A homeowners’ insurance policy provides coverage for many types of damage to the landscaping, including shrubs, plants, and trees. Also, depending on the insurance, it may also cover a portion of the expenses for when you want to remove a damaged tree from the property.
When the landscaping of your property is covered, it is treated slightly differently from the main property. The protection is limited to a percent of the total policy’s value. Also, the policy will protect your landscaping from fewer causes compared to the main property.
What Types Of Damage Does Homeowners’ Insurance Cover?
Coverage to your landscaping is provided as long as a covered peril causes the damage. That said, the list of perils covered that apply to the landscaping tends to be shorter compared to what relates to the main property.
Generally, the landscape or the lawn will need to be damaged by any one of the following perils to be eligible for coverage:
- An explosion
- Aircraft
- Fire
- Lightning damage
- Riot or caused by civil unrest
- Vandalism
- Theft
Your landscape isn’t covered if it is damaged by hail or strong winds, which are two very commonly covered perils for the main structure. However, insurers may still cover trees felled by the wind. Furthermore, your landscape isn’t covered if it is damaged by vermin and pests.
If floods damage your landscape, that’s not covered either. However, you can get a separate flood insurance policy that will cover you.
There are insurance companies that will reimburse damage to landscaping, while others cover trees, dead plants, and shrubs. But if you use the garden or the landscape for commercial purposes, the insurer will deny payment even if it is technically covered under the policy.
The other technicality is that the landscaping should be on the grounds of your home. You can’t have a garden in another location, like maybe a shared community or a green space in the neighborhood that’s covered by the policy.
How Much Damage Are You Covered For?
In most policies, your plants, shrubs, and trees are covered for just 5% of the total dwelling’s limits. Furthermore, you can’t claim any more than $500 in the way of expenses for an item, even if that item was damaged by a listed or covered peril.
If you have, for instance, a $500k policy, the claim you can make is up to $2.5k if there is damage to your landscaping. That’s why if you have trees and plants valued at over $500, they won’t be covered.
You Could Get Additional Coverage
Anyone who has expensive and extensive landscaping can easily purchase additional coverage or purchase an endorsement granting further protection to the shrubs, plants, and trees. Usually, it is possible to get up to $1k in coverage.
Getting an endorsement would mean that you can extend coverage for expensive landscaping tools and various machines. Though consider the fact that an endorsement will cost an additional $50 to $100 a year.
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