Home insurance types form a family tree worth seeing whole: the HO series for owner-occupants, from the near-extinct HO-1 to the old-house HO-8, the DP series for rentals and vacants, the manufactured-home forms the Insurance Information Institute describes separately, and the standalone flood and earthquake policies that carry what every branch excludes. One page, the whole map.
The HO series: owner-occupied forms
HO-1 and HO-2 are named-peril dwelling forms, minimal and mostly historical, with HO-2 the broader list. HO-3, the standard, covers the dwelling open-peril and contents named-peril, the split behind most American policies. HO-5, the comprehensive form, extends open-peril logic to contents with replacement cost typical, carriers' premium product. HO-4 is the renters form, contents and liability with no dwelling, per the III's renters anatomy. HO-6 is the condo form, walls-in improvements plus contents, liability and loss assessment under an association's master. HO-8 is the old-house form, insuring homes whose rebuild cost dwarfs market value on a functional-replacement basis, modern materials for old.
The DP series and the manufactured forms
The DP (dwelling property) series insures houses homeowners forms cannot: DP-1 named-peril and minimal, often actual cash value, the vacant-property workhorse; DP-2 broader named perils; DP-3 open-peril at replacement cost, the standard landlord form, with loss of rents and premises liability attached to complete the program. Occupancy honesty routes between the series: owner-occupied to HO, tenant-occupied and vacant to DP, misdeclared to denied claims. Manufactured homes take their own two-part form, physical damage plus liability per the III, from a specialist market with its own vintage, anchoring and settlement questions, and transit excluded during moves.
The completers: what every form excludes
No form in either series covers rising water or earth movement, so the family's completers are standalone: the NFIP or private flood policy, priced per property and required by lenders in mapped zones, with FEMA's FloodSmart reporting almost one-third of NFIP flood claims come from outside high-risk flood areas; and earthquake coverage, endorsements or standalone policies with percentage deductibles, decided by geology. The endorsement layer then adapts any base form, water backup, ordinance-or-law, service line, scheduled items, and the umbrella extends liability above whichever form you hold. Choosing a type is mostly reading your occupancy and structure honestly; the family has a form for each.
Questions people ask about home insurance types
What is the standard homeowners form?
The HO-3: open-peril dwelling coverage with named-peril contents. The HO-5 upgrades contents to open-peril; the HO-8 serves old houses on functional replacement.
Which form do renters and condo owners use?
The HO-4 for renters, contents and liability only, and the HO-6 for condo units, walls-in coverage under the association's master policy.
What are DP forms for?
Non-owner-occupied houses: rentals on the open-peril DP-3 with loss of rents attached, vacants and marginal properties on the named-peril DP-1.
Does any form cover flood or earthquake?
None: rising water and earth movement need the standalone NFIP/private flood and quake policies that complete every branch of the family.