Am I insured if a meteorite hits my house?

Humanity has breathed a collective sigh of relief after NASA declared that a ‘city-destroying’ asteroid no longer poses a threat to Earth.

The 177-foot space rock known as 2024 YR4 grabbed headlines after scientists initially warned that there was a 3% chance it would collide with Earth in 2032, only for them to later downgrade the odds of impact to just 0.004% or one-in-25,000.

While large asteroid impacts have only happened a handful of times throughout recorded history, it is estimated that about 17,000 smaller meteorites fall to Earth every year.

Most of these small objects land in oceans or isolated parts of the world, but there have been occasions when meteorites have crashed into homes and caused significant damage.

So, what if a meteorite or other space debris fell through your ceiling and landed in your living room?

The home insurance comparison experts at Quotezone have investigated to find out if your policy would cover the cost of repairs.

While the likelihood of an object from space striking a house is extremely low, the good news is that, should such an incident occur, homeowners will likely be protected financially by their home insurance.

Falling objects – including asteroids, satellites and other space debris – are typically included in standard homeowner policies. This would cover the structural damage to the property as well as any personal belongings that are damaged or destroyed by the impact, depending on the type of insurance policy.

However, homeowners should be aware that some standard policies may not provide cover for an act of God – an unpreventable and unpredictable event that is deemed to be outside of human control. This can include natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, or meteorite strikes.

Different policies may have their own definition of what exactly constitutes an act of God, and some may also explicitly list what is or isn’t covered, so it’s important for all homeowners to double check the details.

Greg Wilson, CEO and home insurance expert at Quotezone.co.uk said: “The idea of protecting your property against falling objects from space is probably not something that most householders ever think about when taking out home insurance, but it is good to know that should this very unlikely situation ever happen, it is often covered as part of their policy.

“However, homeowners should bear in mind that not all policies are the same and some may contain exclusions or limitations when it comes to certain unforeseen events.

“Don’t assume that something will automatically be covered by your insurance – it is important to always familiarise yourself with the small print before taking out your policy.

“While you are extremely unlikely to ever have to make a claim for damage caused to your property by a meteorite strike, home insurance can protect you from other more commonplace disasters, such as storm damage, vandalism or subsidence and is normally a requirement of your mortgage provider, to help protect their investment.”

Quotezone helps millions of customers every year compare and find savings on all sorts of home insurance products, such as non-standard home and landlord insurance.