what is a wear and tear exclusion 
a wear and tear exclusion is a provision in an insurance policy that states that the normal deterioration of the insured object is not covered by the insurance policy insurance is designed only to protect against unforeseen losses if insurance covered inevitable losses insurers would have to raise their premiums dramatically to cover the expenses understanding the wear and tear exclusionwear and tear exclusions are fairly common auto insurance policies for example do not cover the cost of replacing auto parts that deteriorate with time and use such as brake pads timing belts and water pumps auto insurance policies cover only unpredictable events such as collisions 1 wear and tear exclusions are designed to keep an insurer from being held liable when damage results from a customer s failure to properly maintain repair and replace deteriorated or defective portions of the insured property to prepare for predictable losses from wear and tear owners can self insure by setting aside money each month in an emergency fund the exclusions and limitations that are specified in the contract are what determine if a property loss is covered the list of exclusions is generally extensive an insurance company may cite wear and tear on a claim in an effort to avoid a contractual payment in the case of a natural disaster such as a flood or tornado insurers will often try to invoke wear and tear and blame the property damage on a preexisting condition other common exclusions include poor maintenance prior damage manufacturing defects or faulty installation roof damage claims are often a cause of contention insurers may point to the age of the roof or its maintenance record as a cause of the damage instead of a hailstorm damage to older properties is often the cause of disputes between insured and insurer a dispute over a claim can result in an insurance bad faith lawsuit this is particularly common when older commercial properties are damaged an insurance company will inspect the property prior to selling the policy and the report may show the property was in acceptable or even good condition but the insurance company may still attempt to make the wear and tear argument 2 a wear and tear exclusion will not have what is commonly referred to as anti concurrent cause lead in language this indicates that damage caused or aggravated by multiple factors including covered and uncovered causes will not be covered an illinois court ruled in 1983 that in the absence of such anti concurrent cause lead in language when a covered and an uncovered peril combine to cause a loss the whole loss is covered 3 