Rodent infestation is a matter of great concern for homeowners. Besides causing health risks, rodent damage can set you back financially. While, typically, homeowners insurance does not cover the damage that rodents cause to your home and belongings, there may be a few instances when your homeowners insurance may cover rodent damage.
This blog discusses the types of rodent damage, ways to prevent rodent damage, and whether homeowners insurance covers rodent damage and rodent removal costs.
It's known that rodents can cause extensive damage to your home in several ways and spread bacteria responsible for deadly diseases such as salmonellosis, hantavirus, and leptospirosis.
The different types of rodent damage include:
Rodents use sharp teeth to chew a wide range of building materials, including wood. They can even gnaw on brick and stone or other equally challenging surfaces and chip away the material, causing damage to the structure.
To create nesting spaces and access food and warmth, they often chew the insulation coating on the electrical wiring that runs through your home. The exposed electrical wires may pose a severe threat to your safety.
While searching for food, they get into unwashed dishes, dustbins, bags, containers, and food boxes. Even if they aren't able to open air-tight jars, they contaminate the jar surfaces and all other surfaces in your kitchen and pantry.
While exploring your home, they spread urine, feces, and germs throughout the interiors of your home. It may trigger health risks ranging from allergies to deadly diseases. Also, they chew through the furniture, appliances, furnishings, clothes, important documents, and other personal possessions, causing immense financial loss.
In most cases, homeowners insurance does not cover damage by rodent infestation. It is because it is considered a preventable hazard that cannot be classified as accidental but happens due to your negligence in home maintenance.
However, your homeowners insurance may cover the damages if the rodent infestation causes a covered risk such as fire, smoke, or accidental water damage.
If your home has been infected with rodents, your homeowners insurance won't cover its extermination costs. However, if you can prove that the rodent infestation in your home was sudden and due to a covered peril, your insurance may cover rodent removal costs. For example, damage to your home's roof or other structure due to heavy wind or lightning left them exposed, causing a sudden rodent infestation.
As homeowners, you can take several practical steps to avoid rodent menace in your home, such as:
Jack Stone Insurance Agency offers tailor-made homeowners insurance based on your unique lifestyle, assets, and budget. Contact us today to know how we can help you get maximum protection for your home. Call us at 925-392-8365 to get started.
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