Does Homeowners’ Insurance Cover Garage Door Issues?

If your garage door has been damaged to the point where it requires major repairs or even full-on replacement, you may be looking for ways to cover these costs. One option that might save you some major financial headaches: Homeowners’ insurance, which may cover you in some situations — but also may not in some others.

At Price’s Guaranteed Doors, we’re proud to provide a wide range of both new garage doors and garage door repairs, and we’ve assisted many clients with dealing with their homeowners’ insurance company to see if they might be covered for some of these needs. Generally speaking, whether or not your garage door needs are covered by your homeowners’ insurance policy will depend on the scenario that led to the damage — here are a few basic examples of damage types, plus whether they’re typically covered or not.

homeowners’ insurance garage door

Damage from Vehicles

A common form of garage door damage is when you or a member of your family drives into the garage door and damages it. Luckily, homeowners’ insurance policies typically do cover this type of damage, as it is considered an accident.

Now, it’s important to check your policy to ensure that you’re covered for this type of damage, as not all policies include it. And if you do have coverage, there may be a limit to how much the insurance company will pay out for this type of claim.

What about if someone else who doesn’t live on your property drives into your garage door and damages it? In this case, repairs or replacement should be covered by their auto liability insurance.

Natural Disaster Damage

In other cases, your garage door may be damaged by a natural disaster, such as a tornado or hurricane. If your home is damaged in a natural disaster, your homeowners’ insurance policy may cover the cost of repairing or replacing your garage door.

Again, it’s important to check with your insurer to see what is and isn’t covered under your specific policy. Some policies may only cover damage from specific natural disasters, and coverage for this type of damage may be subject to a deductible.

Damage From Vandalism or Break-In

For this area, the big question is whether your homeowners’ insurance policy contains what’s known as a malicious mischief clause, which covers damage caused by vandals or burglars.

If your policy does have this clause, it’s likely that your garage door repairs or replacement will be covered. However, if your policy doesn’t have this clause, you likely won’t be covered for this type of damage.

General Wear and Tear

One area that almost certainly will not be covered by homeowners’ insurance is damage caused by general wear and tear on the garage door. This could be things like the door becoming rusty or parts of the door deteriorating due to age.

For more on which garage door replacements or repairs are likely to be covered by homeowners’ insurance, or to learn about any of our new garage doors or other services, speak to the staff at Price’s Guaranteed Doors today.