Especially in the colder months, rodents seek out alternative shelter and it is common for rodents to find their way into homes. Having rodents in your home can not only be disturbing and unsanitary, but also unsafe.
**If you are currently dealing with rodent’s in your house, see How To Get Rid of Rats In Your House for help!
Rodents carry a very large number of human infectious diseases, which makes them dangerous to humans (see Why Rats are Dangerous). In addition, rodent teeth continually grow, so they need to be constantly chewing on things to keep their teeth trimmed.
If you allow a rodent infestation in your home to persist, not only will they multiply super quick, but it is highly likely that it will result in structural damage to your home.
The question then becomes:
Does homeowners insurance cover rodent damage?
Now, this is a bit of a tricky question, but the vast majority of cases will be, no. Homeowners insurance policies typically list out certain scenarios as “covered events” and anything not included in this list is typically not covered.
Depending on the type of policy you have, there might be an excluded section contained within, and in this section, vermin damage is typically listed.
There may be an option to add vermin damage to a homeowners insurance policy as a rider, but you would have had to voluntarily sign up for this coverage and most likely pay a premium for it.
With that said, I have heard of cases where fires or water damage that were a result of rodent damage are covered, but only because the home owner was not aware of an existing rodent problem. If the homeowner was aware of the rodent infestation and didn’t do anything about it, then the carrier may decline coverage.
Ultimately, you would want to talk to your agent to explain your situation to confirm or deny coverage.
I hope that this information was helpful! If you have any questions or concerns, please leave them in the comments section below.
Thank you!!
RKD
