Will Home Insurance Replace my Patio?
Caeva O'Callaghan | June 2nd, 2022
You know your home insurance covers everything inside the building – but what about your patio or deck outside?
Yes, your home insurance will cover your patio if it is damaged and needs to be replaced.
Your patio is covered under the buildings section of your home insurance policy. This is also the section that covers boundary walls, gates and sheds.
In this article, we’ll go over the following questions:
- What does building insurance cover?
- Does home insurance cover storm damage?
- If my neighbour’s tree falls on my property, will my insurance cover it?
As long as your patio isn’t damaged due to lack of maintenance or negligence on your part as the homeowner, your home insurance policy will cover it.
What does building insurance cover?
The building section of your home insurance covers the structure of your home. This includes all four walls and the roof, as well as all permanent fixtures and fittings.
Permanent fixtures and fittings include things like sinks, toilets, windows, doors, as well as outdoor groundwork such as patios and decks.
Unlike contents cover, which insures your possessions, furniture and other contents of your home, your building insurance covers the fabric of your home.
Naturally, your building insurance will cover no more than the sum insured. This means that if you haven’t given an accurate valuation of your home and garden, you won’t be able to claim any extra costs.
Does home insurance cover storm damage?
Yes. A lot of costly damage can happen to your home and garden, and there’s a standard list of situations in which buildings insurance will kick into effect. Almost all insurance providers will cover you for these risks, however, it’s worth checking your policy just in case.
These include:
- Fire, lightning, explosion or earthquake
- Storm or flood (except to gates, hedges and fences and felt roof over 5 years old)
- Malicious damage (except caused by people legally in the home or if your home is unoccupied for 40 days plus)
- Riots and civil commotion
- Water escaping from a fixed water, drainage or heating installation, waterbed or fishtank
- Subsidence or ground heave
- Aerials, fittings, masts and satellite dishes breaking
- Oil leaking from a tank
- Falling trees and branches
- Removal of debris and building fees
Of course, your home insurance won’t cover any damage to your patio or other areas of your home which have become damaged due to negligence. If you want your patio to have valid cover, you need to keep it in good condition and not put it at extra risk.
If my neighbour’s tree falls on my property, will my insurance cover it?
If a neighbour’s tree falls and damages your patio or deck, you will be able to claim for this on your home insurance. All damage and labour costs that arise as a result of the incident fall under your buildings insurance policy.
However, if the tree was on your neighbour’s land the claim may work a little differently, but the good news is you do have cover.
As soon as you notice a tree or branch has fallen, you need to calculate the cost of the damage. It’s easy enough to do this for a patio or a deck, as you can dig out the invoice and find out exactly how much you paid for the materials, as well as the labour to install it.
Things get more complex if the tree has also damaged your lawn, plants or pots. Give as close of an estimate as you can. How much would it cost to fix everything? Would you need to call in a professional landscaping service? How about the costs of removing the branches and debris from your property? Would you need a skip? Do you need to replace your fence?
If you’re confused about where you stand with garden or patio damage and home insurance, just give us a call. We can help put you right. Talk to our home insurance experts 8.30am and 5.30pm each weekday on 0818 224433 or 042 9359051.