When shopping for a homeowners insurance policy, the last thing you’re probably thinking about is whether the coverage includes something like death or crime scene cleanup.
The sad truth is that tragic incidents such as homicides and suicides do occur, and sometimes in the home. Having the right kind of insurance coverage can help you recover some of the costs of cleaning up your home after such a devastating occurrence.
A local independent insurance agent can help you understand your policy and make sure you have the coverage you need, even under the most tragic circumstances.
Does My Homeowners Insurance Policy Cover Death Cleanup Costs?
When an accident or other tragic incident occurs that results in a death in the home, there will likely be an extreme cleanup required in your home, especially if the death is the result of a violent crime. In addition to emotional anguish, you'll unfortunately be faced with the need to clean up damage to your home that involves body removal, dangerous biohazards, and more. This type of cleanup requires specialized cleaning experts and can be very costly.
In general, typical home insurance policies cover this type of cleanup. Most homeowners policies provide coverage for the dwelling on an all-risk basis, meaning there are no exclusions made for things like crime scenes or corpses.
That being said, certain policies do not include cleanup coverage for furniture or carpeting. Also, depending on the policy, coverage for things like furniture cleanup or repair may be limited.
You’ll need to review your specific policy to be sure death cleanup coverage is included, and what exactly falls into that category. Your independent insurance agent can help you understand your policy and which kinds of personal property it covers.
What Is Death Cleanup Coverage?
Here are a few things that death cleanup coverage can help with:
- Body removal: Death cleanup coverage can help pay for a biohazard cleaning service to safely remove corpses from your home after an incident. Biohazard cleaning services usually accept homeowners insurance as payment and will even submit the claim on your behalf.
- Bodily fluid cleanup: Sometimes corpses leave behind blood or other bodily fluids that can stain or even severely damage carpeting, walls, or other fixtures in the home. Coverage can help pay for the costs associated with the secondary level of cleanup required after an extreme incident. Note: You should never try to clean up bodily fluids on your own, as you may put yourself at risk of contracting infectious diseases.
- Property damage: If a severe accident or violent crime took place in the home and resulted in broken windows or other physical damage, death cleanup coverage can provide the funds to repair or replace these features of the home, in addition to the body removal and fluid cleanup costs.
Death cleanup coverage not only takes care of the removal and cleanup of bodies of the deceased, but also aids in repairs and cleanup for the damage inflicted on the home itself.
Why Would I Need Death Cleanup Coverage?
It might be hard to imagine ever needing death cleanup coverage, but sadly, there are several rare but devastating circumstances that would make having this type of coverage invaluable. Homeowners insurance policies do not discriminate by the type of incident that requires cleanup. There are no exclusions made for purposeful acts vs. accidents.
You might need death cleanup coverage if any of the following were to happen in your home:
- Homicide: Murders and other violent crimes can cause property damage and a mess in the home that extends beyond the physical removal of corpses.
- Suicide: Your death cleanup coverage will not discriminate between homicides and suicides. Both can be equally upsetting and messy tragedies that are costly to clean up after.
- Unattended death: This refers to a body that has been sitting for a while before it’s discovered. Sadly, this can be a fairly common occurrence when elderly individuals pass away quietly at home.
- Destructive accidents: Extreme accidents that result in death in your home can leave behind a lot of debris and damage, in addition to any mess caused by human injuries and remains.
- Large animal accidents and deaths: Let’s say a spooked deer jumped through one of your windows, resulting in broken glass, bloodstains, and a decaying carcass. Death cleanup coverage could provide funding for every aspect of the incident requiring cleanup, and even any resulting property damage, depending on your policy.
No homeowner wants to think about these kinds of tragedies, but it’s important to consider that very bad things can happen, even in your own home.
How Can an Independent Insurance Agent Help You Find the Best Homeowners Insurance?
We all know how valuable your time is, so why spend it doing all the hard work yourself? From homeowners insurance policies to special add-ons, independent insurance agents will help you determine what type of coverage makes the most sense for you.
Independent agents stay on top of the insurance industry and all the latest discounts, so you don’t have to. That means they’ll help find the right coverage at the right price for you.
