Many homeowners understand that home insurance is a type of property insurance that covers damages and losses to one’s home. However, what many homeowners don’t know and ask themselves is: does home insurance cover air conditioning in your home? Let’s say your air conditioner got damaged, needs maintenance or it got old and needs replacement. Who covers that? Well, the first thing you need to know is, home insurance doesn’t cover an AC that needs maintenance or is old. That could be covered by a home warranty instead. Home insurance may however cover an AC under certain scenarios, which you’ll learn about below.
So, When Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Central Air Units?
Below are the circumstances under which home insurance covers AC unit replacement or repair:
1 . When your AC is damaged by weather-related causes
In the event where your AC is damaged by bad weather such as lightning, hail or winds, your AC may be covered by your home insurance depending on your policy limits. Also, home insurance may cover your unit if a tree fell on it and damaged it. An important point to note however is that earthquakes and floods are usually excluded from most homeowners insurance policies.
2 . When your AC is damaged by fire or water
Your home insurance may also cover your AC in the event that your AC gets damaged by fire, or there’s a pipe burst that would force your unit to be repaired or replaced. However, your home insurance may not cover your unit if water damage to your AC is due to flooding.
3 . Vandalism and theft of the unit
Theft of an AC unit is quite rare, however if your unit got damaged due to vandalism, it may be covered by your home insurance. If your unit is stolen or vandalized, your may need to file a police report first before you file an insurance claim.
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What you need to know when filing a homeowners insurance claim for your Unit
Now that you’ve learnt how homeowners insurance covers HVAC, how do you file the claims? Before you file any claims, it’s vital that you first read and understand the content of your homeowners insurance policy.
If you’ve read and confirmed that the damage to your AC is covered by your insurance provider, keep the following in mind when filing the claim:
- Take a clear picture of the damaged AC.
- Ensure you have a copy of the police report in the event of vandalism or theft of your unit.
- Note down the model of your AC and its serial number.
- Contact your home insurance provider via phone or file the claim online.
- Talk to your insurance adjuster.
- For every repair done, keep the receipt.
- Give the receipts to your insurance provider for reimbursement.
It’s vital to note that insurance providers are not the same, they differ. That means that the insurance claiming process may differ depending on your homeowners insurance policies. It’s important that you speak to your homeowners insurance agent in case of any additional requirements that may be needed. For any other HVAC-related questions, feel free to contact Moncrief Heating & Air Conditioning for quality and expert HVAC service in Sandy Springs.
