Baton Rouge's Best Bat Removal

Will Homeowners Insurance Pay for Bat Damage?

If you find yourself dealing with bats in your home, you will likely have to clean and sanitize the area and make some repairs. It is common to wonder if homeowners' insurance will pay for bat damage. Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer to this question as it will vary by policy and the situation in question.

Overall, the answer is that sometimes your homeowners' insurance will pay for bat damage.

Most Policies Decide Based on Whether the Damage Was Sudden

Although not always the case, most homeowners' insurance policies will cover bat damage only if the damage was "sudden and accidental." This refers to damage that you could not really predict or prevent.

What that Means

In terms of practicality, this means that it will cover damage if you did not know about the bat problem and it is reasonable that you did not know about it.

If, however, you knew about the bats and didn't remove them or try to control them, the policy would not cover it. The policy may require you to take specific actions to try to prevent bats as well.

It Can Depend on the Damage Itself

Because of the variations in home insurance policies, yours may cover bat damage to any object in your home or it may only cover damage to specific items. In the latter case, that would likely mean the policy covers damage to your home, its structures, and any other structures you have but not to any of your personal belongings that the bats damaged.

Don't Expect Coverage for Damage Over Time

As a general rule of thumb, few insurance companies will cover bat damage that was caused over time. An example would be if your attic has a lot of bat guano. This would have taken a long time to accumulate, so it would not be covered.

Your insurance expects that you would have taken action during this time and if you don't, the damage becomes your responsibility.

Don't Expect Coverage for an Empty Home

Generally speaking, if your home is not occupied, your insurance company is highly unlikely to pay for bat damage. Most insurance companies consider a home that is empty for more than 60 days to be unoccupied.

The idea behind this is that it is nearly impossible to figure out when the damage started. That combines with the fact that you were not able to take action and prevent the damage from worsening.

Essentially, if your home was unoccupied, your insurance doesn't know if the damage was sudden so they will not pay.

Always Look at Your Policy Carefully

The best way to tell whether your home insurance policy will cover damage from bats is to look at it. There will likely be a section dedicated to damage from wildlife. This is where you will see when the damage is covered.

If there are any conditions for the coverage, this is where you will find them. It is best to be aware of the content of this section so you can protect yourself from the costs of potential damage.

Remember to Take Care of Bats as Soon as Possible

When it comes down to it, you are much more likely to have bat damage covered if you deal with the bats promptly. This is just one reason to try to remove bats as soon as you notice them.

Another is the simple fact that the longer they stay, the more damage they cause and the greater the risk that they will spread disease. Even if your insurance covers the repairs, the more extensive they are, the more intrusive they will be on your daily life. You will still have to take time off work to supervise contractors. You still may have to leave your house temporarily depending on the severity of the damage.

Don't Expect Coverage for Bat Removal

You should also keep in mind that few insurance companies will cover the cost of bat removal. They tend to consider this a maintenance issue, as the bats enter your home via small holes in your building.

Prevention Is the Best Option

The best way to ensure you don't have to wonder whether insurance will cover bat damage is to avoid the damage in the first place. Do this by preventing bats and taking actions like sealing up any potential entry points into your home.