Is Animal Nuisance Covered by Homeowners Insurance?

Even though it might be fun to watch animals wander into your backyard, these furry critters Animals can pose a huge threat to your property. A deer might jump through your glass patio doors, a bear might tear apart your fence. In some cases, even your dog or cat might damage your possessions.

When an animal causes property damage, you might wonder if your homeowners insurance will cover the repair costs. On the one hand, your policy will often provide some protection against animal nuisances. Still, there are limits to how far coverage will reach. Read on to learn more. a small brown animal standing on grass

Structural Damage Caused by Animals

Both the dwelling insurance and other structures coverage in your homeowners policy will usually include animal nuisance coverage. Dwelling insurance covers the home itself, while other structures coverage applies to detached buildings like fences or storage sheds.

An example of where this coverage might apply is if a deer jumps through your sliding-glass door. Your plan will likely pay to repair or replace the damaged structure. However, both the policy limits and deductibles within your coverage will affect your settlement value. For example, if the damage cost falls below your deductible, you would be responsible for paying for the repair costs out of pocket. If the repair cost exceeds your deductible, you would be responsible for paying your deductible, but then insurance would cover the rest of the repairs.

Possession Damage Caused by Animals

If an animal were to damage your personal possessions—either on the interior or exterior of the home—your homeowners insurance is not likely to cover the damage. For example, if a deer were to get into your garage and damage both the structure and the machinery housed within, the structure damage would likely be covered, while the possessions damage may not be covered.

Exclusions to Animal Nuisance Coverage

Your homeowners coverage probably won’t cover all cases of animal damage. In many cases, policies will not provide coverage for any damage caused by household pets. Some policies also exclude damage done by domestic animals like cows, chickens or pigs.

Additionally, policies generally provide very limited coverage—if any—for damage done by small pests (e.g., birds, rodents, squirrels or termites). For example, you might be able to make a claim if a bird flies through your front window. However, if rodents nest in your home and do damage, your policy will likely not pay for that claim. To keep pest damage risks low, homeowners should have regular pest treatments.

Animal nuisances will have coverage under your homeowners insurance, even though this protection is not all-encompassing. Work with your Insurance Station agent to ensure that your policy is as far-reaching as possible in the face of these risks.

Is Animal Nuisance Covered by Homeowners Insurance?

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