While cutting grass in your yard with your brother's borrowed lawnmower, the fuel line ruptures and the lawnmower is destroyed in the fire. How will your HO liability react?

Homeowners (HO) liability insurance typically provides coverage for unintentional bodily injury or property damage caused by the policyholder or family members living in the household. In this scenario, you were using your brother's lawnmower when the fuel line ruptured and caused a fire that destroyed the mower.

The key point here is that while the mower belonged to your brother, that does not exempt you from coverage under your homeowners' policy. HO liability insurance will likely cover the damage caused to the lawnmower since it’s considered property that was in your care, custody, or control at the time of the incident.

This coverage applies because the event—namely, the malfunction and subsequent fire—was accidental, and homeowners’ policies generally include protection against liability arising from such accidents occurring on the insured premises or while using non-owned equipment, as long as the insured is not acting with intent to cause damage. Thus, the homeowners policy would respond positively to the claim, providing coverage for the destruction of the lawnmower.