Does homeowners insurance cover broken gutters?
Short answer. Homeowners insurance covers gutters broken by a sudden event, such as a falling limb, a windstorm, the weight of ice or a vehicle impact, minus your deductible. Gutters that pull loose because hangers rusted, the fascia rotted or they were overloaded with debris are a maintenance problem and are not covered.
Sudden breaks that are usually covered
- A limb crushes a gutter run during a storm.
- Wind peels a section off the fascia.
- The weight of ice bends hangers and tears runs loose, rare in Georgia but it happens, especially in the mountains.
- A vehicle or equipment strikes a downspout.
Slow breaks that are not
- Spike-and-ferrule gutters working loose over the years.
- Rotten fascia boards that no longer hold fasteners.
- Seams separating with age.
- Gutters pulled down by clogs and standing water.
The deductible reality
A single broken section usually costs less to fix than a deductible. Gutter breaks become worth claiming when they are part of a bigger storm loss, such as hail damage to the roof or a tree on the house. Then the gutters go on the same claim under the same deductible. See the after a hail storm checklist.
Check behind the gutter
When a gutter tears loose, it often damages the fascia and sometimes the drip edge and roof edge. Include them in the claim if the same event caused the damage. If the fascia was already rotted, that part is maintenance, so photograph the break and the wood behind it before repairs. Related: wind damage roof claims.