Does Insurance Cover Termite Damage?

A home is your biggest investment and a vital factor in your family’s future security. That is why protecting it from damage and being able to make repairs if they should occur is so important. Home insurance is a critical factor in your family’s financial security. However, thinking that your home is completely protected because you have comprehensive homeowners insurance coverage is a mistake. A typical homeowners insurance policy will have many exclusions – things that are not covered under the policy. In most cases, one of these exclusions is termite damage. It is important to check the wording of your insurance policy carefully. Even if it does not explicitly say that termite damage is not covered, that clause may be hidden away among the exclusions or in the fine print.

Why It's Not Covered

Insurance is typically designed to protect the policyholder from loss or damage that is beyond his control. That means earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires and so on. Insurance companies consider termite damage to be controllable and preventable so their policies do not cover this kind of damage or loss which could run into thousands of dollars.

Also Read: Is Tenting the Best Way to Remove Termites?

The Cost of Termite Damage

If your home has a termite infestation in the future, the cost of repairing the damage that is done could run to thousands of dollars. That is not an exaggeration. The average cost of termite damage repair normally starts at around $500 and in some cases, it can go up to over $35,000. That is not a risk that anyone wants to take.

In addition to the damage to the house itself, termites may cause major damage to wooden furniture or valuables in the house, and to the furnishings and other cellulose-based materials. Then, there is also the potential health risk to those living in the house. While termites themselves do not normally attack humans, their presence is dangerous. In some cases, termites may sting or bite humans which can result in bacteria or other harmful substances entering the wound and infecting it. In the worst case, the infection could turn serious enough to require hospitalization.

If your home suffers serious termite damage, you may have to move out while repairs are being done. That could result in huge accommodation and food bills. Then, there is also the cost in terms of time and the hassles that come from having to stay in temporary accommodation. Add it all up and the bill could be huge.

If you want to maximize the protection of your home from threats, then you need to use a termite control company to check for any infestations, remove any infestation that may be found and then do preventive treatment to keep the pests from entering your home in the future. The cost of termite extermination and preventing future infestations is not as high as you may think. And when it is balanced against the possibly huge termite damage repair bills, professional termite protection is the smart course of action to pursue.