages describe almost nobody; the useful number is a quote for your situation, run across more than one carrier at matching coverage.