Many homeowners insurance policies do offer protection against foundation damage in Texas, but there are plenty of caveats. Making a claim on your insurance policy is always tricky, and foundation coverage in Texas is as complex as it is.
Being able to claim insurance on foundation damage in Texas depends heavily on the causes of the damage itself. In this article, we will explore how most common homeowners insurance policies handle claims regarding foundation issues.
Why Are Foundation Problems Common In Texas?
As a homeowner, Texas presents a particularly challenging set of conditions for your foundation. The soil in San Antonio, of which there are three main types, is the first issue; clay, clay loam, and sandy loam are hard on foundations due to their weight and expansiveness. Then come the weather conditions: Extreme temperatures and the probability of floods are also the enemies of foundations.
Then, secondary problems can be caused by the primary ones. Maybe the soil settling won’t directly affect your foundation, but it will rupture pipes that can cause floods. Maybe it’s the freeze-thaw cycle on a particularly chilly winter.
What Types Of Foundation Damage Are Covered By Homeowners Insurance In Texas?
Getting the obvious out of the way, anything that is not clearly defined in your insurance policy will not be covered, period. It’s important to read your insurance policy and all of its clauses carefully to be aware of the type of events that will allow you to submit a claim with your insurance company or carrier.
With that out of the way, you’ll come to find out that a great deal of the major causes of foundation damage tend to be excluded from insurance coverage of most standard policies. Why does this happen?
Well, for starters, because those common causes of foundation issues fall outside of anyone’s control. But that’s not to say that they don’t cover foundation issues, they do; for some. So let’s start with the damages that are covered by most homeowners’ insurance policies.
Foundation-Damaging Events Covered By Most Home Insurance Policies In Texas
- Fire damage (including those caused by a lightning strike).
- Hail and windstorm damage.
- Damage caused by vehicular collision.
- Damage caused by civil disturbances and riots, vandalism, or as a consequence of theft.
- Collapse due to the weight of ice and/or snow/sleet.
- All manner of fallen aircraft or objects.
- HVAC malfunction and overflow.
- Explosions.
The list above applies to San Antonio, which is a good thing since the city is also in the top 15 metropolitan areas in the United States that present more foundation issues. They might not be uniquely Texan problems, but San Antonio homeowners are likely to find themselves facing them in the future.
Foundation-Damaging Events NOT Covered By Most Home Insurance Policies In Texas
The following is a list of events that are, as a general rule, not covered by most insurance carriers in Texas.
- Damage caused by the natural foundation settling.
- Damage caused by bulging, expansion, or shrinking of the soil.
- Earthquakes.
- Flooding caused by rainstorms.
- Root penetration.
- Any damage that results from faulty construction of the property in general.
Why don’t insurance carriers cover these events despite being some of the most common causes of foundation damage in Texas? Well, the reasons vary, but the important thing to remember is that the damage can be lessened through prevention and maintenance, which makes regular inspections of your foundation a must for San Antonio homeowners.
Insurance companies in Texas are wise to the prevalence of foundation issues, which is why you can add extra riders to your base policy to cover them. However, while signing up for these additional endorsements can help cover some of the repair costs of foundation damage, they also make you pay higher premiums and deductibles.
What If Your Insurance Policy Doesn’t Cover Your Foundation Repairs?
As any homeowner ought to know, any problem that’s not covered by your insurance policy means that you will have to bear the full cost of the repair. That is why, as we mentioned in the previous section, your two best allies are prevention and maintenance. Your best bet is to take every step necessary to keep a healthy foundation that will work for many, many years to come.
Tips For Maintaining Your Foundation In Great Shape
Here are the most important things you can do to keep your foundation in working condition:
- Install a proper drainage system to prevent water damage to your foundation.
- Schedule regular plumbing inspections to, again, avoid water damage.
- Make sure that your construction slopes away from your foundation.
- If you have large trees in your yard, install root barriers to prevent tree roots from penetrating your foundation.
- Do not keep elevated flower beds immediately next to your foundation.
- Properly maintain your gutters year-round.
- Maintain the inner temperature of your home level throughout the year.
- Have a foundation specialist inspect your foundation regularly to detect “invisible” problems.
- Avoid soil erosion on your property, particularly around your foundation.
Taking Care Of Your Foundation To Avoid Expensive Repairs
Even if your standard homeowners insurance policy protects you from the most common causes of foundation damage, foundation repairs, in the case of extensive damage, can be really high to pay out of pocket. A savvy homeowner knows that prevention is the best insurance policy, which is why you should trust a team of professionals to inspect and maintain your home’s foundation regularly to avoid burdening the financial cost of fixing a foundation once the damage is too extensive.
Contact the Above All Foundation Repair team, which is always ready to inspect any type of foundation and offer solutions using the latest equipment in the market today, all backed up by years of experience in the field.
