Winter Insurance Claims Raise Question: What Does Your Policy Cover?

Several storms and record snowfall for a single day earlier in the year have left homes, businesses, and government buildings across the state under increasing pressure from snow and ice.

If you haven't cleared the snow off your roof you may want to re-familiarize yourself with your homeowner's insurance policy -  there are many things not covered by most insurance policies.

"I've had a lot of people calling about damage from leaks in the roof," Granby Insurance agent John Hutchinson told Patch.  "Insurance will generally cover the damage caused by leaks, but not roof repair."  

Acting Insurance Commissioner Barbara C. Spear announced yesterday in a press release that state regulators have expedited license approvals for more than 500 out-of-state adjusters since the first of the year to help insurance companies keep pace with the increase in catastrophic winter damage claims.

“This has been a dangerous and costly winter and it’s only February," Spear said. "It is essential that policyholders get the help they need and the services they paid for to make their homes and businesses whole."

Fortunately Granby and East Granby haven't seen nearly as much damage as other parts of the state, but there are still two more months of winter.

"Surprisingly,  it hasn't been that bad," Hutchinson said.  "It could get worse once things start to melt."

Gov. Dannel Malloy recently urged residents and business owners to clear the snow off roofs before additional snow and rain arrives Saturday.  And if homeowners don't clear the snow from their roofs they could be in for a big surprise when their insurance company won't cover the repairs to the roof.

"The best thing to do would be to call your agent," Hutchinson said.

The Connecticut Insurance Department offers the following insurance guidelines for winter hazards: 

What is generally covered (ask your agent if you are not sure):

• Snow removal – Homeowners insurance does not cover injuries to the homeowner during snow removal.  But snow removal professionals should be covered under their own liability policies
• Ice dams – few companies pay for ice dam removal -- however interior or exterior damage caused by an ice dam on your roof is usually covered
• Frozen pipes – Most policies cover pipe replacement and water damage. Coverage may not apply if you turned off the furnace for the winter without winterizing the home or contents or if you fail to protect the pipes from freezing during a power outage.
• Storm power outages – An all-risk policy generally pays for spoiled food, damage caused by loss of power and appliances damaged by the outage. Most policies will pay for shelter when you lose power for extended periods.
• Renters – Landlord’s insurance will pay for winter damage to building. It will not pay for damage to personal contents, which must be covered by the renter’s own insurance.
• Flood coverage –Plan ahead. There is a 30-day waiting period for a flood insurance policy to take effect. Flood insurance covers direct physical loss caused by “flood.” In simple terms, a flood is an excess of water on land that is normally dry. (The Federal Emergency Management Agency has more details about flood coverage.) Here’s the official definition used by the National Flood Insurance Program.

  Tips for making a claim:

• Call your insurance agent as soon as possible and 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
• Call the CID Consumer Affairs Unit at 800-203-3447 or go on line at www.ct.gov/cidif you are having problems with a claim.