Home owners whose properties were damaged by yesterday’s snow storm will be able to file a claim with their insurance company since the standard home owners policy covers problems caused by wind, snow, severe cold, and freezing rain, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

Most home owners insurance policies cover:

  • Wind-related damage to your house, your roof, your possessions, and other insured structures on the property.
  • Damage from wind-driven snow or freezing rain that got into your house after the wind damaged your home.
  • Tree limbs that fell on your house (both the damage to the house and the cost of removing the tree are typically covered up to about $500).
  • House damage caused by falling ice, or other falling objects, or by the weight of snow or ice.
  • Freezing conditions such as burst pipes or ice dams (when water can’t drain into the gutters and instead seeps into the house), as long as you did what you could to keep the house warm and the pipes and drains properly maintained.

Melting snow that seeps into a home from the ground isn’t covered by your home owners policy. You need to buy flood insurance for that.

If you have storm damage, contact your insurance agent or company representative as soon as possible. Start a home inventory to document your losses with lists, receipts, or photographs.

Source: III.org