Will Insurance Cover a Home Fire?

6/6/2019 (Permalink)

Fire damage in a Smiths, KY home

If a fire ever occurs in your home in Smiths, KY, you’ll be relieved to learn that almost all house fires are covered by a homeowners insurance plan. However, there are two specific circumstances that your plan will not cover. Here is come useful information on how homeowners insurance can help you cover the costs of fire damage and what home fire situations are not covered.

What Insurance Covers

In most cases, your homeowners insurance will pay for many of the costs associated with a house fire including:

• The actual structure of your home
  
• Detached structures such as sheds, fences, etc.
  
• Landscaping elements including trees, shrubs, and grass
  
• The replacement cost of personal belongings
  
• The cost of fire restoration services
  
• Additional living expenses if you cannot stay in your home
  
  

It is important to note that if you lose personal belongings such as furniture, clothing, or anything else that is considered your property, insurance often pays the replacement cost of the lost property. Replacement cost is the amount of money it would cost to replace something, opposed to its actual cash value. You will need to check with your insurance to find out what your policy pays.

What Insurance Doesn’t Cover

Whether the home fire was caused by something outside of your control, such as lightening striking your home or a wildfire in your area, or an accidental cause, for instance, leaving the stove on or forgetting to blow out a candle, your insurance will provide coverage. The only cases your insurance won’t cover is arson committed purposely by the homeowner or a vacant home fire. Vacancy is often defined as a home that hasn’t been occupied for 30 days or more.

You should always check with your insurance company to find out the specifics on what your policy covers in a home fire. Unless the fire was caused by attempted arson insurance fraud or vacancy, you can typically expect insurance to cover you.