Does home owners insurance cover bat removal?

Answer 1

There are several different homeowners insurance and commercial insurance policies. They are slightly different in each state because every state has different problems. For example the Northern state have ice dams and Southeastern state have significant Hurricane threat. California has significant earthquake threat. Therefore you should read your own insurance policy to see the actual working that would be used to determine if you have coverage for a claim to remove bats.

Once you have your policy handy look for this section Section I Perils Insured Against. It is found on the policy I am looking at on Page 8 of 22. This is where the policy goes over some items they will not pay for in relation to dwelling and other structures. Now that you in the right place go to # 6 which states Any of the Following. It says this "Birds, Vermin, Rodents or insects".

What this means is that the insurance policy was written or designed so as not to pay for damaged caused by Birds, Vermin, Rodents, or Insects. This is the wording in a standard Homeowners insurance policy. Notice it does not mention Bats. So is a bird a bat? You need to look up the definition of a bird and go from there. If a bat is considered a bird then no coverage. If it is unclear if a bat is a bird then it is a questionable claim.

The insurance company may ask a coverage attorney who researches these type items everyday. They actually have a library of these research items grouped by state and policy. Why? because policies, wording, courts are different in each state. If you file a claim and are denied you really lose nothing but it does put a claim on your record. I would ask how much is it costing to remove bats? Your deductible on your home insurance should be $500 to $1000 dollars.