Does Home Insurance Cover Acts of God?

The commonly accepted definition for “act of God” is an event that is sudden, unexpected, and for which there is no control. By this definition, there are several perils that may affect your home which could be considered “acts of God” for which you would likely be covered. These include weather-related events such as tornadoes, lightning strikes and hail storms. Other so-called “acts of God” that are typically not covered in a homeowner's insurance policy include earthquakes and floods.

Your Greensboro Home Insurance Policy

If you read through your Greensboro home insurance policy, you won't find a section entitled “Acts of God” because that terminology isn't used in the insurance industry. What you will find is that certain events are described in your policy as either covered or excluded (not covered).
While events that occur which are beyond human control and that can neither be prevented nor predicted, such as those known as natural disasters, these “acts of God”, like an earthquake or flood, are normally excluded on most homeowner's insurance policies. Coverage for these events is only available through obtaining specialized policies for these specific perils. Coverage for floods can be obtained through the federal government. Details can be found here.

Insurance Can Be Confusing

                        

While earthquakes and flood damage aren't covered by typical Greensboro home insurance policies, there are situations where they may come into play. If, for example, your home falls victim to an earthquake, you normally won't be covered unless you've previously obtained a policy providing earthquake damage coverage. If, however, after the earthquake occurs and subsequent damage is responsible for creating a house fire you'll likely be covered for the fire damage. This would be a good question to pose to your insurance agent when trying to understand all the facets of your particular homeowner's policy.

Often an insurance company will attempt to assign the responsibility of payment for a claim on a company other than theirs. If a wild animal gets onto your property and causes damage to your home or land, this would likely be covered by your homeowner's policy. If, however, your neighbor's dog is the culprit to cause similar damage, you would most likely have to file the claim against your neighbor's policy, which would fall under their liability protection.
Typical home insurance policies provide protection against 16 perils. They also almost always exclude both earthquakes and floods. Check your coverage.