After years of apartment living, I finally found the perfect home for me and my family. After I had taken possession of the house -- and a few weeks before we moved in -- I decided to do some yard work. A few days later, a neighbour's child pulled the covering off an excavated trench that I was working on, fell in, and sustained head injuries. Now the neighbour is saying the hazard should have been better protected, and they are blaming me for the injury. I am sick with worry that they will sue. If they do, will my insurance cover me, even though I hadn't moved into the house yet? At the time of the accident, I had only tenants' insurance. -- Hapless Homeowner

Dear Hapless:

While you may think you have dug yourself into a pretty deep hole, your home insurance will rescue you.

Your insurance policy -- either homeowners' or tenants' -- refers to coverage of the "premises." This includes not only your current residence, but also a newly acquired one, for a period of up to 30 days. This "bonus" coverage -- kind of like a "two-for-one" deal -- starts on the date you take possession of your new residence, and continues for 30 days or until the expiration date of your current policy, whichever comes first. Your other residence -- your apartment -- is also covered during this period.

If your neighbour does sue you, you can call on the liability portion of your insurance policy, which is part of every homeowners' or tenants' package policy. It will pay, not only the amount for which you are judged to be at fault, but also the cost of any legal defence.

So you're covered, but make sure that trench is too!