Garage door insurance

Garage door insurance refers to coverage for garage doors under homeowners insurance policies, classified as part of “Other Structures” in ISO HO-3 forms. Most policies cover garage door damages from fire, hail, windstorm, and theft–examples include a tree falling on the door or burglary damage–with standard deductibles applying, as affirmed by the Insurance Information Database.

Insurers typically exclude wear and tear, maintenance failures, or mechanical breakdowns from covered causes of loss. Comprehensive claims data indicate 16% of all home insurance property damage claims involve exterior components, including garage doors (Insurance Information Institute, 2022).

Policies often reimburse replacement costs rather than actual cash value if the “Replacement Cost Coverage” endorsement is present–Allstate and State Farm list this specifically. Vandalism to garage doors qualifies as a covered peril only when the policyholder reports promptly with police documentation.

Insurers deny claims where pets, owners, or household members accidentally damage their own garage doors, citing exclusions in policy fine print. Separate endorsements for detached garages can offer higher sub-limits; examples include Erie Insurance’s “Other Structures Increased Limits.” Standard policies require photo evidence and invoices for repairs before claim processing; Farmers Insurance states claims with incomplete documentation experience average delays of two weeks.

Hailstorm events in Texas caused $1.5 billion in insured property losses in 2021–garage door replacements made up over 10% of paid claims (Texas Department of Insurance, 2022). Insurers drop coverage for garage doors found non-compliant with local building codes or retrofitted without permits during underwriting inspections.

Replacement or repair costs range between $800 and $1,800 per double garage door claim according to HomeAdvisor’s 2023 national survey data.