Your homeowners insurance may not cover damage from woodpeckers.
He meets Amy, a city girl who became a small-town resident after her marriage to George. The stark difference between living in the very center of built-up civilization and living in a township was something of an adjustment for Amy. She sure loved the sights and sounds of nature on display: the lake, the trees, the grass, the flowers, and the vibrant color of the winged birds. Yet how I missed the hustle and bustle and, yes, even the noise of what I had always recognized as the center of commercial shopping, the car and bus traffic, including the honking of horns, and the life for which there had been been educated!
Although noise had always been the core of his existence, the incessant pecking at the side of his roof in the small town in America, where he had currently taken up residence, was not doing his nerves any good. You see, five in the morning was too early for a woman of the world like her to be jerked awake from her slumbering state. And the fact that the pecking came from a fine-feathered ‘friend’ more commonly known as the woodpecker did little to place her unease.
Then came the creaking sound that really unnerved Amy. It seemed that the annoying woodpecker had started causing damage to her beautiful house! But nothing could appease Amy when she discovered that her standard homeowners insurance policy didn’t even cover the damages and losses she now suffered!
“You see, ma’am,” the likable insurance agent explained, “insurance companies just don’t cover general property liability that has been caused by negligence. In fact, they consider damage from woodpeckers something to Could have been prevented with proper home maintenance.
If only Amy had known! She surely would have met the small danger with a vengeance. Now it seemed that it was too late and that she and her husband would have to bear the losses through out-of-pocket expenses.
They say that life is a great teacher. Amy knows better than most.
“Learn from me,” says Amy, a former city dweller. “Don’t let the pests get the better of you or your home hazards will!”
How do you tackle a woodpecker problem? There are a number of practical methods:
• Go out and buy a tool that is on the market regarding woodpecker deterrent.
• Surround the exterior places of the house that connect to the roof with chain link fences.
• Tape colored tape under the roof and around the roof gutters.
• Seal attic holes and house siding with caulk or other materials.
• Hire a pest removal company to take care of the problem.
• Explore your own creativity in tackling the ugly problem of wood chipping.
Ask Amy. If you’re prepared, she’ll tell you, you’ve been warned: Talk to an independent insurance agent about your homeowners insurance policy to make sure it fits her needs.