A surprising number of Minnesota homeowners assume their primary home insurance policy automatically extends to a seasonal cabin or lake property. It usually doesn’t u2014 secondary and seasonal properties typically need their own dwelling policy, with different terms around vacancy periods and water-related damage.
Before closing on a cabin, ask specifically about vacancy clauses (some standard policies void coverage after 30-60 days unoccupied), dock and boathouse coverage, and whether flood risk near the shoreline is excluded. These are the details that turn into expensive surprises at claim time if they’re not sorted out up front.