What is the difference between HO3 and HO4?

HO-3 is a standard homeowners form. It is written for someone who insures a house they own: the dwelling is covered on an open-perils basis in the usual ISO form, and personal property is covered on a named-perils basis, unless an endorsement changes that. HO-4 is a renters form. It covers the tenant’s belongings and often liability. It does not insure the building, because the building is the landlord’s.

Those names are form numbers, not brands. Your declarations page shows the form you actually bought, the limits and the deductibles. Flood is generally not in either form. The Insurance Information Institute explains the standard forms in plain language at iii.org. Your state insurance department is the regulator if a claim goes wrong.

Brazilian home insurance, supervised by SUSEP, is a different contract. The Portuguese page seguro residencial explains that system.

Sources

• Insurance Information Institute
• NAIC

This note is educational. It is not a recommendation to buy, borrow or insure anything, and it promises no return.