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Insurance Companies & Chimneys
What Kind of Chimney Repairs Will Homeowner’s Insurance Cover?
Most homeowner’s insurance policies cover chimney repairs – depending on the cause. There is a difference between coverable problems and those that a homeowner will have to pay for.
Covered Chimney problems
It is common for insurance carriers to include coverage for “unexpected” events in their policies. You can’t control these things, but they do happen.
Damage to chimneys can be caused by:
- Some types of Chimney Fires
- Trees and branches falling due to a storm
- Powerful winds
- Hail storms
- Lightning strikes
- Or any act of God
Unexpected events such as these are not uncommon. Most insurance policies don’t cover “expected” chimney damage .
Chimney problems that will not be covered
An insurance company assumes that you, the homeowner, will take precautions to prevent anything that might be considered “unnecessary” damage.
The chimney repair crews at our company inspect chimneys regularly and find various types of damage that the homeowner could have avoided if they had taken proper steps. Neglecting your chimney can result in the following damage:
- Fires caused by excess creosote in chimneys
- Cracked or broken chimney liners cause localized house fires
- Bricks and mortar are crumbling and deteriorating severely
- A leaning chimney
- The chimney structure collapses in whole or partly
- Water damage from faulty masonry, chimney crowns, flashing and caps
- Acidic creosote buildup causes interior damage
Homeowners’ insurance companies will deny a claim for these or similar conditions if they can argue that they could or should have prevented them. They call it "lack of maintenance" by homeowner.