Earthquake is excluded from your homeowners. The right policy fills the gap deliberately.
Earthquake insurance covers seismic damage to your home and contents — coverage that’s excluded from nearly every homeowners policy. While Iowa and the Midwest aren’t typically thought of as earthquake territory, the New Madrid seismic zone reaches across our region, and a major event would produce substantial damage to homes that weren’t built to seismic standards.
Most earthquake programs aren’t underbought. They’re under-engineered. Deductibles set as a percentage of dwelling coverage that effectively exclude smaller claims, missing contents and loss-of-use coverage, and no consideration for foundation repair vs. cosmetic damage — these gaps don’t surface until the ground actually moves.
At Avanti Group, we run a Residential Risk Audit™ before we recommend any earthquake program. We look at your home’s construction, your location, and your priorities — and structure coverage that fits the actual exposure.
What Earthquake Insurance Covers
A complete earthquake program includes:
- Dwelling Coverage — structural damage from seismic events
- Personal Property — contents damaged in the event
- Loss of Use — living expenses while the home is uninhabitable
- Other Structures — detached garages, outbuildings, fences
- Foundation Repair — explicitly scheduled given how seismic damage manifests
What Most Earthquake Programs Get Wrong
Deductibles are too high. Many earthquake policies use percentage deductibles (10%, 15%, 20% of dwelling coverage). On a $400K home, that’s $40K to $80K out of pocket before any payment. Lower-deductible options exist and should be evaluated.
Contents and loss-of-use are sometimes excluded. The policy needs to cover not just the structure but the contents and the cost of living elsewhere during repairs.
How to Get Started
Earthquake insurance isn’t a commodity product. Call our office or use the button below to start a conversation. We’ll review your current coverage, identify any gaps, and let you know exactly where you stand before we ever go to market.