What if you wax the floor to impress your dinner guest, but she skids across it, falls, and breaks her leg? What if the excavation for the dream house you're building causes your neighbor's basement wall to cave in? Or what if your new pet Doberman takes a chunk out of the mailman's backside?

In any of these cases, you could be liable for thousands of dollars in damages. Any time someone gets hurt on your property because of your carelessness, you may be legally responsible. The same applies when you or your children do things that damage someone else's property. One of the major functions of property insurance is providing coverage for your liability. The other major function is helping you repair or replace your property when it's stolen, damaged, or destroyed. Theft, fire, tornado--if it happens to you, you'll be glad to have a good homeowner's policy in place. But it's important to know what your policy won't cover, such as damage from slow leaks. It's also important to know how to protect your property from preventable perils, from lead poisoning to burglary.

This section begins with a discussion of liability issues, including when you're responsible and how to reduce the chance that someone will get hurt. Then it moves to protecting your home and health from a wide range of perils. It includes suggestions on reducing your risk and making sure you'll have enough money to start over should the next sad story on the evening news tell what happened to your house.

1. Floor Wax and Dog Attacks: Liability Issues
2. Liability Insurance
3. Homeowner's Insurance
4. Security Issues
5. Environmental Issues