Rats & Insurance: Will I Have to Pay?

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If you take a peek at your insurance documents, there's a good chance that you will see a clause in there somewhere that states the provider of your insurance will not pay out in the event of rats. Usually called a "vermin clause" or something similar, rats and mice - rodents - aren't covered by your insurance in the same way that raccoons, squirrels, bats, and other pest animals are.



Why?

Because rodent-proofing your home is your responsibility, and if you had done it right, you wouldn't have a rat infestation or rat damage to contend with at all.

It's a pretty black-and-white way of looking at things, yes; but that's just the way it goes with rats, and if you see that vermin clause in your homeowners insurance, it's time to start counting the dollars to see how far your budget will stretch.

Why aren't rats covered by my insurance?

To get rats, your home or building must have an entrance point. This will be somewhere on the outside of your home that leads the rodents right in. To get to that point, rodents will usually have been lured in by the prospect of food - bird feeders, garbage bags, chicken feed, cat and dog food, etc.

If there wasn't an attractant, the rats wouldn't have been there in the first place. They always follow the trail of food.

If there weren't holes in your home that allowed the rodents to get in, you wouldn't have a rodent infestation. It really is that simple.

There are cases where you will be covered for rat damage, but not the removal of rats, such as when bad weather happens to cause damage to your home that wouldn't have otherwise been there. If rats came in and caused structural damage to the wooden beams of your attic after a hurricane ripped the roof right off, it clearly wouldn't be your fault. Unless it is down to out-of-your-control circumstances, you will not be covered for any rat damage repair. In almost every case, you won't be covered for the removal of rats at all.

Go back to the Rat Removal page, or learn tips to do it yourself with my How to Get Rid of Rats guide.