# Does Insurance Cover Foundation Damage? | Who Pays the Repair?

> Standard homeowners policies exclude earth movement such as landslides and earthquakes, so foundation damage from those causes is not covered.

**Who pays:** depends

Standard homeowners insurance excludes earth movement like landslides and earthquakes, so foundation damage from those causes is not covered.

**Boundary:** A landslide counts as an "earth movement" event and, like an earthquake, is excluded from standard homeowners and business policies, so foundation damage caused by them is not covered by a standard policy.

## Sources
- [Insurance for landslides and mudflow](https://web.archive.org/web/20231129032449id_/https://www.iii.org/article/insurance-for-landslides-and-mudflow/spotlight-on-flood-insurance) — "A landslide is considered an "earth movement" event so, like an earthquake, it is excluded from standard homeowners and business insurance policies." (accessed 2026-09-29)
- [Earthquake insurance for homeowners](https://web.archive.org/web/20250418045617id_/https://www.iii.org/article/earthquake-insurance-for-homeowners) — "They can damage housing foundations and collapse walls; even relatively mild tremors can destroy furnishings and belongings. Homeowners and renters insurance does not cover earthquake damage." (accessed 2026-09-29)

_Last verified 2026-09-29. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/does-homeowners-insurance-cover-foundation-problems/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._