Insurance Content Navigation

• Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Chimney Fires in Illinois?
• When Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Fires in Illinois?
• When Doesn't Homeowners Insurance Cover Chimney Fires?
• Home Fire Stats
• What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover in Illinois?
• What Doesn’t Homeowners Insurance in Illinois Cover?
• Here’s How an Illinois Independent Insurance Agent Can Help

One of the great joys of being a homeowner is the ability to have a small fire inside on a cold night. But unfortunately, sometimes chimney fires can get a little out of control. In case that happens, it’s imperative to be set up with the right Illinois homeowners insurance.

Even more important is enlisting the help of an Illinois independent insurance agent. They’ll get you equipped with all the homeowners insurance you need, long before you have to file a claim. But to start off, here’s a closer look at how home insurance in Illinois covers chimney fires.

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Chimney Fires in Illinois?

Yes, fortunately homeowners insurance in Illinois does cover chimney fires. According to insurance expert Jeffery Green, fires are one of the first listed perils under standard homeowners insurance across the country. This means that many different kinds of fires, including chimney, electrical, and more, are covered by your policy. An Illinois independent insurance can explain further.

When Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Fires in Illinois?

According to insurance expert Paul Martin, many insurance companies include coverage for fires of a “hostile” nature, or those that unintentionally spread from the area they originated in. A hostile fire can also be one that just gets out of control, but either way, the fire causes unintentional damage to the home. Fires of a “friendly” nature, meaning they’re contained where they were meant to be, are usually not covered under homeowners insurance, but there are exceptions.

When Doesn't Homeowners Insurance Cover Chimney Fires?

Green says that typically, most chimney fires are covered under standard homeowners insurance in Illinois. However, if a fire occurred in your chimney due to an excluded peril such as nuclear fallout or war damage, or an explosion, it would not be covered. To become familiar with what your specific home insurance policy covers, review it with the help of your Illinois independent insurance agent.

Home Fire Stats

Fire damage is one of the original, major threats that homeowners insurance was first designed to cover. As a homeowner, it’s critical to know and understand the threat and likelihood of home fires in order to get set up with adequate coverage. Check out a few stats for home fires in the US below.

• 32.7% of all homeowners insurance claims are due to fire-related losses.
• 58.4% of all fire claims are filed through homeowners insurance companies.
• 481,500 fires occur in structures in the US annually.
• $12.287 billion is lost in the US annually due to structural fire damage.
• 339,500 home fires were reported in 2019.

Once you realize just how common and costly of a threat home fires really are, it’s easier to get motivated to ensure your coverage is up to snuff. An Illinois independent insurance agent can help you review your existing homeowners insurance to confirm you have enough coverage.

What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover in Illinois?

Homeowners insurance provides a lot of critical protection you might not even be aware of. Some of the standard coverages provided by homeowners insurance in Illinois include:

• Liability coverage: If a third party sues you for bodily injury or property damage caused by an out-of-control chimney fire or other disaster on your property, liability coverage would protect you by reimbursing legal costs.
• Additional living expenses (ALE): If a chimney fire sadly led to your house burning down or otherwise substantial damage to render your home uninhabitable, you’d rely on ALE coverage. It pays for extra costs while living in a temporary residence due to a covered disaster, including for hotel rooms, takeout meals, etc.
• Dwelling coverage: If a chimney fire or other covered peril damages the structure of your home, the dwelling coverage section of homeowners insurance would take care of the costs, up to your policy’s limit.
• Contents coverage: If your personal belongings like clothing, furniture, etc. got damaged or destroyed due to an out-of-control chimney fire or other covered peril, contents coverage would reimburse for the costs of replacement, up to your policy’s limit.

An Illinois independent insurance agent can get you equipped with all the homeowners insurance you need to guard against hostile chimney fires and more.

What Doesn’t Homeowners Insurance in Illinois Cover?

Homeowners insurance protects residents in Illinois in many ways, and is an essential coverage for all to carry. However, Green states that there are also several common coverage exclusions under standard home insurance, like:

Since homeowners insurance won’t cover damage related to flooding, a natural disaster that Illinois is prone to, it’s important to consider getting additional flood insurance. An Illinois independent insurance agent can help you find coverage.

Here’s How an Illinois Independent Insurance Agent Can Help

When it comes to protecting Illinois homeowners against hostile chimney fires and all other threats, no one’s better equipped to help than an independent insurance agent. Illinois independent insurance agents search through multiple carriers to find providers who specialize in homeowners insurance, deliver quotes from a number of different sources, and help you walk through them all to find the best blend of coverage and cost.