ADU insurance — additional dwelling unit coverage
Coverage for an additional dwelling unit — also called an accessory dwelling unit, an ADU, a casita, a granny flat, an in-law suite, a guest house or a backyard cottage. Whether it is a detached unit with its own address or a converted garage sharing yours, send the details below and one call finishes it.
The ADU line
833-844-4357Call center hours
- Monday – Friday5:30 AM – 5:00 PM Pacific Time8:30 AM – 8:00 PM Eastern Time
Answers an additional dwelling unit in every state, however the unit is set up.
Which number applies to you
Two things decide it: whether the unit has its own address, and which state you are in.
The unit has its own address
Its own street address or unit number, often its own meters. It is underwritten as a separate dwelling. Call 833-844-4357 — in every state, with no exceptions.
The unit shares the main home’s address
A converted garage, a basement apartment, an above-garage apartment or an in-law suite. Either line can look at it: 833-844-4357 in every state, or 866-347-8683 outside California, New York and Florida.
In California, New York or Florida, the 866-347-8683 line does not write property at all. Use 833-844-4357 in those three states.
When the lines are open
ADUs in every state
- Monday – Friday
- 5:30 AM – 5:00 PM Pacific Time
- 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM Eastern Time
Shared-address units outside CA, NY and FL
- Monday – Friday
- 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM Pacific Time
- 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM Eastern Time
- Saturday
- 6:00 AM – 5:00 PM Pacific Time
- 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM Eastern Time
Neither line is answered around the clock. Send the form at any hour and the number reaches your inbox with these hours beside it.
What ADU coverage is generally intended to address
- •The unit itself. Generally intended to respond to covered damage to the dwelling unit — the structure, its finishes, and what is built into it.
- •Your liability as its owner. Generally intended to respond to third-party bodily injury or property damage arising from the unit, including the cost of defending the claim.
- •Lost rent. May reimburse rent you stop collecting while a covered loss makes the unit uninhabitable, subject to the policy.
- •Other structures on the lot. Fences, sheds and detached garages are usually handled separately from the unit, often at a percentage of the dwelling limit.
- •Contents you own. Appliances, furnishings and anything you supply with a furnished unit may be covered; a tenant’s own belongings are theirs to insure.
What counts as an ADU
A second, self-contained living space on a lot that already has a home on it — its own kitchen, bathroom and entrance. It goes by a lot of names depending on where you live, and they all land on this page:
additional dwelling unit · accessory dwelling unit · ADU · casita · granny flat · in-law suite · mother-in-law apartment · guest house · backyard cottage · carriage house · laneway house · converted garage apartment · above-garage apartment · basement apartment · secondary suite
Send your details
The first question decides which number applies to you. Fill this in and we will show you the number and email it to you with the hours, so nothing is lost if you close the tab.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ADU, and what is an additional dwelling unit?
An accessory dwelling unit — also called an additional dwelling unit, an ADU, a casita, a granny flat, an in-law suite, a guest house or a backyard cottage — is a second, self-contained living space on a lot that already has a home on it. Self-contained means it has its own kitchen, bathroom and entrance. It can be detached, attached to the house, or carved out of it, such as a converted garage or a basement apartment.
Does my homeowners policy already cover my ADU?
Do not assume it does. Some homeowners policies extend to a second structure on the lot, some cover it only while nobody pays rent to live there, and some exclude it outright. Once a tenant moves in and rent changes hands, the exposure is a rental exposure, which most homeowners forms are not built for. The only reliable way to know is to have the policy read, which is part of what the call is for.
Which number do I call about an ADU?
Call 833-844-4357. That line can quote an additional dwelling unit in every state, whichever way the unit is set up, so it is the number to use if you are not sure which situation you are in.
When should I call the 866 number instead?
Only if the unit shares your home’s address — a converted garage, a basement apartment or an in-law suite — and you are not in California, New York or Florida. In those three states our 866 line does not write property at all, so the 833 line is the one to call. If the unit has its own address, use the 833 line wherever you live.
Does it matter whether the unit has its own address?
It matters a lot. A unit with its own street address or unit number is generally underwritten as a separate dwelling, closer to a rental property than to part of your house. A unit sharing the main home’s address is usually looked at alongside the main home. That single fact changes the form, the rating and the number to call, which is why the form asks it first.
I rent my ADU out on a short-term basis. Is that different?
Yes. Short-term and vacation letting is a distinct exposure from a long-term tenant, and many ordinary dwelling policies restrict or exclude it. Say so on the form and mention it on the call so the right market is approached rather than a policy being written on the wrong assumption.
A family member lives in my ADU and pays nothing. Do I still need coverage?
The exposure does not disappear because no rent is collected — somebody is still living in a second structure you own, and a liability claim can still come from it. How it is handled may differ from a tenanted unit, so tell us the arrangement rather than guessing which box it fits.
What should I have ready when I call?
Roughly when the unit was built, its approximate square footage, whether it is rented and for how much, whether it has its own utility meters, and whether it has its own address. None of it has to be exact.
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