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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">You purchase home insurance to help financially protect you against the cost of repairs if your house gets damaged by life’s what-ifs. The good news is that your policy extends coverage well beyond the walls of your home, too. In many cases, that means that your home insurance will cover your fence in your yard.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Still, though, you do not get blanketed coverage for fence repairs from your homeowners insurance provider. The protection it extends to depends on why the fence was damaged, so it can be helpful to review your policy details. To make that easier, Bankrate summarized the key things you need to know about home insurance coverage for fences.</p>
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<h2 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-large-font-size">What part of a home insurance policy might cover fence damage?</h2>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Your home insurance policy includes different coverages, like dwelling insurance for your house itself and personal property coverage for your belongings. It also includes other structures coverage, which extends to things built on your property that do not attach to your home like sheds, detached garages and — you guessed it — fences.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">A standard home insurance policy provides you with other structures coverage, typically 10%<br>of your overall dwelling coverage, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I). So if your dwelling is insured for $400,000, you most likely have $40,000 in other structures coverage that can go toward things like fence repairs if damaged from a covered claim. The specific amount of other structures coverage is listed on the declaration page of your homeowners policy.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">As you look over your policy, it can also be beneficial to review to the covered perils, which are the instances in which your homeowners insurance will cover expenses. Almost all home insurance policies will provide coverage for fire, theft and windstorm claims, for example, but usually exclude coverage for floods and earthquakes.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Generally, policies fall into two categories: those that cover named perils and those covering open perils. If you have a named-perils policy, your home insurance covers damage whenever something specifically listed or named in your policy occurs. With open perils, you get coverage unless the incident is specifically excluded.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">In both cases, you would still have a deductible apply in the event of the claim. This means that the deductible amount you chose will be deducted from your insurance provider’s claim payout amount.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Look over your policy to understand when you would have protection — and what may be excluded. To get you started, we summarized some common instances of fence damage and whether or not they are considered insured losses.</p>
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<h2 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-large-font-size">What kind of fence damage is covered by home insurance?</h2>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Here is a quick look at some of the most common causes of fence damage and whether or not you could file a home insurance claim for them.</p>
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<h3 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><strong>Wear and tear</strong></h3>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Wear and tear is not covered by home insurance for your fence or any other part of your home. Your homeowners insurance company holds you responsible for performing the required maintenance around your home.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">In fact, if you neglect maintenance, your claim could be denied. Say a strong wind blows over your fence. If your home insurance company finds that the fence was already falling apart because you were not maintaining it properly, coverage will most likely be denied.</p>
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<h3 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><strong>Tree falls on the fence</strong></h3>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Whether the tree was on your property or your neighbors, you can file a claim through your home insurance, according to the Triple-I. If the tree is on your neighbor’s property and your insurance company finds that the limb or tree fell because your neighbor was negligent in their tree maintenance, it may try to recover the costs from your neighbor’s insurer.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">The same can hold true for you: if you fail to properly maintain your trees and one falls or drops a limb on your fence, your insurance company might deny coverage.</p>
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<h3 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><strong>Storms</strong></h3>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Standard home insurance policies offer coverage for repairs of damaged fences after a windstorm, hailstorm or a lightning strike.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">But if you live in a coastal area, especially if you are prone to hurricanes, your policy might exclude wind damage to fences from named tropical cyclones. Review your policy specifics to see if you should seek out a windstorm insurance endorsement or your policy may already include a separate windstorm deductible for named storms. A “hurricane deductible” is typically 1% to 5% of your home’s insured value.</p>
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<h3 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><strong>Vandalism</strong></h3>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Homeowners insurance usually covers vandalism. So if your fence gets damaged by vandals or graffitied, your policy should pay out for the necessary repairs (up to your policy limits).</p>
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<h3 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><strong>A car hit the fence</strong></h3>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">While your home insurance can pay for repairs to a fence hit by a vehicle, you may also use the responsible driver’s property damage liability coverage, which is required in most states. In other words, because the damage is their fault, their car insurance liability coverage should pay for the property damage they caused to your fence.</p>
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<h3 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><strong>Termites</strong></h3>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Termites, along with all other pests and infestations, are not covered by homeowners insurance. Your home insurance company considers termite damage a home maintenance issue, which means you will need to cover the cost of getting rid of the termites and repairing your fence.</p>
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<h2 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-large-font-size">How do you file a claim for fence damage?</h2>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Start by gathering evidence. Before you tackle any repairs or clean up, take pictures of the fence.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Then, determine if you want to contact your home insurance company. It may want to send a claims adjuster out to look at the fence before you start repairs or ask you to submit photos of the damage via its mobile app or claims website.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">The main thing to consider here is your deductible. Say your home insurance deductible is $500. If you think the fence will only cost a couple hundred dollars to repair, you may want to skip filing a claim. Why? You would still be responsible for the repairs up to $500, and filing a claim can cause the cost of your home insurance to increase.</p>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">If you think the damage will exceed your deductible and consequently want to file a home insurance claim, you can usually start the claims process by calling your insurance company or insurance agent, submitting the claim online via the insured’s website or through the insurer’s mobile app. Your insurance provider should give you the next steps for your claim.</p>
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<h2 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-large-font-size">FAQs</h2>
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<h3 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><strong>Should I tell my home insurance company if I change my fence?</strong></h3>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">If you are cosmetically updating your fence, you probably do not need to notify your insurance provider. But if you plan to upgrade your fence and think the cost could cause you to be underinsured with your other structures coverage, you should review your policy details and speak to your insurance agent about your new fence so that you have adequate protection.</p>
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<h3 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><strong>What else is covered under other structures coverage?</strong></h3>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">As its name suggests, this coverage extends to structures on your property that are not attached to your house. That could be a fully finished detached garage or a simple backyard shed. Other structures also typically provides coverage for in-ground pools, driveways and gazebos.</p>
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<h3 class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><strong>Do I have enough other structures coverage?</strong></h3>
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<p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size">Remember that you usually get up to 10% of your dwelling insurance amount for other structures coverage. If you have multiple other structures or high-value ones, like in-law quarters with a kitchen and bath or an extremely long fence, the standard coverage limit might not be enough. In that case, contact your insurance professional to determine if you can increase your other structures coverage policy limit.</p>
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<p>To read the full article, <a href="https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/homeowners-insurance/does-home-insurance-cover-fencing/?itm_source=parsely-api">click here.</a></p>
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