Your gutters play an important role in keeping your home safe. Even when you have home insurance, clearing out your gutters and ensuring there are no blockages is essential.
Home insurance does cover damage to your gutters, as long as it is not seen as preventable damage. This is why maintaining your gutters is a necessity, and making sure they are functioning correctly will prevent you from experiencing a denied claim.
- Homeowners insurance covers gutters if the damage was not preventable by the homeowner
- Denied claims often arise because gutters were not cleaned or replaced properly
- Taking care of your gutters makes your home safer and provides a drainage route for debris
Situations when home insurance covers gutters
- Windstorm. If there is a windstorm that dislodges your gutters and breaks them in the process, this would be a situation where home insurance will cover the gutters, as wind is a covered peril on a home insurance policy.
- Hail. Hail is another covered peril on a home insurance policy. If the gutters are damaged from hail, the coverage does extend during this situation.
- Fire. If your roof catches fire and ruins your gutters, this is another covered peril under a home insurance policy. You will be able to replace your gutters with the help of filing an insurance claim.
- Fallen trees and branches. Tree branches can dislodge and break gutters. Since falling objects are covered under a home insurance policy, you would be able to get this coverage to extend to the gutters if any damage occurs.
The main factor that insurers take into account is how the gutters are damaged. As long as a covered peril is the reason why the gutters need to be repaired or replaced, they will likely approve your claim if you must file one.
Common reasons home insurance will not cover gutters
Claims that deal with gutters are often denied for a few common reasons. Learning more about these reasons will help you realize what you can do to better protect your home and keep your gutters clean.
- If the gutters are loose and detached from the home, this is seen as the responsibility of the homeowner. Insurance will not cover this damage because it can be prevented by the homeowner re-stabilizing the gutters and making sure they are working properly.
- When your home has existing damage from sitting water as a result of blocked gutters, this is another instance when insurance companies will deny claims. It is the responsibility of the homeowner to get their gutters clean so debris can flow through them as intended.
- A pest infestation can cause damage to gutters, but this is not covered by insurance. The homeowner should hire a professional exterminator to take care of this issue by eliminating the pests.
Your home is much stronger when its gutters are working properly and fastened securely. To make sure your claim does not get denied, keeping them clear and functional is how to better protect your home from any incidents that can occur.
