Cosmetic Damage To Home Siding

You may want to determine whether filing a claim is worth it.

Cosmetic damage to home siding. Cosmetic damage like a hole from the impact of a softball or a dent to aluminum siding from a similar event is easy enough to patch or repair. While cosmetic it s damage and is covered. If you find that you re having to repair your siding often or the need for maintenance has increased there may be a deeper issue with your siding that only a full siding replacement can solve. It s the same as if vandals had painted the side of the house purple.

Robert hunter director of insurance for the consumer federation of america in washington d c says the big problem for homeowners is determining what constitutes cosmetic damage. Eifs are vulnerable to damage due to the combination of a thin stucco coating over a soft base make. Cosmetic damage while the matching issue involves repairing truly damaged or destroyed property and the ensuing problems that result when the repaired section of a roof siding or cabinetry for example does not match the remainder of the roof siding or cabinetry in appearance. A home with siding that s dented keeps working but it looks terrible and will cause the home to drop in value says hunter.

You will need more replacement siding with vinyl and aluminum siding materials than other types of siding. Water and moisture become trapped between the sheathing and the styrofoam portion of the finish system. Those cracks in the face of the eifs allow water and moisture to seep behind the surface. Vinyl and aluminum siding are most vulnerable to hail damage.

The principle of indemnity is to restore the insured to what they had before the loss and this insured had a roof with no dents. Hail damage to vinyl siding. Cosmetic damage is usually defined as marring pitting or other. The policy doesn t exclude cosmetic damage so direct damage even if it is cosmetic is covered.

It s generally defined as damage that affects the appearance of a property but does not interfere with the function of the damaged area. Impacts to the surface can result in cracks. The damages vinyl and aluminum siding sustain can quickly leave the rest of your home exposed to the elements. Vinyl siding is plastic and it typically cracks and easily breaks when hit by hail and in freezing weather.

In an attempt to limit coverage for non functional damage insurers have begun to include the cosmetic damage exclusion. Most homeowner s insurance policies will cover damage to all kinds of siding when clearly caused by weather.