Are you a member of AARP? I'm not -- but if I were eligible you can bet I'd be looking into this for myself. If you are an AARP member, you might not have noticed how mant benefits the company offers. One of the most important of these often-overlooked goodies is the homeowner's insurance program that AARP offers to its members. As a retiree, you can benefit from the group rates that the organization offers in conjunction with The Hartford Company. Following are some of the main benefits you can look for with an AARP homeowner's insurance policy.

Replacement Costs for Contents

Most standard homeowner's insurance policies do not offer replacement costs for your contents. With an AARP Hartford policy, though, depreciation is not a factor when replacing items like furniture, clothing and other contents of your home. That means you can replace your items with something similar instead of settling for a cheaper version of something that got damaged.

Lifetime Renewability

With an AARP Hartford homeowner's insurance policy, you have the option of lifetime renewability. That means your policy will never be canceled because of your age. After you've had your policy for 60 days, the company cannot cancel your coverage or refuse to renew it except in very rare instances.

Additional Limits Coverage

This type of coverage allows AARP Hartford policyholders the opportunity to purchase extra coverage over and above the normal limits.

Extra Valuables Coverage

If you have valuables in your home that a normal homeowners insurance policy would not cover, you can get Extra Valuables Coverage through the AARP Hartford. These types of policies are generally used for expensive jewelry, credit cards, furs and other expensive items. For a small fee added to your premium, you can even purchase protection for items that can access your bank accounts, such as a personal computer or laptop. In addition to that, you can even add coverage that would replace your broken locks after a break-in and also replace your spoiled food in case your power goes out for an extended period of time.

Private Boat Protection

The AARP Hartford offers a policy that covers your personal boat as long as it is smaller than 26 feet. If you want more than the typical $1,500 coverage in a standard boat policy, you can pay a few dollars more each month on your premium and get a policy that covers your boat, the furniture on it and the equipment. As a bonus, the policy covers the boat whether it gets damaged on the water or if it's parked in your driveway.

For retirees, homeowner's insurance policies really do not get much better than the AARP Hartford policies. In addition to having special group rates that retirees can take advantage of, they also offer certain types of coverage that is only available to members. If you haven't considered an AARP policy, speak with an agent and see if it's the best option for your insurance needs.