Homeowner’s Insurance: When a Fire Isn’t Covered

12/20/2018 (Permalink)

When a Fire Isn’t Covered

Homeowner’s insurance is a protection against loss and damages, but there are times when insurance does not provide that coverage, that protection. Most property owners are aware of the peril section in their policy. This section dictates what type of peril is covered, and while most plans will note a home fire as being included, there are two specific instances where this is not the case.

1. Insurance Fraud

Insurance fraud is the purposeful deception of an insurer to obtain some financial gain or benefit. When this deception uses fire as the instigating tool, it is considered arson. Arson refers to the intentional and criminal act of setting your property on fire. Therefore, upon investigating, if it is found that the claimant intentionally set fire to their home, then they will not be covered by their policy, and they will likely be reported to authorities, arrested and serve jail time.

2. No Occupancy

No occupancy, or vacancy, is defined as a home that has remained empty for more than 30 consecutive days. Empty refers to inhabitants, not furniture and other belongings. Therefore, a home fire that occurs in a residence that has remained vacant for more than 30 days will likely not be covered by your policy. However, the coverage and definitions of a vacant home fire are dependent on the insurer and other policy amendments.

While it may be reassuring to know that most insurers cover house fires as long as they were not criminally perpetrated or occurring in a vacant property, a fire still creates a devastating amount of damage that will need to be fixed. If you experience a fire, your insurer may require bids from fire remediation specialists in the Ridgefield, CT, area before allocating funds.

A home fire is a nightmare experience, and it can bring about concerns over coverage. However, as long as you live in the home and do not intentionally set your property ablaze, you should be covered.