What To Know About Your Homeowner's Insurance Protection From Fires

One issue that can affect you in your life is a house fire. They are one of the many reasons that people get homeowner's insurance and can give you peace of mind that you will be protected in this unfortunate scenario. Here is what you should know about your homeowner's insurance policy and how it relates to fire damage.

What's Covered

Your policy should list the type of situations where a fire would be covered by your insurance policy. What makes a fire covered is the conditions of how the fire was caused. Expect to see verbiage that states how the fire must be sudden and unexpected, such as a kitchen fire. Lightning is an example of a sudden and unexpected cause of fire since it can happen without warning and is completely out of your control. 

The fire must have also spread beyond the place where it was intended. This is often the case when you have a fireplace where the fire is contained, but it's possible that it suddenly and unexpectedly spreads outside that contained area to other parts of your home. 

In addition, the smoke caused by the fire should be covered as well. Even a small kitchen fire can have a lot of damage associated with it when you consider how the smoke can get into various parts of your home. Not only is there damage left behind by the soot, but there can be an odor as well. 

What's Excluded

A homeowner's insurance policy is going to have types of fires that are excluded. A common exclusion is if a fire is started due to an act of war. This is often due to how an act of war can leave an insurance company with thousands of potential claims that they will never be able to pay for.

Another type of exclusion is if you were to neglect your home in some way and caused a fire. This could include not maintaining the electrical system in your home and leaving faulty wiring that eventually catches on fire. Of course, the insurance company would need to be able to prove that you neglected the issue and that you had plenty of opportunities to prevent it.

There are also exclusions for fires that are intentionally caused by the homeowner, better known as arson. If you were to set your home on fire with the intention of filing a homeowner's insurance claim, then the insurance provider has the right to deny you coverage.  

For more info about fire insurance, contact a local agent. 


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