As a homeowner, you already know that pests can damage your property. Whether it's geese in the front yard, rodents in the attic, termites under the house, or roaches and ants scurrying across the counters and into the walls of your home, pests do damage to the home and are a danger to your family and pets as well.
Unfortunately, when you're looking at a home insurance compare site, they don't tell you that active pests in your home that aren't being treated by a pest control service can actually affect your homeowner's insurance. While these sites do help you to compare homeowners insurance rates through every insurance company on their site, they don't tell you whether they cover pest control services or not.
Once you've visited the site and found the right insurance company for your homeowners' insurance, you need to ask them what they cover. Then, read on below to find out how pests in your home and not having effective pest control can affect your homeowners insurance policy.
It can be more expensive to get homeowners insurance.
Sometimes, if an insurance company knows that you have a pest problem, they'll refuse to cover your home, to begin with. For example, if an insurance company sends an agent out to inspect your home, only to find that you have a yard full of Canada geese and a nest on your property, they may refuse to give you an insurance policy. Geese tear up the grass in your yard, leave droppings that contain bacteria and parasites, and can be a danger to your family and pets as they have been known to become aggressive in the past.
The insurance company will be concerned about people getting hurt by the geese on your property and about them destroying the property as well, and might turn you down for a homeowners insurance policy. Not only do you need a geese deterrent for businesses that you own, but you also need geese repellent and deterrents for your home as well. It's even possible that if the insurance company does agree to cover you, you'll have a higher deductible because of the geese on your personal property and higher monthly premiums.
Your insurance company may be unwilling to pay for repairs.
Issues that result from a pest infestation, whether it's geese on your golf course or termites under your home, can result in your insurance company being unwilling to pay for repairs. The insurance company could see it as a maintenance issue, no matter if you've met your deductible or not, and refuse because they say you've failed to maintain your property and home by letting the infestation get to the point where repairs are needed. It's best to have effective pest control options in place to show the insurance company, as well as for your own peace of mind.
Pests can cause real structural damage.
Whether they're geese, termites, or rats and mice, pests can cause real structural damage to a home and property. Your insurance company may not be willing to cover that structural damage if you don't have some proof of using pest control methods, such as geese deterrents, repellents, and a reputable pest control service. There are quite a few pests that can cause real structural damage, the damage that your deductible can't even begin to cover. Whether it's Canada geese or termites, your insurance company is going to want proof that you've done everything you can to fix the problem before they pay for repairs through your home insurance policy.
Homeowners insurance is something that every homeowner needs to pay for repairs, replacement, and even natural disasters that rock your home. If you want your homeowners insurance to pay for personal property damage such as pests and Canada geese that have destroyed your lawn, then you need to make sure you have geese deterrents and reputable pest control in place to show them the proof when it's asked for.