Let it Snow: Does your Home Insurance in Michigan Cover Winter Damages?

Winter with its crisp, cold air and delicate snowfall can be breathtakingly picturesque. Such beauty in nature, however, can easily turn ferocious. Stephanie Reid of Fox Business states: “In addition to the health and safety dangers of sub-zero temperatures, blinding snowstorms and inconspicuous ice sheets, winter weather can also be incredibly dangerous to your home.” In Michigan where it can get brutally cold in the winter, it’s important that your home insurance in Michigan needs to covers losses against damages or accidents caused by snow and ice.

Snow and ice are the main threats during winter. Heavy snowfall can cause roofs to collapse. When snow melts on rooftops, it can pool towards the eaves and create ice dams that can damage roof structures; or if ice forms on the road, the ice sheets can pose great risk for falls, slips, and vehicle slide-offs. Typically, a homeowner’s insurance policy would cover direct damages caused by winter weather events, but if the insurance company determines that a homeowner has neglected maintenance on their home, that may affect how much the insurance policy would cover.

There are several things you can do to make sure your home is prepared for the winter, and thus prevent losses. Make sure that the sidewalks and entrances to the house are free from snow and ice, and keep gutters free from debris.

In addition to keeping you warm maintaining a constant temperature, in your home will increase the chance your pipes will not freeze. Another way to prevent frozen pipes is to keep water moving in your faucets located on outside walls.

There is no telling what winter will bring, so it’s essential that preventive measures be taken to ensure that one’s home will be protected from damages caused by elements in the frigid weather. It’s also important that you are able to show some indication to your insurance company that you take every effort to safeguard and protect your house. For actual assurance that you will have the means to rebuild or restore or pay for the unexpected, make sure that your homeowners insurance in Michigan covers most kinds of damages resulting from the perils of winter. Companies such as Allied Insurance offer many types of insurance, including property and liability coverage.

(Source: Are You Covered If Winter Weather Damages Your Home? Fox Business, January 21, 2015)