Are Wild Animal Damages Covered by Homeowner’s Insurance?

Accidental damage done to a home or property by wild animals may not always be covered by an average homeowners’ insurance policy. It is common for insurance plans exclude any home or property damage caused by vermin and wild animals. In most cases, a person can request extra coverage for these potential circumstances; but it is not likely to cross someone’s mind when buying a home. It is recommended for anyone purchasing new property or updating a home insurance policy to suggest animal damage coverage in their policies. This question is especially important for homes and buildings near wooded lots. Continue reading to learn more about homeowner’s insurance policies and how they work in correspondence to animal damages and property destruction.

Structural Damages Caused By Wild Animals

Animal damage can be costly and expensive. New construction, labor costs, and blueprints can become overwhelming all too fast. Also, the expenses associated with repairing structural damages caused by animals can add up quick. The amount of money and time it takes to facilitate these kinds of projects is intimidating, so it is no wonder people have been asking this question for so long.

Although it is possible for some plans to not include it; in most homeowner’s insurance policies, wild animal damages are actually covered so long as they are not caused by rodents or vermin. Animals such as raccoons, opossums, squirrels, bats, pigeons, and skunks are not considered vermin or rodents. Rodents and vermin are mainly defined as mice or rats. The damages have to be a one-time infraction, and claimed immediately, to avoid loss of coverage due to procrastination. Again, this is in most cases but not all.

Possible Animal Damage Insurance Claims and Outcomes

Let’s say a person is on vacation, and an opossum chews through their gas line under the home. This creates a gas leak and inevitably a fire. Although no one is harmed, the home is engulfed and destroyed by the fire. Is this person covered? If their policy states so, this person is covered because the damage is a one-time identifiable event, and the animal was not a rodent. In another scenario, a man notices a foul smell emitting from his ceiling, along with mysterious scratching noises at night. This goes on for several weeks until he discovers a raccoon colony living in his attic. Because the raccoons broke in weeks ago, allowing the damages to mass accumulate, the insurance company may fight to cover only partial amounts of damage, insisting that he didn’t take action in due time.

For more information about animal damages and insurance coverage in Louisville, Kentucky, call 502-553-7622 today. Our company retains highly experienced and knowledgeable wildlife control technicians with decades of experience in the animal removal and restoration industry. We are happy to answer any questions you have about raccoon removal, animal control, and structural damage restoration. Visit our website at https://www.raccoonremovallouisvilleky.com/raccoon-damage-insurance-claims-louisville.php for details about this topic and more. Call our professional wild animal control technicians for friendly and effective wildlife removal services in Louisville, KY.