The Last Word
Animal House

• Lori Chordas
• April 2020
• 

In December 2019, an Atlanta couple and their nine-month-old daughter returned home from a week-long vacation in California to discover their new house in shambles.

Kari Drees said in an interview on NBC's Today that she and her husband, Dustin, initially thought their home had been burglarized. But after discovering small paw prints, animal waste and a nest in their living room couch, they quickly realized the culprit was a squirrel that apparently had fallen through the chimney and gotten trapped in the home.

As the tiny, unwelcome rodent tried to free itself from the home, it scratched floors, damaged furniture and chewed baseboards and window and door frames, racking up more than $15,000 in damages.

The family filed a homeowners claim with their insurance company, Mercury Insurance. But the claim was denied because “there was no coverage for an incident such as this one,” said Christopher O'Rourke, vice president of homeowners claims for the Los Angeles-based insurer.

Like other carriers, Mercury Insurance's homeowners policies exclude structural and property damages caused by rodents, vermin, birds and insects, so the claim was denied, he said,

Damages to the contents of a home are “named perils,” which cover only destruction from specified causes, said Donald Griffin, department vice president-personal lines for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. “So the insured needs to show that a loss was due to something 'named' and covered in their policy,” he said.

Damages to a home's structure are often classified as “all-risks” with specific exclusions for losses caused by small pests and insects. So repairs or cleanup caused by a chipmunk that takes up residence in an attic, or an infestation of carpenter ants that feast on a home's floorboards are specifically excluded in homeowners policies.

Griffin said there are some optional extensions of coverage.

Unlike smaller animals, structural damage to real property caused by larger animals such as deer, moose and bears are often covered by homeowners policies. However, damage to contents by those animals is excluded, he said.

Coverage may fall under a policy's dwelling protection, Allstate said in a post on its website. Damage to structures not attached to a home, such as fences, sheds and detached garages, typically falls under “other structures” coverage and is not covered in most homeowners policies.

Over the years, homeowners insurers have seen only a small number of claims generated by wild animals. However, Griffin said there's often a small spike in those events during the winter months when animals seek shelter in warm homes.

While incidents like these are unusual, “it should serve as a reminder to all homeowners that they should familiarize themselves with their homeowners policies so there aren't any surprises,” O'Rourke said. “If they have questions or don't understand something, I would encourage them to reach out to their agent, because they are the experts and can provide a lot of great information.”