Does My Home Insurance Cover My Garage?

Insurance companies can be pretty good at throwing us curve balls. Just when we think something is covered, it might not be either because of a contingency or a point of coverage we didn’t know we needed. One example of this is our garages. It’s common to believe that our attached garages and their contents are covered by our homeowner’s insurance and for the most part, that’s true, but there are some exceptions that you should know about.

Your attached garage is covered by your insurance because it is considered to be an actual part of your home. Your insurance will pay for the damaged structure and contents, but from here on out it gets a little trickier. If you are planning to keep very valuable items such as an antique car in your attached garage, you should talk to your insurance agent about making certain that your policy is large enough to recover those costs if damage or theft should occur. Detached garages are another issue. They are usually only insured for one-tenth of the value of your home so if you will be keeping valuable or irreplaceable items in a detached garage, you should definitely contact your insurance agent for a better policy.

You will also need to contact your insurance agent if you are running a business out of an attached or detached garage. Your business will not be covered by a traditional homeowner’s policy and will likely need separate coverage.

Whether your garage is attached or detached, the following kinds of damage are covered by most homeowners’ policies:

• Burglary, theft, or vandalism
• Damage from falling objects like trees
• Lightning and fire
• Smoke damage
• Structural damage from the weight of ice or snow
• Damage from hail and windstorms.

There is also a list of things that most homeowners insurance policies won’t cover that includes:

• Some types of water damage
• Maintenance or wear and tear issues
• Equipment or mechanical breakdowns
• Power surges
• Rodent or pest infestations
• Damage from floods
• Damage from earthquakes or other uncontrollable earthly movements.

Insurance won’t pay for things like power surges that were caused by power companies, certain natural disasters without separate coverage policies, or things that occurred due to the negligence of the owner as in the case of infestations and wear and tear.

Maintaining your garage by keeping it clean and secured with strong garage doors and locks is a good way to be sure that your insurance will pay for damages if something unforeseen does occur. Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc., can help you with all your residential or commercial garage door needs. Contact us today to schedule a service or sales call.