Does Your Homeowners Insurance Cover an Alien Invasion?

Don't end up surprised you don't have the coverage you expected.

If you tend to watch the skies with a mixture of excitement and dread just waiting for the day that aliens finally arrive, there may be a burning question on your mind: What happens if the aliens destroy your home? Will your homeowners insurance cover you? 

Here's what you need to know in order to keep your home safe just in case ET isn't quite as friendly as that movie made him seem.

Will an alien invasion be covered by your home insurance?

Whether this destruction is accidental or the aliens specifically target your home for an attack, there's one big factor that will determine if the damage or destruction they cause is covered by home insurance. That factor is the type of policy. 

See, home insurance policies could either be named peril policies or open peril policies. 

For homeowners with a named peril policy, the insurer will only pay for damage resulting from causes listed in your contract. Named perils usually include things like fire or vandalism. They likely do not include alien invasion, although of course you are free to take a look at your contract and see if that happens to be in there. 

For homeowners with an open peril policy, on the other hand, then the insurer will cover damage resulting from any cause unless it is specifically excluded. Open peril policies usually exclude things like floods and intentional damage. They don't generally have a specific exclusion for alien activity. And, since alien invasion is not listed as something that isn't covered, homeowners would be all set if they have an open peril policy. 

What can you do if alien invasions aren't covered?

For homeowners with a named peril policy who are worried about uncovered losses if it turns out we aren't alone in the universe, there are possible options to consider.

One solution would be to buy standalone coverage. Many people do this for flood damage, for example. Since standard home insurance policies exclude losses caused by floods, it is very common for people to purchase flood insurance if they live in an area where there is a risk of water harming their home. 

Unfortunately, standalone coverage for alien invasion may be hard to find. It is possible to buy a $10 million alien abduction insurance plan, but this covers damages in the event an alien takes you but not if they attack your home. So that's not necessarily the best fit. 

Ultimately, your best bet might be to purchase an open peril policy instead of a named peril one, which is generally a good idea for anyone who doesn't want home insurance that's too limited. In fact, this may be a good idea for homeowners who spotted any other important coverages missing in their named peril policies when reading the fine print looking for details about alien attacks. 

The bottom line is, homeowners should always make sure they take a look at their insurance contracts and know which types of disasters are covered and which ones are not. Homeowners may be surprised to find that not only are alien invasions not part of their plans, but also that there are some exclusions for more common possible damages, such as wildfires in fire-prone areas. And it's best to find out about these limits before disaster strikes.

By making sure to take the time to really understand homeowners insurance, property owners will be better able to assess whether they have the protections needed for any potential calamities that could come their way -- even if they're coming from a galaxy far far away.