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Do I need specialist home insurance for my fence and gates?
However, if you feel that you need more coverage that the available benefits, then there are endorsements that can help you increase your other structures coverage. The cold weather brings with it a lot that can compromise your fence’s health. If water collects on your fence, freezing and causing it to topple, this won’t be covered by your insurer. If frozen slush melts on your fence and causes damage, this won’t be covered either.
For example, if a thunderstorm or fire caused the tree to fall, then your fence is covered. Your home insurance policy includes different coverage types, like dwelling insurance for your house itself and personal property coverage for your belongings. It also usually includes other structures coverage, which extends to things built on your property that do not attach to your home like sheds, detached garages and — you guessed it — fences. Most states require drivers to carry liability insurance, which pays to repair others' property the driver damages in an accident, among other things.
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However, if the damage is caused by wear and tear or lack of upkeep, it’s likely not covered. Your home insurance company considers termites a home maintenance to-do for you, which means you will need to cover the cost of getting rid of the termites and repairing your fence. While homeowners insurance will cover the fence in the event of a vehicle collision, you may want to file a claim with the driver’s car insurance instead. After the accident, call the police and exchange insurance information with the driver.
What home renovations can change the amount of coverage you need? We cover six common scenarios that could affect your insurance, so you can plan ahead. Whether this is covered or not depends on the reason why your tree toppled in the first place.
What Fence Damages Causes are Typically Covered?
A standard homeowners insurance policy typically covers your fence if it is damaged by a sudden peril, like storms, fallen trees, or vandalism. If you’re changing your fence or updating it for cosmetic reasons, you typically do not need to notify your insurance provider of the changes unless they add value to the fence. In that case, you may want to review your policy details and speak to your insurance agent about your new fence to ensure that you have adequate protection. If a neighbor's tree falls on a policyholder's fence, the policyholder can file an insurance claim with their own insurance company. The insurer will likely pay out the claim and may pursue the neighbor for damages. Alternatively, the neighbor might agree to file a claim with their homeowners insurance to cover the costs.
Most commonly, your house and fence – or “other structure” – is covered if a healthy tree falls on top of it. But if the tree was rotting or diseased because of your negligence, the claim may be denied or reduced. While most home insurance policies will offer some protection for external structures, there’ll be a limit on the amount you can claim for.
When damaged fence is not covered by homeowners insurance
Let’s put all our cards on the table, so you’re prepared when it comes to fence-related scenarios your homeowners insurance likely won’t cover. Here’s some good news—if a random driver took a wrong turn and drove into your fence by accident, your homeowners insurance will likely come to your rescue and cover the fence repairs. If you do have an unfortunate crash, your homeowners insurance will likely cover the fence’s damage. If your house collapses due to a fire, windstorm, or hail, and buries your precious fence under it, your insurance would likely cover the latter damages as well. Homeowners insurance does not cover termites or any other pests or infestations.
Tree maintenance and care can help prevent damage to your property caused by falling dead tree limbs. While Coverage A protects your home itself, and any directly attached structures, Coverage B applies to all detached structures such as your sheds, gazebos, pools, free-standing garages—and fences. Here’s a quick overview of some common causes of fence damage, and how you can file a claim on your home insurance.
If the fallen tree was on your neighbor’s property, you should still file a claim with your insurance company, according to the Insurance Information Institute . Below are a few common causes of fence damage that home insurance covers. Yes, fences and other detached structures on your property, like a shed, are covered by the other structures coverage part of your homeowners policy. Wear and tear is not covered by home insurance for your fence or any other part of your home.
The resulting damage to your battered fence will likely be covered, but hopefully you and your neighbor are both taking steps to minimize the risk of tree damage to your property. It’s important to know the cause of your fence’s damage in order to understand if your insurance company would cover you or not. Both cases would have a deductible applied in the event that you need it.
They may ask you for receipts from your fence installation and to take pictures of the damages. Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, let’s first find the part in your homeowners policy that mentions damage to fences. Did you ignore a prior warning from your city to cut down the precarious tree? Its collapse and the subsequent fence-destruction are probably not covered by your insurance.
The answer, as usual, is it depends on what caused your fence to fall and the particulars of your homeowners policy. If you’re not sure, you can check with your insurer to see whether you need extra cover. If it’s a hit and run incident and the driver can’t be traced, you might be able to make a claim on your home insurance but it’s likely you’d lose your no-claims bonus. The driver’s insurers will be responsible for dealing with any claim for damage to your property. However, if you can prove they’ve been negligent by not taking good care of their tree or if they didn’t act when they knew it was unsafe, you may be able to make a claim on your policy.
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Other structures coverage usually extends to in-ground pools and driveways. In both cases, you would still have a deductible apply in the event of the claim. This means that the deductible amount you chose will be deducted from your insurance provider’s payout amount.
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