HOMEOWNERS · FLORIDA & NEW JERSEY

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Animal Damage? Rodents, Raccoons, Bears, Deer and Iguanas

By Nelson Avila, Licensed Florida Public Adjuster (License G332385) · Florida Certified Contractor
Homeland Public Adjusters · Last reviewed: October 2026

Animal nest and chewed insulation in attic framing

The animal decides the answer, and so does what it broke

Short answer: Usually not, for the animals that cause most of it. The standard homeowners policy excludes damage caused by birds, rodents, insects and vermin, and by any animal’s nesting, infestation or waste, so rats in the attic, squirrels in the soffit and raccoons in the insulation are generally not covered. Damage by a large wild animal such as a deer or a bear generally is, and the fire or water that follows a chewed wire or line is usually covered as a separate, ensuing loss.

What the policy excludes, in its own words

The ISO special form lists, among the causes it will not pay for, loss caused by “birds, rodents or insects” and by “nesting or infestation, or discharge or release of waste products or secretions, by any animals.” Earlier editions said “birds, vermin, rodents, or insects,” and carriers still read raccoons, squirrels, opossums and skunks as vermin. Progressive’s own explanation is representative: homeowners insurance may cover wildlife damage from animals such as deer or bears, while damage from squirrels, mice, rats, raccoons, skunks and opossums typically is not covered.

Animal and damage	Covered?	Why
Rats or mice chew wiring, ducts and insulation	No	Rodents excluded
Squirrels or raccoons tear into the soffit and nest in the attic	Usually no	Vermin and nesting/infestation excluded
Bats, pigeons or woodpeckers	No	Birds excluded; guano is “waste products”
Termites, carpenter ants, bees	No	Insects excluded; hidden insect damage that causes an abrupt collapse is the exception
A deer through a sliding door, a bear through a kitchen, a wild hog through a fence	Generally yes	Not an excluded class of animal; a sudden, accidental physical loss
Fire after a rodent chews a wire	Usually yes	Ensuing fire is a covered peril even when the cause was excluded
Water damage after a rat chews a supply line or an icemaker line	Usually yes	Sudden discharge of water is covered; the line itself is not
Iguana burrows undermine a seawall, pool deck or foundation	Disputed	Reptiles are not listed; carriers argue earth movement and “vermin”; the structure type matters
Removal, trapping, exclusion work	No	Not property damage

Wildlife by the numbers

1,196Black bear incidents reported to New Jersey DEP through Sept 21, 2026, up from 977 a year earlier

14Bear home entries in New Jersey in that period, with 10 more attempted

406Category II nuisance and property-damage bear incidents in New Jersey, 2026 year to date

seawallsAmong the structures FWC says green iguana burrows erode and collapse, with sidewalks, foundations, berms and canal banks

Sources: New Jersey 101.5, reporting NJ DEP bear data (Oct 9 2026) · Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Green iguana

The ensuing-loss rule is where the money is

The exclusion stops at the animal’s own damage. When a rodent chews through a wire and the attic catches fire, the fire is a covered peril and the fire damage is paid; when it chews through a refrigerator line and the kitchen floods, the sudden discharge is covered. The carrier pays for the fire or the water, not for the chewed wire, the nest or the exclusion work. The same logic runs the other way: a carrier that denies a fire because “rodents caused it” has misread its own form. Our guides to electrical fires and sudden water losses cover those claims.

Florida: iguanas and the burrow problem

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission describes green iguanas digging burrows that erode and collapse sidewalks, foundations, seawalls, berms and canal banks. Iguanas are not birds, rodents or insects, so the exclusion does not name them, and carriers fall back on two other arguments: that the loss is earth movement, which is excluded on most forms, and that a collapsed seawall is an “other structure” with its own limit and its own list of excluded causes. These claims are decided on the policy’s exact wording and on an engineer’s opinion of why the wall or slab failed; a claim framed as “iguana damage” invites the denial, and one framed as the abrupt collapse of a structure gets read against the collapse coverage.

New Jersey: bears and deer

New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection logged 1,196 bear incidents through September 21, 2026, including 14 home entries and 406 nuisance and property-damage reports. A bear that tears off a garage door, breaks a slider or destroys a kitchen is a covered loss on the standard form; a deer through a window is the same. Document the entry point and the animal, call the police or the DEP so there is a report, and photograph before the cleanup.

What to do

Identify the animal before you describe the loss to anyone. The species decides the coverage.
Photograph the entry point, the nest or burrow, every chewed line or wire, and every damaged finish.
If a chewed wire or line caused a fire or a flood, report the fire or the water loss; the animal is background, not the claim.
Get the pest or wildlife company’s report in writing with dates; it dates the problem and the exclusion work is a separate expense.
For a structure undermined by burrows, get an engineer’s report before the carrier’s adjuster frames it as earth movement.
Call Homeland for a free review when the loss is more than the attic insulation; covered ensuing losses are routinely denied under the animal exclusion.
Report within the policy’s notice clause; Florida’s outside limit is 1 year (§627.70132).

Frequently asked questions

Does homeowners insurance cover rat or mouse damage?

No. Rodent damage is excluded on the standard form, along with nesting and infestation. A fire or sudden water loss caused by a chewed wire or line usually is covered.

Are raccoons and squirrels covered?

Usually not. Carriers treat them as vermin under the exclusion, and the nesting and infestation language excludes the attic damage. Check your policy’s exact wording; a few forms are narrower.

Is bear or deer damage covered?

Generally yes. Large wild animals are not in the excluded class, and the damage is a sudden, accidental physical loss to the dwelling or contents.

Is iguana damage covered in Florida?

Disputed. Iguanas are not named in the exclusion; carriers argue earth movement and the other-structures limits for seawalls and decks. The engineer’s report on why the structure failed decides it.

Is wildlife removal covered?

No. Trapping, exclusion and cleanup of nests or waste are not covered property damage on the standard form.

My carrier denied the attic fire because rats caused it.

The fire is a covered peril regardless of the excluded cause that started it under the usual ensuing-loss reading. Get the fire department report and the electrician’s findings, and have the denial reviewed.

Homeland serves policyholders in Jupiter, Fort Lauderdale and Paterson, with local lines and a licensed public adjuster who calls back right away.

If this is your loss, call Homeland before you talk to the insurance company: Florida (305) 783-3777, New Jersey (732) 517-3777, 24 hours. A licensed public adjuster reviews the claim for free and calls you back right away. No Recovery, No Fee.

Sources

This article is for general information only and is not legal or insurance advice. Statutes, regulations and policy wording change, and how they apply depends on your own policy and the facts of your claim. Homeland Public Adjusters is a public adjusting firm, not a law firm.

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