Winter can be oh so beautiful, but bring about a multitude of property claims that you think should be covered, but they may not be! Let's look at some of the most common winter perils.
First, let me explain perils. When it comes to insurance, your policy will insure you for NAMED perils or OPEN perils. This is extremely important, especially in the south when we can have all four seasons in one day! (kind of a joke, kind of not)
"The basic causes of loss form provides coverage for the following named perils: fire, lightning, explosion, smoke, windstorm, hail, riot, civil commotion, aircraft, vehicles, vandalism, sprinkler leakage, sinkhole collapse, and volcanic action."
Open Perils — refers to property insurance that insures against loss to covered property from all causes except those that are specifically excluded. This method of identifying covered causes of loss in a property policy has traditionally been referred to as "all risks" coverage.
Frozen Pipes
Under the homeowner forms, in all situations—vacant, occupied or unoccupied—there is no coverage for freezing plumbing, heating, air conditioning or automatic fire protection or of a household appliance unless the named insured has taken precautions to maintain heat in the building, or shut off and drained systems and appliances..
Frozen trees and shrubs and broken branches
Generally, trees, shrubs, plants and lawns aren’t covered for damage by wind, hail, the weight of ice or snow, or any unnamed peril that would be covered under open perils coverage. If the tree or the branch falls on your house or garage, however, damage to the structure is covered.
Food Loss from Power Outages
Depending on the cause of the interruption (it must originate off the residence premises), food loss and damage is covered. Deductibles do apply so this is important. If your loss is for $500 and your deductible is $1000, the claim would not pay out.
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