Does insurance cover termite damage?

If you have termites in your home, you may be curious whether your home insurance covers termite damage. Because termites and other bugs and pests can be prevented by homeowners who use proper maintenance techniques, termite damage to a home is not usually covered by home insurance.

Your current home insurance policy will highlight what is covered by your insurance plan. As you familiarize yourself with your home insurance policy, you may find that you want to search for a new policy that offers more coverage or a cheaper monthly payment.

If you want to switch from your current insurer, be sure to shop around online and compare rates from multiple companies at once. This will allow you to make sure you find the coverage that works for you without overpaying in monthly rates.

How do you know if you have termites?

In many areas, termite season begins in the spring. If you own a home, it’s important that you know some early warning signs of termites, like mud tubes.

Some of the most common signs of termites in a home include:

• Doors or windows that stick
• Damage under paint or wallpaper in the home
• Mud tubes
• Termite droppings
• Termite swarmers

If you do have termites in your home, recognizing the early warning signs of termites could save you thousands of dollars when it comes to repairs and extermination costs. Homeowners who suspect they may have termites can schedule an inspection in order to know for sure.

What does termite damage look like?

To understand termite damage, you will want to know more about the signs of termites in a home. There are many signs of termites, and these termite signs may be difficult to see until you know what you’re looking for. Most well-known signs of termite damage include mud tubes and overall damage to windowsills and walls. But there are other signs of termites in a house.

Discolored drywall, small holes in drywall and wood, and very squeaky floorboards can all be evidence of termites. Depending on the breed of termites in your area, you may notice swarms of termites in or around your home or on your property.

The damage termites leave behind varies from small and insignificant surface damage to structural issues that could cost thousands of dollars to repair. This is why it is so important that you learn how to know if you have termites, as catching them early could save you a lot of money and trouble.

What do you do if you find termites?

If you’ve learned how to tell if you have termites and have seen evidence of termites in your house, your best bet is to have someone come out and do an inspection. Once a company comes to see whether you actually have termites in the wood of your home, an expert can let you know what you’ll have to do.

In most cases, specialists will use a combination of traps and poison to rid your home of common house termites. But you will still need to assess the damage that was done and make any necessary repairs before your home is truly taken care of.

How much does it cost to get rid of termites?

The average cost for termite treatment can cost anywhere from $500 to $3,500. This is a wide range, and the cost can be even higher if your home has undergone extensive damage from the termites.

In order to prevent yourself from having to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to repair your home after a termite infestation, your best bet is to take measures to ensure you never get termites in the first place. Some of the best ways to eliminate the chances of termites include:

• Don’t allow wood to make direct contact with the ground.
• Don’t let moisture accumulate near the foundation of your home.
• Reduce moisture and humidity in your crawl spaces.
• Don’t store firewood or wood debris against or along the foundation of your home.
• Avoid using mulch when you can.
• Consider having your home treated for pests by a professional.

If you take the proper precautions, you are far less likely to experience termites in your home or on your property.

Does home insurance cover termite damage?

As stated earlier, homeowners can avoid getting termites in their homes by taking certain precautions when it comes to pests. Because of this, home insurance policies do not cover termite damage.

If you do not have a home insurance policy, but you are looking for one — or if you are shopping for a new policy to try and get better coverage or save on monthly premiums — you will find that virtually all home insurance policies refuse to pay for repairs after a termite infestation.

But you may still be able to find affordable home insurance rates in your area with coverage that helps in other circumstances. The table below shows the average monthly home insurance rates in each state in the U.S.

Average Monthly Home Insurance Rates by State

Your home insurance quotes with different companies will vary based on a number of factors, like the size of your house, the type of home insurance policy you want, and whether you include add-on coverages like flood insurance to your home insurance policy.