Will My Home Insurance Cover Damage to the Siding of My Home?

Your homeowners insurance should cover siding damage after you’ve paid your deductible, provided a covered peril damaged it. Siding protects your home from bad weather and object impacts, so you should understand when your policy will cover repairs to avoid unexpected costs.

Keep reading to learn when homeowners insurance will cover siding, when it won’t and tips for protecting it and extending its longevity.

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Siding? 

A standard homeowners insurance policy should cover siding damages if they were caused by a covered peril. The below perils are covered in a standard policy, so your insurer should pay toward siding repair and replacement costs if any of them are responsible for the damages.

Is Normal Wear and Tiring of Siding Covered by Home Insurance?

Your homeowners insurance typically doesn’t cover damage caused by natural wear and tear.^[1] That can include deterioration of the siding due to age or lack of maintenance, causing it to get damaged faster than expected. Your insurance company generally views wear and tear damage as the homeowner's responsibility, so depending on what caused the damage, you may need to pay for your siding repair or replacement out of pocket.

Can I Get Coverage for New Siding Installations?

You can typically get insurance coverage for your new siding installation by contacting your homeowners insurer and informing them of the new siding. Remember that new siding may increase your premium, as some materials, like stucco or wood, might be more damage-prone than others and could increase the odds of making a claim for siding repair.^[2]

Keep in mind that using more expensive materials could cause your insurer to increase your home insurance rate due to the increased claim payout if you need to repair or replace your siding.

Does Home Insurance Cover Siding Damage Caused by Storms?

Storms can cause damage to your dwelling’s siding, and fortunately, this type of damage is typically covered under your homeowners insurance policy. Windstorms, including hurricanes and tornados, are often listed under a policy’s covered perils. For example, if your siding is torn off or blown away due to a storm, you’ll typically be covered for repair or replacement. That said, if you live in a high-risk region, windstorm damage may be excluded from coverage (more on this in the next section).

When Is Siding Damage Not Covered?

If you have named peril coverage for your dwelling coverage — which is sometimes the case if you have an older home — you will not be covered for any peril outside of those specifically listed in your policy, which usually includes fire and hail. Contrast this with a standard policy with open peril coverage, which covers ALL perils except those specifically excluded. Fortunately, the majority of home insurance policies have open peril coverage for home siding.

As mentioned, any siding damage caused by excluded perils will not be covered. These exclusions commonly include flooding and earthquakes, usually requiring a separate insurance rider to your policy or a standalone policy. Depending on your region, your insurer may also exclude coverage for certain natural disasters. For example, in California, you may be denied coverage for wildfires if you live in a high-risk area unless you buy additional coverage. Similarly, in Texas, you may not have windstorm and hail coverage if you live along the coastline.

Additionally, your insurer likely won’t cover poor workmanship, meaning you likely won’t be covered if a contractor did not install the siding correctly. If you hired the contractor yourself, you will need to approach them directly if you want compensation for losses caused by their negligence.^[3]

What Should I Do if Only Part of My Siding Is Damaged?

Your homeowners insurance will typically only cover replacing the damaged portion of your home's siding, so you’ll still want to make a claim to repair the damaged section. However, this could result in an aesthetic mismatch if the new material is different, such as an initially engineered wood siding being repaired with new vinyl siding segments. While mismatches may not be considered in your homeowners policy, your insurer may cover a higher-cost material if you prove that a mismatch would decrease your home’s value.^[4]

Tips To Prevent Siding Damage

Below, we’ll cover a few tips for preventing siding damage and reducing the effects of any damage before you get a chance to repair the issue.

Clean Your Siding Regularly

Cleaning your siding can help prevent mold and mildew buildup, increasing the construction’s longevity while keeping it looking fresh. The amount of cleaning may vary depending on the material, with some requiring a little more work than others. For example, vinyl, metal, or composite sidings should be cleaned at least once a year, while fiber cement or wood should be cleaned every six months.^[5]

Check for Damage Frequently

Damage may get worse if left untreated, so check your siding for any damage like cracks, missing or loose panels and warping. Damage may be most common after a storm, but if you know a large storm like a hurricane is approaching, it's worth checking in advance to know if some damage could be made worse.

You may be able to get a professional to address holes or cracks. However, if you patch or seal minor issues yourself, ensure you’re comfortable with the process. Your insurance company might not cover any damage if you were the one who improperly performed a repair.

Fix Your Gutters and Drains

If your gutters and drains don’t run rainwater and debris far enough from your siding, it could result in water running down the siding and pooling at the base, leading to mold or rot buildup. Too much moisture may also result in your siding bulging or warping, which can reduce its effectiveness and cause it to break.

Trim Nearby Trees and Shrubbery

Tree branches and shrubbery could damage your siding if they’re allowed to grow too close, as the rubbing and poking of branches may wear down and weaken the siding over time. Additionally, during high winds, a nearby tree or large plant could be blown into the siding, damaging it, so ensure your plants are trimmed, secure and unlikely to fall over.

Invest in Fire-Resistant Materials

If you’re replacing your siding, you may want to consider more fire-resistant siding materials, especially if you live in an area vulnerable to wildfires. For example, fiber cement siding is low-maintenance and fire-resistant, typically available in different textures and styles depending on your aesthetic preferences.^[6]

Apply a UV-Resistant Coating

Some coatings can be applied to your siding to help provide UV protection against sunrays, which could otherwise damage your siding over long periods of regular exposure.

Keep Ice and Snow off Your Roof

Melting ice and snow can leak over the sides of your roof and run along your siding, potentially leading to rot and discoloration.

Adjust Sprinkler Heads

If your sprinkler heads point at your home’s siding, it could lead to water pooling next to your home, potentially resulting in water damage to both your siding and foundation over time. Position your sprinklers so they always point away from your home, and consider installing spray guards to keep water from hitting your siding.

Don’t Grill Near Your Siding

Certain siding materials, such as vinyl or wood, are susceptible to heat and could warp or catch fire if you’re grilling too close. If you cannot move your grill, consider investing in a heat shield to help protect your siding.

How To File an Insurance Claim for Siding Damage

If you determine your siding was damaged, ensure you take photographs or video evidence of it as soon as possible before contacting your insurance company to make a claim. This photo evidence can help showcase the extent of damage when you made the claim, and a timestamp can help show the damage that occurred by a specific incident, such as a trackable hurricane or storm.

You’ll also want to ensure it’s worth claiming the first place, as your deductible may render a claim pointless. For example, the average cost of siding repair can run around $900 while the average homeowners deductible is $1,000, meaning an average claim wouldn’t receive a payout unless your deductible had been paid already.^[7][8]

After you’ve contacted your insurance company to file the claim, they’ll likely send out an adjuster to inspect the damage. Ensure you note all issues, and consider getting a professional estimate from one or more contractors to back up estimated costs of siding repair or replacement. Afterward, you’ll negotiate with your insurance company based on the evidence and testimony provided alongside the adjuster’s assessment to determine a claim amount.