In short, no. The standard homeowners insurance policy will not cover termites. Although, there are some circumstances where your home insurance company may cover termite damage. Please keep in mind, those circumstances are very rare.
A standard homeowners insurance policy is designed to cover the structure of the home and your personal belongings. The cause of the damage has to be from a covered peril to be considered within your home insurance policy guidelines.
What is the reason behind termite damage not being covered under your home insurance policy
In terms of what’s covered under your homeowners insurance policy, the damage would have to come from an accidental and sudden event. It would also have to be a covered peril and stated within your personal home insurance policy.
Unfortunately, termites are not sudden. In addition, termites may be considered the result of negligence or poor maintenance. Both of which are not covered under a standard homeowners insurance policy.
Some of the more common home insurance covered perils
- Smoke
- Fire
- Hail
- Lightening storm
- Explosions
- Car accident
- Some water damage
- Theft
- Windstorms
Common perils usually not covered under your homeowners insurance policy;
- Flooding (if you need to protect your home from flooding please look into a flood insurance policy)
- Earthquakes (if you and your family need to protect your home in case of an earthquake, please look into earthquake insurance.
- Negligence and poor maintenance
- Power failure
- Bed bugs
- Termites
- Mold
- Sinkholes
- Mischievous acts
For the most part is something is preventable it more than likely will not be covered under your home insurance plan. You are expected to keep up with maintenance and take care of issue as they come up. Most home insurance companies are very specific in saying they will not pay out for negligence.
Examples of what an insurance company may determine to be preventable are termites, bed bugs, and other similar issues. These things are usually excluded from your homeowners insurance policy.
In what special circumstance may a homeowners insurance company cover termites
If by a strike of luck the termites are the result of damage caused by a covered peril you may be covered. If a sudden accident like a burst pipe causes your home to develop termites, the cause of the damage may be considered the water from the pipe breaking. If termites were the result of a situation like this you may be covered.
Obviously you would have to show proof that the termites would not exist if were not due to the pipe issue. If there is a possibility that you would have gotten termites whether the pipe broke or not, the coverage may be in question.
Overall the cause of the termites would have to be considered a covered peril. If this is the case there is a good chance you will be covered for termites.
If you have additional questions regarding your homeowners insurance, please give us a call. You can actually speak to a real agent live that can answer your important questions.