"Is there even a homeowner policy that covers animal damage, or are we all just stuck with this...?"
From what I've seen, animal damage is usually one of those tricky gray areas insurance companies love to sidestep. Most standard homeowner policies I've encountered don't cover damage from pests or wildlife because it's considered a maintenance issue—basically, they expect homeowners to be proactive about prevention.
A few years back, I inspected a house where raccoons had made themselves comfy in the attic. The homeowner was pretty frustrated because insurance gave them the same runaround: "should've noticed sooner," "preventable," etc. They ended up footing the bill for repairs and installing metal flashing around entry points. Seems like your wire mesh solution is pretty common and effective.
That said, I've heard some insurers offer optional endorsements or riders specifically for wildlife damage, but they're not exactly common and usually cost extra. Might be worth checking with your agent if that's something you're worried about happening again.
One thing I'm curious about—did your insurance company specify exactly what they meant by "preventable"? Like, did they point out specific maintenance tasks you missed, or was it just a vague catch-all excuse? Seems like they love using that word without much explanation...
I've run into similar issues with squirrels chewing up my fascia boards. Insurance basically shrugged it off as "wear and tear," which felt pretty vague to me. Ended up DIY-ing some aluminum flashing around the edges, and so far, it's done the trick. Makes me wonder though—would a roofing warranty ever cover animal entry points, or is that another loophole they'd jump through? Seems like warranties have their own fine print minefields...
Had a similar experience last fall—raccoons tore into my shingles, and warranty said "animal damage" was a no-go. Ended up stapling chicken wire under the eaves...cheap fix and zero trouble since. Seems warranties always dodge critter issues somehow.
"Seems warranties always dodge critter issues somehow."
Yeah, warranties can be slippery like that, but honestly, chicken wire isn't always the best fix long-term. I've seen raccoons treat it like a puzzle game—sometimes metal flashing or proper exclusion barriers save more headaches down the road. Just my two cents...
Totally agree on the chicken wire thing—watched a raccoon family peel it back like they were opening a bag of chips once. Metal flashing definitely helps, but I've also had good luck recommending hardware cloth (the thicker gauge stuff). It's tougher for critters to chew or bend through. Warranties rarely cover wildlife, unfortunately, so better to invest upfront and save yourself some hassle later...
