Termites can cause a lot of damage in any home and you may not always know they are there until major damage has been done. This is because termites eat away at wooden structures from the inside out. The structures of your home may look solid but inside they could be hollow. This is a worrying thought and you may be wondering if damage like this is covered by your home insurance.
The answer to this is that usually it is not covered. Home insurance is intended to cover costs resulting from an accident; something that could not be prepared for. Termite infestation can be protected against if you maintain your home in the correct manner and have it checked regularly. This is why termite damage is not usually covered by home insurance. So what can you do to help protect your home against costly termite damage?
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Protecting your home against termites
There are several things you can do that will make it less likely for your home to be affected by termites. Here are some useful actions.
- Stop water from accumulating around your home by making sure it can drain away. You should also make sure that your gutters and drainage pipes are kept clear.
- Make sure any cracks or gaps in the foundations of your home are completely filled in.
- Leave a gap around your home before you plant any shrubs. The debris that falls from shrubs can gather and cause pools of water around your home if the shrubs are grown too close to the exterior.
- Do not keep wood of any sort close to your home and do not keep it on the ground.
- Make sure that any wood on your home which comes into contact with soil is treated with proper sealant.
If you take all of these actions you stand a good chance of deterring termites from entering your home. You should also have a termite inspection carried out at least biennially; every twelve months if you live in an area which is known to have issues with termite infestations.
What to do if you suspect you have a termite infestation
If you think that you may have termites in your home you should not just leave it to chance. You should make a call to Connecticut pest control and ask the professionals to come and inspect your home. They will look for any signs of termite tunnels around your home which may be an indication that there are termites in the area.
They will also look for signs of any decay in the wood of your home and will hammer on wood surfaces to see if they are solid or have been hollowed out by termites. Once termite infestation has been identified the experts will treat your home and make sure that the infestation is dealt with.
You should never underestimate the amount of damage that termites can do to your property; it can cost you a lot of money to repair. As you can see, termite damage is not covered by home insurance so you need to make sure that you take all the actions necessary to protect against termites infesting your home.