Home damage by squirrel — is it covered?

An Atlanta couple came home from a winter vacation to find their house had been ransacked. But the culprit was not the usual home invader — a squirrel had fallen down the chimney and was trapped in the house, scratching at everything to get out and defecating all over the home. The squirrel even figured out how to turn on the kitchen faucet. Eventually, the squirrel created a nest on the couch to live out its days. The couple said that an alarm went off in the home during the vacation, but friends had checked out the situation and said that doors and windows had not been breached.

The couple called on their homeowners’ insurer to see if the damage would be covered. Unfortunately, the insurer, Mercury Insurance, informed the couple that the damage was not covered under the policy. A squirrel is categorized as a rodent, which is specifically excluded under the homeowners’ policy.

A representative from Mercury told news outlets that the contract “explicitly stated” the insurance does not cover damages by rodents. The couple was told if a raccoon destroyed the house, the damages would have been covered.

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