Will your homeowners insurance pay for squirrel damage?

You should check your homeowners insurance when dealing with a squirrel problem, particularly squirrel damage. The destruction these small creatures can leave in their wake is extensive, and the repair works can cost many hundreds, and sometimes even thousands of dollars. This is even more so the case if the squirrel problem has gone undetected for a long period of time, or if the squirrel nest is particularly large - with lots of babies. You may find that there is damage to the exterior of your home - a smaller crack or crevice gnawed larger by the squirrel, for example, and they will rip up insulation in your walls and attic to make their nests, as well as chewing through any electrical wiring that gets in their way. They'll use various areas of the attic or walls for a bathroom space, and this can lead to serious door problems, as well as the threat of various diseases. If you have a look through your insurance policy, you will generally spot that the repairs will be covered if the damage is unexpected and sudden with most companies. If the damage caused is gradual - over many months or years, for example, there is a good chance you will not be covered. This is because it is down to you - the homeowner - to perform inspections on your own property to ensure that it is kept up to scratch. Regular maintenance and inspections of the property would have alerted you to your squirrel problem sooner, and that would have prevented a lot of the gradual damage that would have been caused.



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Squirrels can cost land owners millions of dollars annually not only to their houses, but also their yards, vehicles, and other property. The damage can often be as straightforward as feces and droppings damaging a paint job on your house, bike, or car. Other times it can be a huge problem like squirrels, completely destroying the expensive wiring or piping in your home with their non-stop chewing. Squirrels can ravage your beautiful and costly landscaping job in just one night. Squirrels can also chew or claw through water pipes, electrical conduit, and septic lines. Excrement from squirrels has been known to destroy expensive insulation and can rot your floorboards, siding, and dry wall. Access holes that squirrels are known to chew through roofing, walls, baseboards, and soffits also tends to let in the elements like cold, wind, and rain causing even more damage to your precious home.

Often squirrels tend to pose a real danger to you, your pets and other people because of the danger of pests and diseases. All the destruction caused by squirrels can not only be costly but can also cause hardship for your family. Most homeowners carry comprehensive insurance on their homes and property. If you are one of these policy holders, you are probably covered for these damages caused by the neighborhood family of squirrel. If your faithful hound has a moment of poor judgment, and leaves you with a trashed couch and ripped screen door, you insurance will most likely be of no help. But, when that crazy feral squirrel damages your property and trashes your yard, you probably have a serious legal claim for damages.

If a squirrel goes on a rampage in your garage, and destroys personal belongings like family albums and Christmas decorations, chances are these will not usually be covered by insurance , however, any damage that occurs to the to the structure itself as a result of the squirrel is most likely included in your insurance coverage. While damage to your home and belongings by squirrels is often covered, keep in mind that much like your beloved pets, damage to your home caused by insects, many other types of rodents , a large variety of wildlife, or most birds is not. Standard policies will not typically cover you through a variety of run of the mill problems. It is also the unfortunate truth that the massive damage often caused by wild animal infestations or the waste they leave behind is also excluded from standard homeowner's coverage.

You can make amendments to standard policies that are under written in if you reside in an area that is known for its problems with wild animal. Rather than wait for a problem to discover that you are, in fact, underinsured, speak with your agent. Always remember that Prevention is by far the best policy when dealing with serious animal problems. Be sure to maintain your yard and the areas surrounding your home. Try to remove any objects that would be tempting nesting areas for squirrels and other creatures. Meet as soon as possible with your agent for a policy review to assure that you understand your homeowner's policy and what it covers. If you have squirrel damages and your policy will cover it, be sure to file your claim as soon as the damages are discovered.


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