It does not cover the insurance – if rats get into your home

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It does not cover the insurance if rats get

In recent years, rats have become an increasing problem in Swedish cities.

– There are high levels in metropolitan areas where it is a big problem. They are here, they thrive and they multiply, have Thomas Persson Winner stonebiologist and pest expert at Anticimex, told TV4 earlier.

In 2023, Anticimex caught 1,020,409 rats in Sweden, which was an increase of four percent compared to 2022.

READ MORE: That’s how many rats Anticimex caught in 2023

What is Anticimex?

  • Anticimex is a service company in pest control, food safety, moisture control, house inspections and fire protection.
  • Anticimex was founded in 1934 and has just over 1,500 employees around Sweden.
  • The company operates in several countries, including Norway, Spain and France.

    • Source: Anticimex

    Photo: Erik Simander/TT

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    The worst affected by the rodents are Stockholm, Västra Götaland County and Skåne.

    – The rats live in our absolute vicinity, so we spread garbage, don’t keep track of our composts or that the trash cans overflow in the parks, then the rats thrive. If we also build a lot, they are pushed up from the sewage environment, Persson Vinnersten told TV4 this spring.

    Therefore, in various places around the country, creative methods have been used to overcome the problem. In Malmö, three ferrets were used during the spring to spawn rats from their nests and passages underground.

    Then a dog could catch the rats.

    Photo: Johan Nilsson/TTPhoto: Johan Nilsson/TT

    READ MORE: Diligent ferrets – the new weapon against rats in Malmö

    Rats and mice find their way into houses during the autumn

    But when autumn creeps in and the temperature outside drops, another problem arises. Then both rats and mice tend to find their way into holiday homes and homes in search of food and a warm place to live.

    Animals can find several ways into a home.

    – If there is a plastic floor well, they can gnaw through it and get in, Thomas Persson Vinnersten has previously told News24.

    READ MORE: Mistakes attract the rats into your home: “Chewing through”

    Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

    How to avoid rats indoors

  • Do not leave any food in front.
  • Empty your pantry in the holiday home.
  • Make sure that it is tidy in both the attic and the basement. Cardboard boxes should preferably be stored on shelves above the floor.
  • Clear away debris in storerooms and garages.
  • Make sure that floor drain grates are secure and that there is water in them.
  • Check that various penetrations, for example pipes, are tightly sealed. Look especially carefully at the penetrations for element pipes and ventilation pipes, as they are often forgotten.

    • Source: Anticimex

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    What does the insurance cover?

    But what really applies, from an insurance point of view, if you are affected by rats or mice in your home? Nyheter24 asked Peter Stark who is a lawyer at Konsumenternas Försäkringsbyrå.

    When it comes to remediation, according to Stark, a distinction must be made between home insurance, housing supplement and house insurance.

    – If you only take out home insurance when you live in a rental property or supplement for a condominium if you live in a condominium, the scope for pests does not normally apply at all. If you are affected by pests such as rats and mice in your tenancy or condominium, it is instead your landlord or condominium association that is responsible for cleanup, he says and continues:

    – If you live in a villa, on the other hand, the villa insurance should normally cover pest control. However, there may be exceptions for certain pests, for example for swamp insects in a certain area.

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    Peter Stark. Photo: Press image/Kusumernas Försäkringbyrå

    What is the Consumer Insurance Agency?

  • Konsumenternas Försäkringsbyrå is an independent foundation that provides guidance to consumers.
  • The foundation collaborates with the national consumer information agency Hello consumer.
  • The Swedish Consumer Agency, the Financial Supervisory Authority and Swedish Insurance are members of the foundation’s board.
  • At Konsumenternas Försäkringsbyrå, mainly lawyers, economists and insurance specialists work.

    • Source: Consumers’ Insurance Agency

    If you discover that rats or mice have caused damage to your home, is this covered by any insurance?

    – Damage to one’s house, for example if rats gnaw a hole in a wall, is not normally compensated. Remediation only means removing or killing the pests, not repairing any damage, answers Peter Stark.

    Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

    According to Stark, it does not matter from an insurance point of view if the damage was caused in a holiday home or in a permanent residence, but he emphasizes at the same time that there are more often exceptions for holiday homes in certain areas, at least when it comes to pests such as swamp damage-destroying insects.

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