Home insurance is designed to cover your home in case of an accident, but there are certain exclusions and limitations when it comes to what is covered. In some cases, structural problems concerning your home will be covered under home insurance. In others, however, you could be looking to pay repairs to your home out of pocket.

Causes of the Structural Problems

Structural problems such as cracks, slanted floors and doors not closing properly are typically covered by home insurance as long as they are caused by a covered peril. Covered perils may include:

• Fire
• Wind
• Hail
• Lightning
• Smoke
• Theft
• Vandalism

For example, if a bad storm with high winds causes damage to your doors or windows, you may be covered under home insurance. However, damages to your home that are not caused by a covered peril will not be covered under your home insurance policy.

Keep in mind that there are two main types of home insurance policies when it comes to perils: named perils vs. all risk.

Named perils home insurance policies will list what is covered, like above. Anything not listed as covered should be assumed to not have coverage under your home insurance policy.

All risk home insurance policies do the opposite by providing a list of exclusions. Anything not listed should be covered under your home insurance policy. Common exclusions include flood damage, earthquake damage and negligence. Some of these can be covered under additional coverage depending on your insurance provider while others (such as negligence) may not.

Overall, structural damage to your home may only be covered if it is caused by a covered peril. If it is caused by an excluded incident (such as flooding, earthquakes or negligence) it will not be covered.

What is Negligence Under Home Insurance?

Negligence refers to a homeowner failing to maintain upkeep on their home, which can lead to damage. For example, if your roof leaks after a storm and it is discovered that you were missing shingles for months and never replaced them, this could fall on your shoulders as negligence and could lead to less compensation or even a denied claim. The same applies for structural damage. If cracks or foundation issues are caused by normal wear and tear or a failure to maintain the integrity of your home, you may not be covered if you try to file a home insurance claim.

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