Whether snow, ice, freezing or flooding, winter weather can cause a host of headaches for homeowners. And if you’re in a new house that you’re still getting to know, it’s especially worth taking steps to be sure you’re prepared.

Sometimes, problems that arise are preventable. And even though homeowners insurance generally would cover weather-related damage, you’d still be responsible for paying your deductible — which may be anywhere from $500 to several thousand dollars or more.

Here are a few of the weather-related items covered with your homeowners insurance:

• Wind-related damage to your house, roof, or contents and other insured structures on the property. Also, wind-driven snow or freezing rain that gets into the home because the home was damaged by wind.
• Tree limbs that fall on a house or other insured structure on the property—this includes both the damage the tree inflicts on the house and the cost of removing the tree.
• Damage from ice and other objects that fall on the home.
• Damage to the house and its contents caused by weight of snow or ice that creates a collapse is covered.
• Freezing conditions such as burst pipes or ice dams, a condition where water is unable to drain properly through the gutters and seeps into a house causing damage to ceilings and walls. However, there is generally a requirement that the homeowner has taken reasonable steps to prevent these losses by keeping the house warm and properly maintaining the pipes and drains.
• Additional living expenses—in the event that a home is severely damaged by an insured disaster. This would pay for reasonable expenses incurred by living elsewhere while the home is being fixed.

Damage caused by flooding is not covered by standard homeowners or renters insurance policies. Melting snow that seeps into a home from the ground up would be covered by flood insurance, not home owners insurance. However, flood insurance is available to both homeowners and renters.

If you’d like to discuss your coverage, call CFC Insurance today at 309.243.1010 to discuss your best options, or request a free quote!