Differences Between Home Insurance and DASK
Owning a home is a dream for many people… But sometimes, this dream isn’t without its confusing details. The question of which insurance you should have to protect your home, in particular, can become a mystery amidst the terms we’ve all heard before and the varying coverage options. Especially when it comes to a sensitive and crucial issue like an earthquake, which affects us all, the anxiety of “Have I got the right insurance?” grows even stronger.
This is precisely where we encounter two types of insurance: DASK (Compulsory Earthquake Insurance) and Home Insurance. Their names are similar, and both appear to protect the home, but in reality, they differ significantly in the coverage, scope, and purpose they offer. Many people mistake these two types for alternatives, thinking, “I have DASK, so I guess I don’t need anything else.” However, the truth is, this isn’t the case.
While DASK (Daily Insurance Policy and Insurance Policy) is a government-mandated insurance policy that focuses solely on covering earthquakes and related damage, home insurance covers a much broader scope, covering your home, belongings, and even unexpected events you may encounter in daily life. In other words, one cannot replace the other; rather, it’s more accurate to think of them as two complementary types of protection.
What is DASK and What Does It Cover?
Because earthquakes are a reality of our lives, DASK, or Compulsory Earthquake Insurance, is a government-mandated policy. If you want to have water, electricity, or natural gas connected to your home, you absolutely must have a valid DASK policy. Its purpose is simple: to cover a certain portion of the structural damage that may occur after an earthquake.
So, what is the coverage?
DASK only protects the structural parts of a building. This means that earthquakes or earthquake-related fires, explosions, and landslides are covered by insurance, as are:
- Damage to columns and beams
- Wall cracks
- Partial or complete collapse of the building
- Structural damage to the foundation or load-bearing systems.
DASK only protects the structure, not the interior of the house. Your furniture, boiler, appliances, television, kitchen cabinets, and other personal belongings are not covered by DASK.
What is Home Insurance and How Comprehensive Is It?
Home insurance, as its name suggests, is a completely optional type of insurance that aims to protect your home against a wide variety of risks. While not mandatory, the protection it offers often goes far beyond DASK (Daşk Insurance). The primary purpose of home insurance is to protect not only the structure of your home but also your living space and belongings.
The best part is that it provides protection not only against earthquakes but also against many other life-threatening events. For example, home insurance is effective in cases of fire, theft, flooding, storms, broken windows, electrical faults, boiler problems, or plumbing bursts. It can even cover common everyday problems like flooding from an upstairs neighbor.
Insurance companies also offer additional coverage that broadens the scope of coverage. A fire caused by an unattended iron, some damage caused by pets, lost keys, damage to guests’ belongings, and even some personal accident coverage can be included in the policy.
The Most Confused Question: “I Have DASK Insurance, Doesn’t It Already Count as Home Insurance?”
This is one of the most common misconceptions of homeowners. Many people think, “I already have DASK insurance; I don’t need any other insurance.” However, this thinking unknowingly leaves a significant gap.
DASK and home insurance are not alternatives; on the contrary, they should be considered two complementary insurance policies.
Let’s explain this with a simple example:
- DASK protects the backbone of your building. This means it comes into play if structural parts like columns, beams, or foundations suffer earthquake-related damage. It’s mandatory, but its coverage is limited.
- Home insurance, on the other hand, covers the interior of your home, your belongings, and many other risks you might encounter in your daily life. It’s not mandatory, but its coverage is quite broad.
Therefore, in the event of an earthquake, DASK covers cracks in the wall or structural damage to the building. However, you won’t receive any payment from DASK for your broken television, damaged furniture, exploding boiler, or kitchen appliances.
Let Me Explain the Difference with a Real-Life Example
Let’s consider a concrete scenario. Imagine a powerful earthquake strikes your area. After the tremor, you return home and find cracks in some of the walls. The kitchen cabinets have moved, the television has fallen to the floor, dishes have shattered, and your boiler is no longer working.
How does this work?
DASK only covers structural damage occurring in the supporting parts of a building. This means structural issues such as cracks in walls, damage to columns or beams are covered by DASK.
However, DASK does not cover your television, kitchen cabinets, boiler, or other personal belongings in your home. No payment is made for them.
This refers to home insurance. If your policy includes earthquake coverage, your belongings and furniture damaged by an earthquake may be covered by DASK.
DASK and Home Insurance Have Different Functions, But Together They Provide Complete Security
In short, it’s easy to see that these two insurance policies are actually complementary.
DASK is a government-mandated insurance policy that covers only structural damage caused by earthquakes.
Home insurance, on the other hand, is optional but offers much broader protection; it can cover a wide range of potential risks, from earthquakes to fire, theft to floods.
DASK insures the main structure of a building, while home insurance protects both the structure and its contents, providing security that extends to daily life.
Owning a home is often the result of a long process, planning, effort, and dreams. Simply purchasing the “essentials” may not be enough to protect a space you value so much. To feel truly secure, you need to consider your home and the life within it as a whole.
