General Coverage Information for Winter Risks*
Claims Tips
- Call your insurance company’s 24-hour claims phone number as soon as possible; provide policy number and other relevant information and documents.
- Take photographs/video of the damage.
- Make repairs necessary to prevent further damage, but do not make permanent repairs until your insurance company inspects the damage.
- Save all receipts from temporary repairs.
- Keep a diary of all conversations, e-mails and other correspondence with the company.
WINTER DAMAGE COVERAGE* (Note: Policies may vary in coverage. Contact your agent or the Insurance Department with questions about the specifics of your policy):
Roof Collapses – Homeowner policies will normally cover sudden and accidental roof collapses. However damage caused by age or pre-existing damage could be denied.
Snow removal – Homeowners insurance does not cover injuries to the homeowner during snow removal. However, snow removal professionals should be covered under their own insurance policies
Snow removal – Homeowners insurance does not cover injuries to the homeowner during snow removal. However, snow removal professionals should be covered under their own insurance policies
Ice dams – Interior or exterior damage caused by an ice dam on a roof is generally covered, however many policies do not pay for ice dam removal.
Frozen pipes – Most policies cover pipe replacement and water damage. However, coverage may not apply if you turned off the furnace for the winter without winterizing the home.
Storm power outages – An all-risk policy generally pays for damage caused by loss of power and appliances damaged by the outage. Check your policy to see if it covers spoiled food. Most policies will not pay for shelter when you lose power for extended periods of time unless there is damage to the home that causes it to be uninhabitable.
Renters – Landlord’s insurance will pay for winter damage to a building. It will not pay for damage to personal contents, which must be covered by the renter’s own insurance.
*These are general guidelines and policies can differ. To be certain what is covered, the CID recommends that property owners discuss their policies with their carriers or agents or contact the CID by using our online question/complaint system or call 800-203-3447.