Although your fence isn’t part of your home, it is on your property, which means it could be covered by your homeowners insurance if it becomes damaged. Your fence is usually going to be covered under the “Other Structures” provision of your insurance policy, but you’ll need to read the fine print to double check your coverage.
A good rule of thumb for the amount of coverage your policy has in its “Other Structures” provision is 10% of your total policy. So if you have $400,000 of homeowners insurance coverage, the “Other Structures” coverage will be capped at $40k. While that would be plenty to cover any damages that may affect your fence, there are unfortunately a lot of situations where your fence wouldn’t be covered by insurance. Below we will dive into the main causes of fence damage and whether or not they would be covered by insurance!
The largest cause of fence destruction is falling trees, but whether or not your insurance will cover that misfortune depends on a few factors. If a healthy tree falls on your fence from a storm or related incident, your insurance is likely to cover the damage. However, if the tree was already dead or dying, your insurance company can dispute the claim and say the damage was due to negligence on your part.
If your neighbor’s tree was to fall on your fence, your insurance company will likely hold them responsible for the damage. It’s important to note that depending on the state you live in, if the tree is bordering property lines, you and your neighbors might have to split the cost 50/50. That means you would both need to contact your insurance companies and each of you would have to pay half the insurance deductible. Either way, if you notice your neighbor’s trees falling into disrepair, it’s best to let them know of your concerns. If they can proactively correct the problem before it causes damage to either of your fences, both parties will be grateful.
If your car crashes into your fence, you’re out of luck and will have to pay for the fence damages yourself. If a third-party car crashes into your fence, however, you can file a claim. While you’re technically able to file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance, the better move will be to file a claim against the driver’s property damage liability car insurance. This coverage is required by all drivers and will usually cover at least $10,000 in damage, which is typically more than enough for a fence. Filing against their insurance will save you from filing a claim against your insurance and potentially having your rates raised.
Like we mentioned above, trees falling from storms will almost always be covered by your insurance. This is the same case for any damage caused by storms – whether or not it was caused by a falling tree. Your insurance will also cover vandalism damage, but they will probably want to see a police report, so make sure you contact your local police department and file a report before calling up your insurance company.
No matter how your fence has been damaged, Austex will be able to make it look like it never happened. Give us a call today for a consultation!
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