Would your house be insured if it landed in a sinkhole?

[Grant]

I've heard horror stories about how some people have died in their own homes after sinking into a sink hole. There was a story I heard many years ago, about a man who died when his house fell into a sinkhole. I think it was just his bedroom, and I guess there was no way for anyone to get down there and save him. I don't think his body was even recovered from the sinkhole.

Anyway, is there such a thing as insurance that helps in the case your house gets damaged in a sinkhole? I sure hope there is some type of insurance that covers that, because it feels like sinkholes are becoming a common occurrence these days.

 

[Kane]

You cannot insure your house that is already in trouble. However, if your house is insured before it gets into the sinkhole, you can claim insurance and get financial coverage.

 

[linux.poet]

I'm pretty sure that my homeowner's insurance would cover the house if it ended up in a sinkhole. All natural disasters are covered. (Further, I'm reassured that my house is built on decomposed granite, under which is actual granite. Solid rock turning into a sinkhole is really unlikely.)

Fortunately, sinkholes are largely slow acting things. I'm pretty sure that OPs horror story occurred while he was sleeping. A sinkhole opened under a highway where I live, but nobody was killed - a few cars were lost, but everyone else was able to run to safety.