Home insurance with a wood stove when buying a house

Does a wood stove affect your home insurance?

Yes, it can. Progressive calls wood-burning stoves "an added risk which increase the probability of a fire loss." Call your home insurance agent about the wood stove before your inspection deadline, not after it. Bring the report and ask what they need to insure the house with the stove in it.

Key takeaways

• Vermont Mutual's Maine underwriting guidelines order an inspection whenever a woodstove is in the home.
• One insurer's stove questionnaire asks about the permit, the installer and the last chimney cleaning. Get all three from the seller.
• A Level 2 chimney inspection on one flue runs $150 to $400.

How serious is a wood stove on an inspection report?

A wood stove adds fire risk, and a badly vented one can leak carbon monoxide (CO). The U.S. Fire Administration says "heating fires remained the second leading cause of home fires in 2021." That figure covers all heating equipment, not only wood stoves. The USFA's carbon monoxide page says CO poisoning "can occur when a fuel-burning appliance or machine, such as a furnace, heater or generator, is not working or vented properly."

Have a certified chimney sweep inspect the stove before your deadline if the report flags it, the stovepipe or the chimney. Once you own the house, don't use the stove until a sweep has signed off, and put a CO alarm outside each sleeping area and on every level, as the USFA advises. If a CO alarm sounds or anyone feels sick, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says to "get outside to fresh air immediately, and then call 911."

Does homeowners insurance go up with a wood stove?

Homeowners insurance can go up with a wood stove, and only your insurer can tell you by how much. Progressive says a wood-burning stove "will likely increase your homeowners insurance cost," even when it isn't the main heat source. It adds that some insurers may apply a wood-stove surcharge.

Ask your agent for a written quote that lists the stove. That is the only price that applies to your house.

What does a chimney inspection cost?

A chimney sweep's written inspection covers the chimney-cleaning and inspection questions insurers ask (see below). Fixr prices a Level 2 inspection, which uses cameras to see inside the flue, by the number of flues.

Say your stove has one flue and the sweep finds a cracked liner that needs replacing. Fixr puts the inspection at $150 to $400 and a new liner at $1,800 to $4,000. Together that comes to $1,950 to $4,400 ($150 + $1,800 at the low end, $400 + $4,000 at the high end). The sweep's written bid sets the real figure for your chimney.

Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours, and marks the ones that need a professional quote.

What will your insurer ask about the stove?

Ask your agent what their company needs. An older stove questionnaire from The Commerce Insurance Company shows the kind of questions one insurer has asked, among others:

• The stove's name and whether it is UL certified.
• Whether a building permit was pulled before it was installed.
• Whether a licensed pro installed it, or a fire department or building inspector checked it.
• Whether a wood stove sits at least 36 inches from anything that burns, such as walls, furniture and stored fuel.
• When the chimney was last cleaned and inspected, and by whom.
• Whether the home has smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Vermont Mutual goes further. Its homeowners underwriting guidelines filed in Maine say "An inspection will be ordered when a woodstove is present in the home." They also require annual chimney cleaning by a professional. For a stove that came with the house, Rockingham Insurance says it "may require an inspection or certification to confirm the installation's safety."

If the stove is the home's main heat source, ask about that first. Progressive says some insurers may find that wood stoves "render homes ineligible for homeowners insurance if they are the primary heat source," and that certain states set eligibility rules for a stove used that way. Vermont Mutual requires primary and secondary homes to have a central heating system.

What should you ask the seller for?

Ask the seller for paperwork first: the install permit, the installer's invoice, the stove's make and model, and the last chimney cleaning receipt. Those answer the permit, installer and cleaning questions above.

Then ask for whatever your insurer or the sweep calls for:

• A sweep's written report before closing, if your insurer wants an inspection or certification.
• The repairs the sweep lists, done by a certified sweep, with the paid invoice before closing.
• A credit equal to the sweep's written bid, if you'd rather hire your own sweep after closing.

What to ask for after a home inspection shows how this fits your full list. Your contract sets the exact dates and terms, so confirm them with your agent.

What if the seller says no, or your insurer won't cover it?

If the seller says no, the sweep's bid is what the fix costs you after closing. Add it to the rest of your list and decide whether the deal still works.

If your agent says the house can't be insured with the stove as it is, ask exactly what would change that answer. Then get a quote from a second insurer. Progressive notes that some companies want a professional install and a safety inspection, while others "may only require a photograph." If no insurer will write the policy in time, when to walk away after a home inspection walks through that call.

Does a wood-burning fireplace raise insurance too?

Plymouth Rock says a wood-burning fireplace will typically raise your rate the most of the three fireplace types. A gas fireplace can raise it less, and an electric one probably won't change it. Ask your agent the same questions you'd ask about a stove.

Is a pellet stove treated differently?

It can be, depending on the insurer. Rockingham says pellet stoves "are typically viewed as safer and more efficient than traditional wood stoves," which it says may affect your premium less. It still wants to hear about any stove, so tell your insurer about a pellet stove too.

How do I know what the rest of the report will cost?

To know what the rest of the report will cost, price every line before you send your request. The stove gets the sweep's bid. The other findings need a number each, so your ask adds up to real costs rather than a guess.

If the wood stove is one line on a long report, upload your inspection report to Kept and have a figure for the rest before you call your agent back.

Sources

• Progressive, "How Do Fireplaces and Wood Stoves Impact Insurance?"
• Rockingham Insurance, "Insurance guidelines for wood stoves"
• The Commerce Insurance Company, "Wood/Coal Burning and Supplemental Heating Questionnaire"
• Vermont Mutual Insurance Company, "Underwriting Guidelines"
• Plymouth Rock, "Does a fireplace increase home insurance?"
• U.S. Fire Administration, "Heating Fire Safety"
• U.S. Fire Administration, "Carbon Monoxide"
• CPSC, "Carbon Monoxide Information Center"
• Fixr, "Chimney Inspection Cost"