Home insurance covers chimney repairs if the damage is caused by a covered loss, but chimney damage resulting from normal wear and tear and. Homeowners insurance generally covers chimney repair if the damage is caused by a covered hazard. Covered risks often include unexpected and sudden events, such as lightning strikes, fires, and storm damage. For example, if lightning struck the chimney and caused it to crack or lean, your insurance will likely cover repair costs.
Likewise, if a tree falls on the chimney during a storm, repairing the damage is usually covered. When it comes to covering chimney damage, your homeowners insurance policy will likely cover repairs, replacement, or even complete reconstruction of the chimney, if necessary. The policy also covers any cleaning or debris removal that the process involves. Of course, coverage for repair processes only applies if the original damage is the result of a covered hazard.
Home insurance is designed to protect against sudden and unexpected damage. If a severe storm causes a tree branch to crash into the chimney or if lightning strikes and cracks the structure, your policy will likely help cover repairs. Likewise, if a fire damages your chimney or surrounding areas of your home, you can usually expect insurance to step in. There are even people who never do any repairs; they just look at the chimneys and say there's no problem and get paid for the service call.
However, if the chimney fire was due to negligence and poor maintenance, your insurance company may not cover the damage, so it's a good idea to keep your chimney free of soot and anything else that could cause unexpected fires. Homeowners insurance can also cover chimneys that collapse due to the weight of sleet, ice, or snow, but it may not cover chimney repairs if they were already damaged before the collapse. If lightning strikes the chimney and causes it to shed bricks or lean, homeowners insurance would cover chimney repairs and damage to your home if it collapsed. Chimney Doctors is ready to help you process the insurance claim process for repairing your chimney's masonry.
Chimneys that are old, poorly maintained, or need improvement or improvement before damage occurs are generally not covered by insurance policies, for example, a chimney that collapses due to pre-existing structural defects. In addition to annual chimney cleaning, there are other good habits essential for chimney maintenance. Ultimately, the final decision about the scope of chimney repair in home insurance and when your chimney needs to be repaired is determined by your insurance policy, the company you're insured with, and the agent you're working with on a claim. One of the biggest obstacles you can face when filing an insurance claim for damage caused by a chimney is that the insurance company accuses you of neglecting the maintenance of the chimney and, therefore, of being satisfied with the damage caused.
But what happens if the chimney is damaged? At Ottawa Insurance Agency, which is proud to offer homeowners insurance to residents of the Zeeland, Michigan area, we often hear homeowners wondering if their homeowners insurance policy will cover chimney repairs. Then, after the appointment, you can send your full chimney inspection report to your insurance company. Because many types of chimney damage occur with the normal passage of time, or because the chimney was not properly maintained, many chimney claims are denied. Inspections can help identify problems before they worsen, while a chimney sweep removes soot, creosote and other blockages that could cause chimney fires.
Policygenius LLC (DBA Policygenius Services LLC in New York; DBA Policygenius Insurance Services in California) (“Policygenius”), a Delaware corporation with headquarters in New York, New York, is a licensed independent insurance broker.
