Good Neighbor Fights Are Not Covered

Damage caused by a neighbor’s encroachment on your property is not covered by homeowner’s insurance and rarely by title insurance. Encroachments can be anything from a driveway, a portion of a home or balcony, or oftentimes fences or landscaping. In many situations, the offending party did not intend or even know they were encroaching, and the affected party bought the property with the encroachment in place.


The corner of your backyard caves in because your neighbor’s septic tank was mistakenly built on your property- who pays for it? The first thing to do is check your title insurance. As part of the purchase of your home, the title company generally provides coverage for basics like property title status, liens and lot description, among other things. Encroachments are rarely covered without the purchase of a special insurance rider.

The second thing to do is check your homeowner’s policy. As a rule, a homeowner’s policy will not provide coverage for damage caused by an encroachment. However, before making that determination, the language of the policy must be examined.

For help reviewing the fine print of your policy or if you need supplemental insurance to protect yourself from encroachments, call Allied Brokers today!

Visit our website at http://www.alliedbrokers.com/ for information about all the types of insurance we offer. Or call 1-888-505-7988 for a free rate quote.
Information for this article was provided courtesy of Simon Offord at the Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer at 650 327-2900 or on the web at http://www.brewerfirm.com/.