As you fill up your candy bowl and carve your pumpkins in preparation for All Hallow’s Eve, it’s worth considering the risks that come with the ghoulish festivities and how to prepare for them.
Perhaps you’re making the neighborhood kids work for their treats by having them run a gantlet of shrieks, fog and strobe lights to get to the bowl of candy.
Before you invite trick-or-treaters to go screaming through the intricately designed haunts in your home (or garage), consider protective measures to take against the potential risk, said Michael Giusti, an analyst at Insurancequotes.com.
If a guest is injured on your property, the personal liability coverage in most homeowners or renters insurance policies will pay for up to $500,000 in claims per person injured. For example, if a guest slips and falls on your porch stairs, the standard homeowners or renters policy will cover that, Giusti said.
A standard insurance policy may also cover claims stemming from a Halloween party at your home, experts say. This type of particular event is on your property, so you don’t need to get special-event insurance. You would have to get special-event insurance only when you plan a block party on your street with your neighbors.
In Los Angeles County, most cities require at least one person to fill out a block party application, apply for a permit from the city and get special-event insurance.
Travelers, Allstate, Progressive and USAA are among the insurers offering special-event policies, typically for less than $100, that offer coveraage for bodily injury and property damage of up to $1 million. These policies may also provide coverage for nonrefundable deposits, cancellation fees, injury, property damage and liability.
Liability coverage is for losses that the insured person is legally responsible for, such as medical expenses incurred when you are at fault, said Janet Ruiz, director of strategic communication for the Insurance Information Institute.
For example, if a guest at your party consumed alcohol and then was in an accident on the drive home, Ruiz said, the driver could be sued and you might be too, “as a participant in their drinking.” Your standard insurance will pay for your defense, up to your policy limit.
Halloween decor and fire safety
Drive through any neighborhood in Los Angeles County and you’ll find several homes with a giant inflatable pumpkin, Jack Skellington or ghostly arch.
Some homes will have illuminated jack-o-lanterns, witches or ghosts hanging from trees.
Although fun and in some cases quiet scary, Halloween decorations can potentially become fire hazards.
According to the National Fire Protection Assn., from 2018 to 2022, an average of 835 structure fires per year began with decorations that ignited.
These fires caused three fire-related deaths, 30 fire-related injuries and $14 million in direct property damage on average per year, according to the association.
“Nearly half — 47% — of these fires occurred because the decorations were too close to a heat source, such as a candle or hot equipment,” the NFPA said.
The NFPA and the Los Angeles Fire Department shared a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to fire safety on Halloween, which include:
Do look into alternatives to wax candles when lighting your jack-o-lantern, such as glow sticks or battery-operated candles.
Don’t overload your electrical outlets with extra lights and devices.
Do keep exits clear of decorations so nothing is blocking the escape route in the event of an emergency.
Don’t put decorations near open flames or other heat sources, such as light bulbs and heaters.
Do ensure that all smoke alarms are working properly.
If a fire does break out on your property, a standard homeowners insurance policy typically will cover the damage. In addition to repairs to the main house, a standard policy will cover losses to detached structures (such as a garage) up to about 10% of the amount of insurance you have on the house itself.
Homeowners and renters policies typically come with deductibles, meaning that they cover losses from damage or theft only above a certain threshold.
Handing out treats
Passing out candy to masked kids is part of the holiday tradition, so it’s not something you often think about in terms of liability coverage. But experts say you should.
If you pass out treats that are in the original wrapping, it’s up to the trick-or-treater (or their parents) to sift through the handouts to find the ones they may be allergic to. You won’t be held liable for not asking about peanut allergies before handing out packages of Snickers.
You can become liable, however, if you pass out treats you make yourself — for example, if you bake cupcakes and hand those out without properly labeling the ingredients. The good news, Giusti said, is that if your handmade treat causes someone to have an allergic reaction that requires medical treatment, there’s a provision in the standard homeowners insurance policy called medical payments for others that covers you.
The medical payments coverage is meant for people other than yourself or your family who are hurt or fall ill on your property and require medical attention. If you or someone in your family needs medical attention, your health insurance policy will cover that, Ruiz said.
Tricks that go too far — vandalism and theft
Whether you’re headed out to trick-or-treat with your family or staying in to bestow candy, “safety is key during the busiest night for porch traffic,” said Mimi Swain, chief commercial officer at Ring.
It’s common for a front door to have a Ring doorbell or other camera-equipped home security device, and Swain said you can use that to your advantage on Halloween. For example, these cameras can show you whether the person at your door is a kid looking for candy or someone less innocent.
It’s also common that acts of vandalism or theft are caught on doorbell cameras at the property. In some cases neighbors across the street have caught footage as well.
If someone should take the opportunity on Halloween to steal items from your front porch or the side of the house, Giusti said, that type of theft is covered by general homeowners and renters insurance policies.
It can be helpful to have the footage when reporting the incident to a police or sheriff’s department as well as to your insurance provider.
Aside from a home security camera, owners might also consider purchasing an entire home security system.
You can install one that you monitor yourself, or you can hire a home security company to install and monitor a system for a monthly fee.
“Generally, if you’d like to increase your home’s safety, I’d recommend security cameras and motion detectors that can alert you to any suspicious activity, especially in blind spots around the home as they can serve as entry points for intruders,” said Kim Wright, director of corporate security at ADT.
She shared some additional tips to securing your home:
- Park your car in your garage if possible and make sure it’s locked.
- Lock up smaller, valuable items such as bikes, grills and lawn mowers that could be potential targets for theft.
- Have only one place at your home to greet trick-or-treaters.
- Let a neighbor know if you will be away that evening.
- Keep pets secure as they may run out an open door if they are scared.
- Make sure your security cameras are operational and recording even after the trick-or-treating is done.
