'God Broke My House' - What is an Act of God and Are You Covered?

The old saying goes that 'God acts in mysterious ways', and never does that ring more true than when you learn that your home has been destroyed by an 'act of God'. Being such a strange term you'd be forgiven for wondering what exactly this means and how it effects your home insurance, particularly if you've never been religious…

Essentially an act of God is considered to be anything that is not caused by human crime, accident or negligence. An act of God then is anything that's 'nobody's fault' and could not possibly have been prevented. This generally covers natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. For example, were your house to be struck by lightening then that would count as an act of God. However if your house was burgled, that would not be; and likewise neither would your house burning down as a result of you leaving on a hob or cooker. Interestingly the phrasing of the term has lead to both real and fictitious cases of individuals attempting to 'sue' God for damage.

This term is then used as an umbrella to cover a range of events and it's important to ensure that you are covered against acts of God in your home insurance, and even possibly your contents insurance. Some insurance companies will refer to the term specifically in their policies as an exclusion - stating that individuals are not covered for acts of God. In such scenarios the chances are that this will refer to the natural disasters listed above, though there will potentially be variation between companies on exactly what the term covers. For this reason it can be worthwhile to ring your home insurance and contents insurance to check exactly what you are covered for, to look for small print on the policy documents or to read any FAQ or terms and conditions on the website. In other cases the term will not be used directly, but you may find that your insurance is exempt from floods or earthquakes. Again it's important to read the policy thoroughly and to phone for assistance if you're still unsure. More and more modern insurers however are now providing cover for acts of God so it's possible you will be protected already (though it's also possible that your protection for acts of God still excludes particular events so again it's always important to check exactly what the term encompasses).

If you find that you are not protected against acts of God however, or against specific natural disasters, then you should pay attention to how prevalent those particular events are in your area. For example if you live on a flood plain or a fault line then you will be particularly susceptible to floods and earthquakes and should ensure that they are covered by your home insurance policy. If they are not you may do well to either upgrade your policy, switch insurers or even take out additional 'natural disaster insurance'. That, and pray…