Does a standard home insurance policy cover the costs of bat removal?

Table of Content

• Will Homeowners Insurance Cover Damages Caused by Bats?
• Early American Cars—A Look Back in Time This Independence Day
• The Truth about Bats, Bat Damage & Your Homeowners Insurance
• To schedule a free inspection of your home, call us today at 407-295-7194.
• Is Bat Infestation and Damage Covered Under A Homeowners Policy?

If there was a lot of bat guano on the path that leads right to your front door, for example, it would be unreasonable to think that you wouldn't have seen it as you walked past. Birds, bats, and raccoons are three animals that you ARE usually covered by, with your homeowners insurance, but other animals, particularly rodents, are usually not covered. You will find information in your policy that goes by the name of “vermin clause” or “rodent clause”. Rats only come to a building when they are attracted there, such as when you leave garbage right outside the back door for days or weeks on end. According to Dr. and Mrs. Shackelford, they contracted with Terminix in 2015 to remove a bat infestation, which they allege constituted the first time that they were made aware of the bat problem.

My guess is that Jake from State Farm will not be showing advertisements with strange losses caused by bats. We are not affiliated with any one insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single insurance company. Never overpay for car insurance Jerry automatically shops for your insurance before every renewal. If you’re unsure, you can always call your insurance company. An agent should be happy to review your policy and give you more information. With bats come mites and bat bugs which can cause serious health complications.

Will Homeowners Insurance Cover Damages Caused by Bats?

Bats can also cause structural damage and their feces can spread bacteria, fungus, and viruses. It goes without saying that if bats are in the house, you want them out fast! Unfortunately, bat removal can be quite expensive for the average homeowner.

I found an insurance agency with an excellent discussion of the topic, Are Bats in the Attic Covered Under the Homeowners’ Policy? They noted that the AAIS forms have an expanded exclusion of vermin, which includes bats. They advise reading the policy to see if there is a specific exclusion.

Early American Cars—A Look Back in Time This Independence Day

Since bats are threatened, it is always best to trust a removal professional, not an exterminator. US Insurance Agents works hard to provide our users with a fast and simple way to get and compare insurance rates for multiple lines of insurance. When bats establish a nest, it has a very solid instinctive drive to remain there or return there every year. If you have the bats eliminated, they will certainly try to obtain back in. So, instead of taking care of the problem by yourself, make sure to ask an expert for help.

I do not own a car but drive my boyfriends car and I want to protect myself if I get in an accident. There are a number of alternatives and circumstances that may give considerable economic relief if you are encountering an expensive job– or at the very least save you cash in the long run. We all know that some people love their car, so much that they would marry it if they could. Window screens and chimney caps are great investments for keeping bats out long term, but make sure you only invest in ones made with durable materials. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels.

The Truth about Bats, Bat Damage & Your Homeowners Insurance

Once the bats have been removed, you still have the cleanup to do, and must repair any damages the bats caused. Failure to make these repairs could result in a future claim denial if it turns out that the damages were caused or were more serious because of the bats living in your home. Biological matter could be invisible, such as is the case with disease spores, including Histoplasmosis and the rabies virus. Without strong, biological enzyme cleaners, the material might not be washed away properly or thoroughly enough, just enough left behind to attract them in again. Utilizing a professional will go a long means when making a case– they will be guaranteed if something takes place to your residence because of something that they did.

Insurers will argue that if you don’t do anything about the bat colony in your attic as soon as possible, then you’re at fault for letting them cause irreversible damage. Simply put, insurance may pay for damages caused by bats, but only if you deal with the expulsion of the bats promptly and contact insurance about any issues as soon as you can. Selling a home or building with an infestation of bats does not release the seller of liability.

Bats often find themselves in attics and that is just not simply by letting themselves in peacefully, but by using brute force. Big holes and busted open soffits are usually the entry points of these bats which can cost homeowners thousands of dollars in repairs and restoration. It cost might be covered by the policy since the window or door was not destroyed by negligence. In any case, the specifics should be discussed with the insurance company. Established in 1985, Merlin Law Group is a leading insurance litigation law firm committed to assisting policyholders receive fair and just outcomes from their insurance companies. Property insurance law is a highly complex and specialized area of law and our firm represents policyholders when claims are denied, delayed or underpaid.

Those that will help will look at determining factors such as the size of the bat colony, the type of building, and all of the bat doorways that should be closed. At the end of the day, it will all come down to how severe the problem is and whether or not the bats are causing any damage. For the most part, don’t expect your insurance company to cover the costs of removing the colony, which will largely fall on your shoulders. One of the best decisions you can make when it comes to preventing bat infestations or solving them is to invest in professional wildlife services. Professionals will completely repair damages, clean up the mess, and take preventative measures to make sure bats never enter your home again.

Types of Homeowners Insurance Policies

If it can be demonstrated that the bat infestation is due to damages that were caused by a covered event, then the removal may be covered. This could be a difficult thing to prove, but it is the only option you have for getting the bats removed under your home insurance policy. The danger of rabies as well as Histoplasmosis provides genuine responsibility problems for homeowner’s insurance policy companies and bat removal. Over years, bats can cause devastating damages, even resulting in total residential or commercial property value loss. While some companies may help, it is definitely not the norm.

This would place the fault for the damage on you, rather than the bats themselves. While the majority of insurance companies will not cover bat removal, many will cover repairing any devastations that bats have caused in your home. If there is unintended physical damage , your policy would likely kick in to pay for the repairs. However, there are still some cases where your claim can be denied. Many homeowners insurance companies view any kind of infestation as a maintenance issue.