We contend that she is a roomer and as such, or insured's homeowners policy does not cover her property. However, a public adjuster claims that she is just a guest and not a "tenant, roomer, or boarder," and that her property should be covered by our policy.

Ohio Subscriber

Since the terms tenant, roomer, and boarder are not defined in the policy, we need to turn to a standard desk top dictionary. According to Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, these terms all involve the payment of rent in exchange for a place to stay. If the woman in this case was not paying rent to your insured, then she does not meet any of these criteria. She was invited to live in the home, and without a prior arrangement for rent or reimbursement it is hard to make a case for her being anything other than a guest. In this instance, she is just a visitor and her personal property is covered by the insured's homeowners policy.

 Remember that the homeowners policy promises to cover, at the insured's request, the property of others while it is on that portion of the residence premises occupied by the named insured. Since the woman is not a tenant, roomer, or boarder, the portion of the house where she is living cannot be distinguished from that portion occupied by the named insured. He occupies the entire house and her property is covered there.