Homeowners insurance is a great way to protect your home for sudden loss. However, as you may already know, it doesn't cover wear and tear issues. The problem is that it's sometimes hard to differentiate between some wear and tear issues and sudden issues. Just because a problem comes on suddenly or is suddenly noticeable, it doesn't mean it's covered by your insurance. Here are common examples as to how wear and tear sometimes masks itself as something sudden, but is still not covered.

Roof leaks:

If your roof is old and suddenly begins leaking, it's very unlikely that your homeowner's insurance will cover any repairs. Even if you can show that you never had a problem before and it didn't start leaking until after a hail storm or some tree branches fell on it, it still may not be covered. This is especially true if your roof is more than ten years old. If it can be shown upon inspection that your roof had previous soft spots, holes or other weak areas which were never addressed, then the insurance company would have a good reason for denial. If your roof is fairly new, then you may still have a warranty from the roofing company. Fortunately, you would still be covered if the roof was blown away by a tornado or a large tree crashed into it, though its value will be based on its age.

Burst pipes and slow leaks:

Plumbing issues and related damage are very unlikely to be covered by your homeowner's insurance. Plumbing is generally a maintenance issue and if your pipes burst or cause damage from leaking, then it's up to you to make the repairs. Your add-on flood insurance also won't likely cover you if your home floods from these plumbing issues. Even if you get secondary damage, such as a collapsed or ruined floor, it still wouldn't likely be covered. However, if you have flood coverage and water comes outside flooding or accidental damage to your roof, then you may be covered. You may also be covered for burst frozen pipes if you can prove you did everything possible to keep them from freezing.

Wear and tear issues may also affect whether or not other damage is covered, including damage from fire and other other structural issues. The best thing you can do is talk to your insurance agent and read your policy to find out what and what isn't covered. In many cases, if you can show that you did your due diligence and kept up on your home maintenance, you will probably not have to worry about serious damage to your home.

For more information, talk to a professional like Accredited Insurance Group Inc.