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Can You Make a Claim for Animal Damages under Your Home Insurance Plan?

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A homeowners insurance plan is a very handy form of general insurance. The plan provides for several damages to your property, including animal damages. Animal damages can happen when wild animals enter your property and cause harm. From broken fences to trampled walls, people living in areas where wild animals roam around face many issues. To save yourself from the financial losses that occur due to these events, get a good home insurance plan. Read on to know more.

Does homeowner’s insurance cover undomesticated animal damage?

Yes, damage caused by wild animals is covered under the animal damage over in a homeowners insurance plan. If you live in a forest area and have wild animals walking around, there are some good chances of a tusker getting into your compound. If the animal goes on a rampage, he can cause severe damage and knock off walls, trample gates and even break your fences, doors and windows. This is an example of an animal attacking a house and these incidents are not unheard of. Stay protected by buying a home insurance plan with an animal damage cover in it. You can then keep your property protected against such attacks.

It is very important to remember that the insurer will only cover damages to the parts of the property that are covered under the original policy terms. Usually, external structures that are not attached to the house, such as an external garage or a gazebo in the garden, are not covered under the home insurance plan. So, when a wild animal damages those external structures, the insurance provider is not liable to honour the claim. Also, any personal belongings such as vehicles or decorative structures, are not covered under this policy.

Does homeowner’s insurance cover insect infestations?

No, most insurance providers do not offer protection against insect infestations because they feel these situations are preventable. If there are termites in the house causing damage to the furniture or even the structure of the house, you can call a good pest control service to check the matter. Since it is an issue that can be resolved, your home insurance policy won't cover any damages coming out of an insect infestation.

Similarly, rodent infestations are not covered either. Rodent infestations are very common and house mice and rats cause several issues. For instance, if rodents get into your kitchen, they can chew through wires, cabinets and even the woodwork. This can cause significant damage to your house and the repairs can be very expensive. However, such damages are preventable. You can hire a good pest control service and ask them to tackle the rodent problem at regular intervals. Hence, because they are preventable, insect and rodent infestations are not covered under a homeowners insurance cover.

Does homeowner’s insurance cover household pet damage?

In most cases, home policies do not offer coverage against pet animal damages. But if your homeowners insurance plan has a provision for personal belongings cover, you may be able to make a claim for pet damage. However, this will be quite limited. For example, if your dog chews through the seat of your expensive Italian leather sofa, you can make a claim under the loss of personal belongings. However, if the outbreaks a window or chews through a part of the wooden door, you cannot make a claim for it on a home insurance policy. Read the clauses carefully to understand the scope of cover under this overhead.

Reasons to invest in home insurance

While all the specific covers under the animal damage benefit may not be available in the Indian home insurance plans, you should still consider getting a home insurance plan on priority. This is because:

● Keeps your home safe:

Life is unpredictable and you never know what trouble may fall upon you. If there is a fire accident, an earthquake or a flood, your house can get totally ruined in a matter of a few minutes. At such a time, a home plan will help pay for the damages so that you can rebuild the house and make it liveable again.

● Protects your belongings:

The house isn't just the four walls it becomes a home when you decorate the place as per your preferences. The home insurance plans protect your personal belongings too, keeping them safe from damage and theft.

● Protects your money:

And last but not the least, you get to keep your money protected when you invest in home insurance. The claim amount you get from the plan helps you to repair your house after damage. This prevents you from dipping into your own savings and in this manner, you are able to save a lot of money.

Conclusion

A house is one of the biggest and most awaited assets of a person’s life. Most people buy their dream home after a lot of hard work and struggle. This is why a house is the owner’s pride. A house also offers safety to the entire family and works as a priceless blessing to the family. A house lasts for years and many generations benefit from it. If you have bought or built your dream home, get a good homeowners insurance plan and keep your prized possession safe from all dangers, including animal damage. Read the fine print carefully to see what exact covers are available under the plan. Note here that every home insurance policy in India may not include the animal damage cover, so speak to your insurance provider and see what covers are exactly available under the policy coverage.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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