Insuring your landscaping, fences and gardening equipment

How much coverage is provided?

Most home insurance providers offer coverage for your landscaping and gardening equipment, but knowing what’s covered (and for how much) can be tricky. Gardening equipment (like lawnmowers, snowblowers, rakes and shovels) is generally included as part of your personal property. Permanent, built-in sprinkler systems are generally considered part of your building coverage. Fences are part of your detached structures coverage, and trees/shrubs are often covered up to 5% of the value of your home, with either a $500 or $1,000 limit for any single bush or tree.

Confused?

We keep it simple by combining detached structures, fences and landscaping into a single optional coverage. The best part? You select the amount of coverage you need.

Is landscaping damage covered by home insurance?

Coverage for landscaping is often limited to damage caused by certain losses, such as fire, lightning, or theft. For example, if your tree falls in a storm, you might have no coverage for either the removal or replacement of the tree itself. In addition, things like loss/damage due to drought, disease, water, or the weight of ice & snow may be excluded.

However, damage to your landscaping that results from fallen trees or structures (a shed falling onto prized rose bushes, for example) is usually covered, as is damage resulting from a reckless driver.

To find out what’s covered and what’s excluded, check your insurance policy, or contact your provider.

What about gardening equipment?

Maintaining your house’s exterior is expensive, and can total thousands of dollars. Some policies provide coverage, and some don’t. Visit our BC coverage comparison or Ontario coverage comparison page to see which coverages are offered by other major insurance providers.

At Square One, gardening equipment is automatically included as part of your personal property coverage. For our customers who have invested serious time and money into their garden, you can select a limit as high as $100,000 to give you peace of mind that your investment will be protected.

Commonly asked questions

Is my outbuilding included in this coverage?

Outbuildings are considered a detached structure, so they would be included under Square One’s optional Detached Structures, Fences and Landscaping coverage. Be sure to check with your home insurance provider if you’re unsure what’s covered in your policy.

With Square One, you don’t have to insure detached structures unless you want to. As you go through the quoting process for your home insurance, we allow you to customize your coverage for detached structures to the exact dollar amount you need.

Is my fence covered for acts of vandalism?

Not every insurance provider will have coverage for acts of vandalism. However, with Square One, you can rest assured that your property is protected. Square One provides protection against all major types of loss, including vandalism.

How much should my garden be insured for?

This is a difficult question to answer, as the amount of coverage must take into account the size of the plot, any fixtures/features, and what is being grown on the land. People often underestimate the value of their fence and lawn, so it’s a good idea to get an estimate of the replacement cost to make sure the limit of coverage is sufficient. A home repair or gardening centre should be able to help with this, or you can ask a landscaper or arborist.

You will also want to confirm what is defined as “landscaping” under your policy. At Square One, we consider retaining walls, rockeries, and any permanent ornamental structures as part of this definition, along with trees, shrubs, lawns and gardens.

To give some idea of coverage limits, a 2012 survey analyzed 10 years of garden insurance claims data and found the average summer-time claim was around £850 (about $1,300 CAD/$1,000 USD as of 2018).

If you’re not sure what coverage you need, contact your home insurance provider and ask their advice.

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