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Will Homeowners Insurance Cover A Damaged Garage?

Will Homeowners Insurance Cover A Damaged Garage?
What do you do when your garage and/or garage door is damaged and it will cost you thousands of dollars to make the necessary repairs? In many cases, your homeowners insurance policy may be able to pay for all or part of the expense.
Whether or not your garage will be covered, for how much, and under which circumstances, will depend on how you structure your policy. It may also depend on how exactly your garage or garage door was damaged.

Homeowners Insurance Detached Structure Coverage
If you have an attached garage, it will likely be covered under your regular basic homeowners insurance cover for your main dwelling. There are many factors that will affect the cost of such coverage, but the higher premiums you are willing to pay, the more fully covered you will be against damage from storms, fires, and accidents.

An attached garage would be covered, in many cases then, at the same percentage of replacement cost as your livings spaces – be that 80%, 90%, or 100%. Many times, you would have to first meet your deductible, which would typically be in the range of $500 to $2,500, depending on how you customize your policy.

For detached garages, you will have to add extra coverage to your homeowners policy in the form of a detached structure rider. This can apply to not only garages but also to sheds, fences, gazebos, driveways, swimming pools, and more. Normally, you cover all of your detached structures of significance in a single rider that isn’t more than 10% of the total policy as to its limit. But, you can often iron out the details with your insurer if you want to cover the garage only, for example.

My Garage Door Is Damaged. Now What?
A damaged garage door is a real problem. It not only is an inconvenience, but it may also leave your home significantly less secure and force you to leave your vehicle outside where it is exposed to the weather, storms, hail, vandalism, theft, and other dangers.

First of all, if your garage door was damaged by another driver who slammed into it or backed into it, then the first place to look for compensation is the at fault driver’s auto insurance policy. But if that only covers a portion of the cost or if it was a hit and run incident or if the at-fault driver was uninsured or underinsured – you still need additional help.

If, on the other hand, you or a family member did the damage to the garage door accidentally with a car, then it might be your own insurance policy/policies that you have to look at to see if it covers at least some of the repairs.

In most cases, if your garage is covered under your homeowners policy (either as part of the dwelling cover or under an attached structure rider), it will pay for whatever is not covered by the relevant car insurance claim(s).

Usually, your homeowners insurance will cover a good portion of damage to a garage door – sometimes the full bill, if you’ve already met your deductible. Also, if a garage door or other part of your garage is damaged by vandalism, fire, or storms, it will likely be covered.

To learn more about protecting your garage, or for a free quote, contact Flagler County (FL) Insurance Agency today!