What Types of House Fires Are Covered by Insurance?

11/27/2019 (Permalink)

Candles can start a fire in your home or business

A home fire in Levittown, PA, can be a traumatic event for you and your family. Fortunately, homeowners insurance will cover most house fires, so you can get your life back to normal relatively quickly. However, there are certain categories of fire that standard insurance will not cover.

Fires Covered by Insurance

Many types of residential fires are covered by insurance. The following fires are covered by most insurance companies:

kitchen fires
candle fires
electrical fires
lightning fires
wildfires

As a general rule, as long as the fire was not set intentionally and the house is not vacant, a home fire will be covered by homeowners insurance. However, it is important to check the details of any insurance policy that you purchase to make sure you have the amount and type of coverage that you need.

Fires Not Covered by Insurance

In general, there are two types of house fires not covered by standard homeowners insurance: fires due to arson and vacant home fires. A home is considered vacant if it has been empty for at least 30 consecutive days. Although standard homeowners insurance policies will not cover a vacant home fire, there are vacant home insurance policies available. If no one will be living in the home for an extended period of time, you may want to invest in this type of insurance. Arson, the act of deliberately setting fire to property, is a little trickier. If the homeowner sets fire to the house, that is never covered by insurance and is punishable by law if the homeowner files an insurance claim. If the fire is set by another person, the insurance company may or may not cover it. It is important to verify with your insurance company when, and under what circumstances, such a fire would be covered.

If you suffer a home fire, your insurance company can help you financially. For help with the fire restoration process, you may wish to enlist an experienced restoration company.