Snowmageddon buried western New York this week with the lake-effect snowfall. Winter storms are the third-largest cause of catastrophic losses in the United States (after hurricanes and tornadoes). The good news for homeowners is that in most cases their claim for snow-related damages will be covered under the standard homeowners insurance policy.<\/p>\n

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Generally, the following snow-induced damages are covered under a standard homeowners insurance policy:<\/p>\n

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• Wind-related Damages<\/strong>: Wind-driven snow or freezing rain that gets into the home because the home was damaged by wind is covered.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  \n
  • Fallen Tree Limbs<\/strong>: Tree limbs that fall on a house or other insured structures is covered for the damage the tree causes to the house and the cost to remove the tree (generally up to $500).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    • Weight of Snow or Ice<\/strong>: Damage to the house or contents caused by the weight of snow or ice that creates a collapse is covered.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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      • Frozen Pipes<\/strong>: Burst pipes is generally covered provided that the insured kept the house warm and properly maintained the pipes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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        • Additional Living Expenses<\/strong>: Standard homeowners policies include additional living expenses (ALE) for insureds when a home is severely damaged by an insured peril.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Additionally, melting snow that seeps into a home from the ground up would be covered by a flood insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program.<\/p>\n

          The coverages discussed above are typical of a standard homeowners policy and are not guaranteed to exist in all homeowners insurance policies. It is essential for insureds to read their insurance policy to know what damages are covered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Snowmageddon buried western New York this week with the lake-effect snowfall. Winter storms are the third-largest cause of catastrophic losses in the United States (after hurricanes and tornadoes). The good news for homeowners is that in most cases their claim for snow-related damages will be covered under the standard homeowners insurance policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[49,4],"class_list":["post-9995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-home-owners-insurance","tag-insurance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n