Is Your Home Covered? Understanding Mold Damage and Homeowners Insurance

5/8/2023 (Permalink)

Mold damage is defined as any damage to your home that is caused by mold. Mold can grow on walls, floors and other surfaces inside your home. It can also grow outside if there's enough humidity in the air.

Mold can grow when moisture gets trapped in a space where it doesn't dry out quickly. This happens when there's too much water leaking into a house from pipes or HVAC systems or when rainwater leaks through windows. If you have moisture problems that lead to mold growth then you may need an insurance claim for repairs, but only if those repairs are covered under your homeowners policy!

What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?

As a homeowner, you may be wondering what types of damages are covered by your insurance policy. This can be especially important if you've recently experienced water damage or mold growth in your home. In general, most standard homeowners insurance policies cover the following:

• Fire and lightning damage
• Accidental injury or death caused by fire or explosion
• Damage from smoke that results from fire or explosion
• Damage from freezing pipes (if they burst)

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Mold Damage?

What is typically covered by a standard homeowners insurance policy when it comes to mold damage?

If you have a water leak that causes the mold, your policy will cover the cost of repairs and replacement items. You may also be able to get reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses related to the cleanup process (like hiring a professional cleaning company).

What isn't typically covered by a standard homeowners insurance policy

If you don't have any visible signs of moisture or water damage in your home or no visible evidence of an issue with mold, your insurer may deny your claim on the grounds that there was no active cause for concern at all. They could potentially pay out some money toward fixing up your house after discovering hidden damage later down the line, but they're likely only going to reimburse what's reasonable based on what kind of repairs were necessary at that point in time, anything else would fall under "extras".

How to File a Claim for Mold Damage

You've done the research and know that you have to file a claim for mold damage. You're ready to take action, but what exactly should you do?
Here are some steps to take when filing a claim:

Contact your insurance agent or company representative. They will help guide you through the process of filing a claim and provide information on how much money they think it will cost them (and therefore, how much they will pay).

Find out if there are any specific requirements regarding documentation such as photographs or medical records related specifically to your situation before submitting any paperwork related to this incident--this way there won't be any surprises later on down the line!

Buy commercial property insurance instead of residential property insurance. Commercial policies are more likely than residential policies to include provisions covering water damage caused by leaks or floods as well as mold growth on walls and ceilings due to humidity issues within buildings' structures themselves rather than just external factors like flooding rains outside.

Mold damage is not covered by homeowners insurance unless you have a separate policy that covers mold. If you do, then it's important to know the limits of your coverage and what steps to take if there's a problem. If you're concerned about the possibility of mold in your home or business, we recommend hiring an expert to inspect for it.