On Shaky Ground: Securing Your Home Against Landslide Risks

A standard homeowners insurance policy specifically excludes earth-movement episodes, including landslides.[1] If the ground beneath your home slides away, or your neighbor’s home comes crashing down on yours in a wave of mud, the damage probably won’t be covered. 

If a covered peril causes the landslide, you could fight for reimbursement. For example, your policy might cover problems stemming from explosions. If something blows up and triggers a landslide, that problem could be covered—as long as you can prove the covered peril caused the problem. 

Special policies, including versions sold by FEMA and those from private companies, could offer more robust landslide protection. If you know you’re facing earth movement risks, these programs could be good investments. 

This chart explains your landslide insurance options: 

	Landslides Covered	Landslides Not Covered
Standard policy	Earth movement from a covered event (like an explosion)	Earth movement from earthquakes, flooding, geological events, and more
Flood insurance	Wet earth movement after heavy rains or covered floods	Earth movement from geological events, earthquakes, fires, and more
DIC policy	Depends on the policy, but some cover all landslides from any cause	Depends on the policy, but landslides from other covered events might be excluded

How Does Home Insurance Handle Landslides?

Homeowners insurance is designed to protect you when something sudden and unexpected harms or ruins your home. Your policy includes payouts for the structure of your home, your belongings, and expenses associated with living somewhere else while the problem is fixed. 

A typical policy will not trigger payouts for landslides, but important exceptions exist. 

All homeowners should read their policies carefully. Understand when your company will and will not pay a landslide claim.

When Isn’t a Landslide Covered?

A standard homeowners insurance policy lists exclusions—issues that your company will not pay to fix. Landslides and mudslides are typical perils a standard homeowners insurance policy will exclude.[1] 

Homeowners in California learned about these exclusions in 2023.[2] Very heavy rainfall from the prior winter weakened the ground, and 12 homes slid down a canyon. Walls, tile roofing, and decks landed in a jumble at the bottom of the canyon. Experts said the homeowners likely couldn’t use their homeowners insurance to repair the damage, and the homes were considered a total loss. 

When Is a Landslide Covered?

Just as homeowners insurance policies list exclusions, they offer information on problems that are covered. Sometimes, those issues can trigger a landslide. 

Experts in California say that homeowners can cite “efficient proximate cause” to prompt an insurance company to pay for covered landslides.[3] For example, if the ground shifts because a tree lands on your home in an ice storm, the resulting damage should be covered. 

Covered events often trigger landslides. For example, a huge debris flow in California in 2018 started with a wildfire that weakened the ground.[4] When heavy rains came, the unstable ground moved, and more than 400 homes were damaged. If these homeowners had fire coverage, they could have argued for relief from the mudslide damage. 

Special Insurance Products for Landslides 

While your standard policy may not offer robust landslide coverage, you can augment your protection with special products. Choosing carefully is critical, as each policy works slightly differently. 

Flood Insurance

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program provides coverage for damage from heavy rainfall, overflowing rivers, and intense storms.[5] Private companies sell flood insurance too. 

These policies protect you from mudflow—soggy earth moving downhill after a massive influx of water.[6] A flood policy typically covers your home and belongings in these situations. 

Flood insurance will not protect you from landslides caused by geological events, fires, and other associated triggers. You must prove that some kind of flooding triggered your landslide to have a successful claim. 

Difference in Conditions (DIC) Insurance 

A difference in conditions (DIC) policy is designed to fill the gaps left behind by standard homeowners insurance policies.[7] A product like this can add coverage for landslides, and depending on the partner you choose, that protection could extend to any source of ground movement. 

Some homeowners use DIC policies to augment policies that seem comprehensive but don’t protect against the common problems they face. Others use DIC policies to augment bare-bones policies they buy (like FAIR plans) when they can’t get coverage through a standard insurance company.[8] 

Should You Buy a Special Policy?

Understanding whether or not you need additional coverage means learning more about how landslides start and whether your home faces these common risks. 

Even with additional insurance protection, a landslide claim will come with a deductible. Plan for a crisis by keeping your deductible amount in a dedicated savings account.

Landslides can begin with the following common triggers:[9]

• Hurricanes 
• Powerful rainstorms
• Earthquakes
• Volcanoes 
• Extensive landscaping 
• Foundations built on a slope, curve, or steep slope 

Some homeowners are aware of landslide triggers when they buy. In California, for example, realtors often ask their customers to sign a document outlining the home’s risk of natural disasters.[10] 

Other homeowners are unaware that landslides are a problem until they do a little research. If you discover that your home has experienced a landslide in the past, it’s likely to happen again. 

If you know your home could face a landslide, talk with your home insurance agent about buying a policy. If the company doesn’t offer a product that helps, your agent can connect you with an organization that can. 

Filing a Landscape Insurance Claim 

If you have additional protection, a landslide should trigger a claim. The steps you’ll follow are slightly different from those you would use for a standard claim. 

Typically, insurance companies ask customers to document the damage included in the claim. For a landslide, that could involve the following signs:[11]

• Cracks in plaster, tile, brick, or concrete
• Doors and windows that won’t close 
• Walkways or stairs pulling from the building
• Tilting fences, decks, and flooring 

During a sudden landslide, you may be forced to leave your home due to unsafe conditions. Officials may not allow you to return for several days, and you must file a claim as soon as possible. 

In one devastating California landslide, residents had just 20 minutes to evacuate their homes, leaving them no time to document any damage.[2]

As soon as you’re in a safe space, take these steps to file a claim:

1. Contact your insurance agent and explain that you want to file a landslide claim. 
2. If you’ve been forced to leave your home, ask for a check to cover your temporary living expenses, such as rent or a hotel stay. 
3. Arrange for an in-person meeting with an insurance adjuster. If your home is in the middle of a disaster area, it could take time for officials to clear all dangers and allow inspectors to visit. 
4. Negotiate with the insurance company for a fair payment. If the first offer doesn’t seem fair, don’t accept it.

Steps to Protect Your Home 

As a homeowner, it’s your obligation to inspect your property regularly and make repairs as needed. While you may not be able to prevent all landslide risks, your reasonable steps could keep your home safer. 

Ensure that the ground around your home is secured with erosion-preventing plants like yucca and bamboo.[11] If you can, build retaining walls around your home to keep the ground secure. These landscaping tips can minimize the damage you’ll face if the earth moves. 

If you’re not sure how dangerous your home might be, hire an expert to perform a ground assessment and soil sample test. That expert can offer mitigation steps to keep you even safer in the future. This level of vigilance serves as evidence that you did what you could to prevent damage and strengthens future claims.

Take Charge of Landslides 

Landslides are a common challenge homeowners may face. These episodes can cause intense damage, including reducing your home to a pile of rubble at the bottom of a canyon. 

If you face landslide risks, consider adding a special policy to protect your home. Landscape with your risks firmly in mind to reduce your potential losses.