There are a lot of questions about homeowners insurance — more so than life or auto insurance — in part because there are so many additional factors to consider: property, land, the structure of the home, the personal liability for people inside, landscaping, garages, and guest houses. To help you sort through the many questions you must have concerning homeowners insurance, I've compiled a list of the 5 most useful questions about home insurance.

What does property damage cover?

Property damage coverage is a type of home owners insurance that protects your home and your personal property from natural disasters. Your typical, standard property damage policy includes protection against fire, lightening, a windstorm, or hail. However, floods, earthquakes, and mudslides often are not, and if you live in high risk areas, you will need to purchase additional property damage coverage. There are also grey areas such as hurricanes which should be looked into carefully — though they are sometimes considered standard in property damage coverage, often when you try to claim hurricane damage, it will be denied under the basis of "flooding" so be sure to read your policy carefully.

What is personal property insurance and what does it include?

In general, any of the contents of your home and other personal belongings are considered personal property. These are covered under your policy for up to 50% of the value of your house. Often, high-value items such as jewelry or paintings must be listed separately.

What does additional living expense or loss of use clause cover?

When your home has been severely damaged, and you cannot live in it while repairs or reconstruction is going on, an "additional living expense" clause or a "loss of use" clause in your home owners insurance policy will help pay the bills in the interim. Some of the best insurance companies will help pay for the cost of a motel, restaurant meals, and property storage.

What is personal liability insurance coverage?

This is an interesting clause to home owners insurance that many people are unaware of, but which is almost always included on a standard home owners insurance policy because of its usefulness. Personal liability insurance coverage helps protect your family from a lawsuit should someone else hurt themselves on your property. If someone falls down the stairs or breaks their hip slipping on your icy sidewalk, you are not responsible for damages and most court costs.

What does medical payments insurance cover?

Medical payments insurance is a place where health and home insurance collide. This is connected to personally liability insurance, because medical payments clauses will pay for medical payments when other people get injured on your premises. This is only to visitors—it does not extend to injuries that result from business activities on the premises, or intentional actions.