Home Insurance Articles
Three Common Items That Are Not Typically Covered By Home Insurance
2010-09-03
You get a home insurance quote and it sounds like a good deal, but before you sign up be sure to know what is not covered under your policy. Common item coverage in a homeowner's policy does not cover everything you might expect. You may be surprised to know that almost all policies exclude certain items. Most of these items are things you can buy insurance for, like flooding. Others are issues of maintenance or pest control.
If an appliance breaks down or your wood floor is damaged from foot traffic it is considered by the insurance company to be wear and tear or a manufacturer's defect, neither of which is common item coverage under your homeowner's policy. When buying a new home get a home inspection so you know what you are getting into. You can also buy a home warranty for major appliances. In a new home there may be a builder's warranty available. The same principle is applied to termite or rodent damage since the insurer sees this as insufficient maintenance and so it is not covered under your policy.
When your dog chews up the carpet or scratches your wood doors then you are responsible for the cost of the repairs. Common item coverage under your homeowner's policy does not include damage caused by any pet. The only coverage you may have regarding your pet is if he bites or injures someone on your property. Most policies have liability protection as part of the benefits. Investing in pet training or a cage for sleeping could protect your home and your pocketbook.
Add a "dwelling foundation" rider to your home insurance quote and you might assume that any problems with the foundation would be covered under your policy. This rider is intended to cover water damage under the foundation in the event of a plumbing problem. The plumbing itself is not covered though. If the foundation is simply shifting, settling or cracking then it is not covered under your homeowner's policy. If you notice cracks in the mortar between the bricks, cracks on walls inside the home or a split in the foundation yourself you may simply have a foundation problem and the insurance company will not pay for the repairs.
There are many other things that are normally excluded from the common item coverage of a homeowner's insurance policy such as flooding, power surges and earthquake damage. When getting a home insurance quote ask specifically what is covered so that you know whether to purchase additional insurance, buy a homeowner's warranty, add additional maintenance to your home, or simply be aware of what you might have to pay for in the future.