Glossary

Wear and tear

The slow breakdown of materials from age, weather and ordinary use, which homeowners policies exclude because insurance pays for sudden loss, not upkeep.

Also called: deterioration, wear tear and deterioration, normal aging

Wear and tear is the slow decline of materials from age, weather and use: shingles that curl and shed granules, a water heater that corrodes, caulk that shrinks, paint that peels. Homeowners insurance pays for sudden losses, not maintenance, so the standard ISO form excludes wear and tear, marring and deterioration, along with mechanical breakdown, latent defect, rust and dry rot.

The exclusion reaches the worn item, not necessarily everything downstream. Many forms, ISO's included, still pay for an ensuing loss that nothing else excludes. Say a 20-year-old washing machine hose splits and floods the laundry room (hypothetical). The hose is a wear item and is not paid for, but the water damage to the floor and walls is usually covered as a sudden discharge.

Roofs are where this gets contested. After a storm, an adjuster may blame cracked, granule-bare shingles on age rather than hail damage and deny or shrink the claim. Dated photos, a roofer's or engineer's report and maintenance records help show that a storm, not time, did the damage. Do not confuse the exclusion with depreciation, which lowers the payment on a covered claim but does not exclude it. The guide termites, pests, wear and tear: the maintenance exclusions has more examples.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Gradual damage Harm that builds up over weeks, months or years, such as a slow leak, rot or corrosion, which most homeowners policies exclude. Neglect Failure to use all reasonable means to save and protect property at and after the time of a loss, which the policy excludes to the extent the damage grows. Sudden and accidental Wording insurers use to separate covered, abrupt losses such as a burst pipe from slow, foreseeable damage like a leak that has dripped for months. Hail damage Dents, bruises, cracks and punctures that falling ice causes to roofs, siding, windows and outdoor equipment, covered under the windstorm or hail peril. Exclusion A policy provision that removes coverage for a stated cause, type of loss, property or circumstance that the coverage would otherwise reach. Depreciation The loss in an item's value from age, wear and obsolescence, which an adjuster subtracts when pricing what a claim should pay.

Related guides

How the age of your home affects insurance Older homes cost more to insure and can be harder to place because of aging wiring, plumbing and roofs. Newer homes earn credits that fade. What to document. Appliance and HVAC breakdown: insurance or warranty? Homeowners insurance excludes a furnace or dishwasher that simply fails but pays for the water, fire or smoke damage it causes. Who pays for what. Washing machine, water heater and dishwasher leaks A sudden appliance leak is usually covered for the water damage and tear-out, but not for the failed appliance. Where slow leaks, drains and wear change that. How to insure a barndominium Insurers treat a barndominium as a house with a barn attached. How they classify steel and post-frame builds, what the shop changes, and what to send them. Chimneys, wood stoves and fireplace fires Fire and smoke damage from a chimney, stove or fireplace fire is covered; a neglected chimney is not. What insurers ask about wood heat, and how claims run. Claims for hidden damage discovered later Can you claim damage found months after a storm, leak or fire? What decides it: cause, timing, late-notice rules, deadlines that run from the loss, and proof.