Photo: New Africa (Shutterstock)
As cold, sleet, ice, and snow descend across many areas of the country, the threat of losing power looms large. While a power outage may pose only a minor inconvenience of eating leftovers by head lamp for a night, sometimes it can have much longer, more costly effects as the food in your refrigerator slowly spoils. But when severe weather cuts power to your home for several days, you can actually get reimbursed for the loss—from your homeowners insurance.
Let’s start this off with a big caveat: All homeowners insurance policies are different. We cannot guarantee yours will reimburse you for the value of any food that spoils in your home as a result of a power outage—you’ll need to check your individual policy to be sure. However, on its website, Allstate notes that “Homeowners insurance may offer reimbursement for food lost during a power outage in some cases.” Online insurance marketplace Policy Genius offers a more encouraging, “Most standard homeowners insurance policies cover up to $500 in food loss after a power outage, but only if the cause of the outage is covered by your policy.” (This goes for renters insurance, too.)
So what are these mysterious “causes and cases” under which homeowners and renters insurance may cover food spoilage?
When can you file a food spoilage claim?
First, it’s important to understand that the cost of food spoilage will only be covered under certain conditions, referred to in industry parlance as “perils.” Common weather-related perils include: lightning, windstorms and hail, falling objects (like trees), water damage, and the weight of ice, snow, or sleet. (If the food spoils due to maintenance issues or your own negligence—such as accidentally cutting a power line while performing a bathroom renovation or forgetting to pay your electric bill—you’re out of luck.) If the power outage is a result of one of the above-mentioned perils, there’s a greater chance it will be covered.
Note that some insurance providers and plans will only cover food spoilage if the power outage is prevalent throughout the neighborhood, while some may cover it even if it only affects your home.
Keep limits and deductibles in mind
A refrigerator or freezer of spoiled food isn’t automatically a ticket to full reimbursement. For example, the cost of your groceries may total $675, while your homeowners insurance may have a reimbursement limit of $500. Or there may be a deductible you need to pay before you will see any boon to your bank account. Limits and deductibles vary, so be sure to check the fine print of your individual policy.
According to Forbes Advisor, if you do have to pay a deductible, “the Insurance Information Institute recommends asking your utility provider if they will reimburse you for the deductible amount.”
Keep receipts and take pictures
You may not be in the habit of keeping your grocery shopping receipts, but it’s a good idea to hold onto them during peak months of inclement weather—because when it comes to making a food spoilage claim, your insurance company may want receipts (especially if you’re claiming expensive food items like five pounds of skirt steak). In the absence of receipts, make a comprehensive list, estimate the food items’ total value, and take pictures of the spoiled food—anything to serve as proof of purchase to back up your claim.
Consider the pros and cons before filing a claim
Even if you’re looking at $200 in curdled cottage cheese and rotten meat after a power outage, it may not be in your best interest to file a claim. In the eyes of your insurance provider, a history of claims increases the chances you’ll file another one. More claims equals more expense to them, which equals a potential increase in your insurance premiums when the policy renews.
Of course, you can never know what, or by how much, that premium will go up—and filing one weather-related claim doesn’t necessarily equate to a higher premium. It’s just one factor to consider as you weigh whether you should attempt to seek reimbursement for all those frozen pizzas.
