Does my homeowners insurance policy cover my landscaping?

If you’ve just landscaped your home, you know that the process is both rewarding and very expensive. Nice trees and shrubs can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, and you may be afraid of what could happen to those investments in the event of a fire or a major storm. Depending on what type of homeowners insurance policy you have, you may be able to get coverage for your landscaping, and if you’re looking for new homeowners insurance, this may be something that you want to consider. Home Insurance

To discover whether or not your homeowners insurance policy already covers your landscaping, you can talk to your insurance agent or company, or you may be able to find this information just by looking in the policy information packet that you should have kept in a file drawer somewhere. Different homeowners insurance policies will have different limits for landscaping coverage. They might pay to replace trees and such in the event of a fire, but you may get no coverage for storm damage. Be sure that you understand exactly what your homeowners insurance policy does and does not cover before you count on it to protect your landscaping.

If you’re shopping for homeowners insurance and you have very expensive landscaping around your home, you may add landscaping coverage to your list of requisites for homeowners insurance. You may have to ask detailed questions of different insurance companies and agents before you can find a plan that suits you, but knowing that you’ll be able to replace your oak trees or heirloom rose bushes when disaster strikes will be worth the extra time. Don’t, though, forget to price compare for plans that protect your landscaping. Sometimes it may be worthwhile to go with a cheaper plan that doesn’t give you as much coverage; you can always put back what you save in premiums in order to have some backup savings specifically for your landscaping. Home Insurance

One other way to look at this dilemma is from the perspective of actually putting in new landscaping. Before you buy the most expensive trees and shrubs, you might want to check your homeowners insurance policy to see how much it will cover. That way, you’ll know just how much financial risk you’re taking with these plants and trees, and you’ll be able to plan your landscaping accordingly. Of course, you can put in landscaping that isn’t covered by your homeowners insurance, but if you live in an area where the risk of fires, floods, or major storms is high, we wouldn’t recommend it.

Hopefully this will help you find out whether or not your homeowners insurance policy covers your landscaping; if it doesn’t, be sure that you look for that small detail if you go searching for a new homeowners insurance policy. Happy planting! Home Insurance