Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Foundation Repair?
Foundation repairs are covered only when damage results from sudden, accidental events listed in your policy—not from wear, gradual settling, or defects.
Home insurance and foundation repair
Foundation problems can wreak havoc on your home. While your insurance policy covers your foundation, many of the perils that actually cause foundation problems are specifically excluded from your coverage. Read on to learn more about what your homeowners insurance will and won’t cover when it comes to foundation damage.
When does home insurance cover foundation damage?
The foundation of your home is covered under the dwelling portion of your home insurance. For instance, if your home’s foundation is damaged by a house fire or a tornado, your home policy would step in to cover it. Other perils covered by your policy’s dwelling policy include the following:
- Fire
- Lightning
- Theft
- Vandalism and riots
- Windstorms and hail
- Damage caused by vehicles
- Damage caused by aircraft
- Explosions
- Falling objects
- Volcanic eruptions
Common threats to your home’s foundation
Your foundation is most susceptible to issues stemming from the soil it's built on. The ground can be affected by a variety of factors, including drought, water drainage and natural settling.[1]
A number of other issues could arise and possibly harm your foundation. Common causes of foundation damage include:
- Foundation leaks
- Tree roots
- Burst pipes or plumbing leaks
- Sinkholes
- Mudslides (mudflow)
- Extreme temperatures
Unfortunately, many of these threats to your home’s foundation aren’t covered by your homeowners policy.
No pressure, no selling your data
When your homeowners insurance won’t cover foundation damage
Your foundation is subject to the same homeowners insurance policy exclusions as your primary dwelling. Unfortunately, some of these perils tend to be the primary causes of foundation problems. In most cases, the following perils are generally excluded from a standard homeowners policy:
- Damage to foundations or pavements from ice, sleet and water weight
- Freezing pipes and systems in vacant dwellings
- Vandalism to vacant dwellings
- Latent defects, corrosion, industrial smoke, pollution
- Settling, wear and tear
- Pets, other animals, and pests
- Weather conditions that aggravate other excluded causes of loss
- Government and association actions
- Faulty construction, design, and maintenance
- Enforcement of building codes and similar laws
In addition, foundation issues that arise from tree roots are not covered by a homeowners policy. This also applies to general wear-and-tear, so older homes may be at a greater risk of foundation problems that won’t be covered by your policy.
Does homeowners insurance cover foundation damage from natural disasters?
Usually, your home’s foundation is covered for the same types of damage as the rest of your house — but there are some big exceptions.
Most standard home insurance policies don’t cover damage from floods or earthquakes, which means foundation issues caused by those events aren’t covered either. You’ll need separate policies for that protection:
-
Flood insurance — available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) — can cover flooding and sometimes mudslides.
-
Earthquake insurance — often added as an endorsement — covers damage from earth movement in quake-prone areas.
Coverage can also vary by location. For example, if you live in a wildfires or hurricane zone, some insurers may limit or exclude certain natural disaster claims.
Sinkholes are another risk. In Florida, insurers must offer “catastrophic ground cover collapse” coverage, but in most other states, you’ll need to ask your insurer about sinkhole protection options.
Does Home Insurance Cover Natural Disasters?
Your home insurance coverage after a natural disaster depends on your location. Most natural disasters, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes are not covered by homeowners insurance.
How to prevent foundation problems
While some issues may be unavoidable, there are some steps that homeowners can take to prevent structural damage from foundation problems. If your area is susceptible to periods of prolonged drought or sustained heavy rains, shifts in the surrounding soil can have negative impacts on your foundation. As such, it's imperative to take the necessary steps to protect your home, including the following:
- In drier parts of the year, consider using a soaker hose around your home’s perimeter to keep the soil from getting too dry.
- During periods of rain, check for proper drainage, including proper guttering.
- Keep the soil around the house at a slope to enable better drainage.
How to spot foundation problems
It might be time to consult a foundation specialist if you start to notice any of the following issues:
- Doors and windows not fitting in their frames or are hard to shut
- The sudden appearance of cracks around the house
- Sloping floors
- Pooling water in your basement or around the edges of your house
Considerations
When buying a home, it’s smart to check for signs of foundation issues early on — repairs can range from a few hundred dollars to well over $10,000. If you’re unsure whether your current policy covers foundation damage, take a few minutes to review it with your insurance agent.
If you want to boost your coverage or see if you’re getting the best rate, comparing quotes is a simple next step. Enter your ZIP code below to get free homeowners insurance quotes from top companies and find a policy that fits your needs.
Feel confident about saving without sacrificing coverage.
Insurance and home foundation FAQs:
How to protect your home from water damage. III
About The Zebra
The Zebra is not an insurance company. We publish data-backed, expert-reviewed resources to help consumers make more informed insurance decisions.
- The Zebra’s insurance content is written and reviewed for accuracy by licensed insurance agents.
- The Zebra’s insurance editorial content is not subject to review or alteration by insurance companies or partners.
- The Zebra’s editorial team operates independently of the company’s partnerships and commercialization interests, publishing unbiased information for consumer benefit.
- The auto insurance rates published on The Zebra’s pages are based on a comprehensive analysis of car insurance pricing data, evaluating more than 83 million insurance rates from across the United States.