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Preventable damage is damage that occur over time and can be avoided by pre-emptive action. This can be a large Douglas-fir or Hemlock tree root slowly growing under or through your foundation, or raccoons living in your attic. So when you see the risk of pest damage in advance and take action to prevent the damage but if you don’t do anything then your insurance companies will likely deny coverage. Unexpected damage is when a homeowner performing reasonable maintenance doesn’t anticipate the damage. For example, damage from a storm allows pests to enter your home and cause damage, this would qualify but not if combined with preventable pest damage. If rats get into your attic and cause all kinds of damage, your insurance wont cover that damage but it will cover fire damage caused by a rat chewing threw fire causing said fire.  

Pests and Home Insurance – Preventable and Unexpected Damage

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Preventable pest damage plays a significant role in whether or not pest damage is covered by your homeowners insurance. This is the fundamental position that your insurance company takes when denying coverage. Preventable damage is damage that takes pre-emptive actions or repairing damage that occur over time. For instance, cracks in the foundation getting wider as the house settles, carpenter ants nesting in wet or moldy siding, and squirrels chewing through soffit material and nesting in the attic. So, your insurer assumes that you can see the hazard of pest damage in advance and get it fixed. Check your policy details to confirm what the exceptions are.

 Homeowners Insurance and Preventable Pest Damage

https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/homeowners-insur…able-pest-damage/

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Homeowners insurance policies are not cut and dry when it comes to pest issues and the damage they can do to your property. Basically, insurance companies don’t cover the damage caused by pests and the removal of pests or their bodies, dropping or urine. So the quick answer is  “no” to the damage from rodent, ant, termite, bed bugs and the list goes on. Most insurance companies see pest issues a result of meagre upkeep – poor maintenance. Two terms that play a significant role in whether or not pest damage is covered by insurance is it preventable damage and unexpected damage.

Pest Preventable and Unexpected Damage  – Will  Your Homeowners Insurance Cover them.

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Damage to your home from insects, rats, mice, squirrels, skunks, birds and raccoons birds is usually not covered by a standard homeowners policy (although a window broken by a bird may be an exception).  But, unexpected damage can be covered in homeowners insurance policies, even if it was related to a pest infestation. Regular maintenance can help reduce the risk of a pest infestation in your home.

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Does Your Home Owner Insurance Cover Rodent Damage?

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Some termite species can grow into a colony of ½ million strong and most homeowners are not aware of the physical signs of a devastating termite infestation. Termites will inflict chaos on your wood structures causing wood surfaces to feel soft and or hollow, – there may be termites loitering inside, chowing through the wood. Damaged paint or visible frass (fecal matter of termites)  may be seen around your home, if you notice one or more of these signs, contact us. Preventing a termite infestation is a matter of reducing the moisture around, under, and inside your house.

Termite Damage ?

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As another usually mild (for the most part) winter continues, some insects have their own form of hibernation – a pseudo hibernation if you please, many continue to hang around bothering us from December to March and beyond. A couple of these pests can be handled with a quick zap with a fly swatter or the old pop of a slipper and kaboom, while other blood sucking types require professional pest control. Believe it or not (a wise guy once said) wasps, specifically new queens, make their homes in and on our homes and other structures. These sexually mated females or “foundress” are responsible for the beginning construction of a new nest in the spring. During their quasi hibernation, these females are lethargic and most likely don’t have too much energy, so if you find one don’t panic, just discretely pick it up and send her outside.   

If you are a frequent flier, your prospect for picking up a bed bug increases significantly. Yes they bite, leave blood and their “stuff” behind but they also totally infest carpets, beds, drapes, furniture and clothes. So here is where you pick them up: planes, hotels, motels, taxis, uber, lift, trains, buses, and your friends house. Starting with the hotel (or any new lodging), inspect the mattress seams and corners looking for brown stains or spotting. Then check out the sofas, chairs and most critically behind the headboard. While you are traveling, wrap your suitcase(s) in a garbage bags and store your clothes in a Ziploc bags.

 https://insectandrodentexterminators.com/travelling-without-bed-bugs/

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Fleas are common insects that can infest your home, and you don’t even need a dog for this to happen. A lot of homes with flea problems come from other pets like cats, ferrets, gerbils, and rabbits. If your pet is showing signs of fleas, always scratching, inspect their coat under their arms or behind the ears. Fleas are attracted to the warm, quiet areas of your pet, so fleas on your cat like to hide around the head and neck, and dogs have them around their back legs. Fleas also hide in carpets, rugs, furniture, and your bed. Vacuuming and shampooing any carpets is a short term fix but this rarely gets rid of fleas or their eggs. The best results are obtained by professional insecticides.

Carpenter ants are not a welcome sight in your house, especially in the winter. Cold wet weather in the winter is the ideal time for carpenter ants to get the upper hand in your house; using the studs, plywood, o.s.b. and insulation to tunnel and make their satellite nests. So why in the winter, well- because you heat your house. Outside, carpenter ants go into a pseudo dormant state in cold weather but in your house they can continue to build since they have stored food in their satellite nests. The good news is that, carpenter ant treatment can be done anytime of the year, as they can continue to do tremendous structural damage long before the spring arrives.

Carpenter Ants – Again – In the Winter

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A recall was issued on foods produced by a Saskatoon company that produce and/or distribute a variety of foods from beans to milk powder. Salmonellosis infection is mainly transmitted in rats through ingestion of food and water contaminated with infected feces, urine and bedding material. Rats can carry this germ and not appear to be ill. Food that is contaminated with salmonella doesn’t necessarily look or smell off but can still make you sick, be it serious or sometimes deadly. Most healthy people may get short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, and diarrhea but more serious cases can be found in young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with W.I.S. People are advised not to use the products, return them and see a doctor if you did consume them and feel sick.

Salmonella Risk from Rat Infestation

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