Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Siding Damage?

Taking care of and preserving your siding is essential, but there are occasions when Mother Nature has other plans. Fortunately, homeowners insurance covers these unforeseen events. Homeowners insurance can cover different kinds of damages. The dwelling coverage in a standard homeowners policy can pay for damage to your home's structure and everything permanently attached to it, including damaged siding, up to the policy's limitations and lessen your deductible.

The siding damage can be covered under the dwelling coverage provided by your homeowners insurance policy. However, the way of coverage for siding replacement mostly depends on your policy language and the laws of your state. Several issues may arise if your insurer tries to match the new siding to the existing siding of your house.

Several States, like Ohio, Kentucky, etc., have introduced laws requiring insurers to replace all the siding, including undamaged areas, with new siding to make the sidings match. However, an insurer may not be required to match new siding precisely if the property is restored to its pre-loss state and value and damaged portions are fixed.

Furthermore, the kind of coverage in your insurance policy will influence how your siding replacement is handled. However, if you have actual cash value coverage for your home, your insurer may be less inclined to repair all your sidings if you suffer a partial loss.

Following a covered loss, your insurer will reimburse the cost of replacing undamaged siding to match the new replacement siding covered under your policy.

Matching siding coverage will cost a little more in each policy term, but you won't have to worry about insurance claims as much. Some carriers may let you pick a maximum for matching coverage, while others will offer a predetermined amount if it arises.

This coverage is not available with all carriers. Furthermore, certain insurers that provide it may have age or material limits.

Defective sidings are mostly not covered under homeowners insurance. This happens because the issue was pre-existing in the siding when you purchased your policy or was deemed an instance of poor construction, which is likely excluded from your policy.

Most policies indicate in their exclusion sections that they don’t cover construction, repair, or maintenance-related items that are faulty, inadequate, or defective. Design, craftsmanship, construction, and materials used in repair, construction, or remodeling are often expressly included. As a result, it's reasonable to assume that if your siding was naturally faulty, it won't be covered.

Melted sidings issue touches on several plausible reasons for exclusion, yet it does not fit neatly into any of them. As this problem grows, insurance companies will likely release more official words on it. So, ask your agent about your melted siding coverage to know whether it is covered.