Insurance Tips

Back to Tips Index | Third Party or Tzad Gimel - What does it mean?

 

In the standard homeowner’s policy, there is cover for any accident caused by you or your property which results in death or injury (chas vechalila) to someone else or damage to his/her property. The amount of this cover varies from company to company and is usually between 500,000 - 1,000,000 NIS.

A few examples:
You open your umbrella in Safed and hurt someone. You are covered.
Your bath overflows and ruins the carpet of the neighbor below. You are covered.

The big question is – What is not covered? The following is a partial list:

  1. Damage caused willfully by you
  2. Damage caused by you in your professional capacity – i.e. a doctor, who by mistake injures a person he is treating at home is not covered under this policy.
  3. Guns – you are covered for damage or injury, but not if you are using the weapon as part of your miluim or if you are a policeman or security guard.
    In other words, if carrying the weapon is part of your job, the standard policy does not cover you.
  4. Damage caused by dogs, cats, etc. – domestic animals are covered on condition that they are tied up or muzzled as required.
  5. "Shiputzim" – contractors’ work in your home is not covered and requires a special policy.
  6. Members of your family who live in your home cannot claim against the policy as Third Party. However, if they do not live at home permanently, they are like any other Third Party.
  7. Someone employed by you or working for you.

To sum up:
Neighbors - YES
Patient - NO
Cat - YES
Unmuzzled Rotweiler - NO
Your live-in son - NO
Your visiting mother-in-law -YES

N.B. If you need a certain level of cover which is not covered under the standard plan, you must contact your agent. There are separate Third Party policies to cover all eventualities.