Home›Personal Insurance›Learning Center›Article

Learning Center

Earthquake Insurance for Older Homes

By Richard Sweet. Reviewed by Richard Sweet. Updated June 26, 2026.

Already know you need this? Get a quote Compare your coverage →

An older home and a newer home can face the same earthquake and come through very differently. If your Oregon or Washington home has some age on it, here is what matters for coverage.

Why age changes the picture

Building practices that reduce earthquake damage, like anchoring the house to its foundation and reinforcing the short walls beneath it, became common relatively recently. Many older homes were built before them. That does not make an older home uninsurable, but it does make the construction details worth a close look.

Foundations and cripple walls

A raised foundation with a short stud wall between the foundation and the floor, called a cripple wall, is a classic vulnerability. In a quake, an unbraced cripple wall can collapse and the house can slide off its foundation. Whether the home has been bolted and braced is one of the most important facts about its earthquake risk. We cover the fixes in earthquake retrofitting and insurance.

Masonry and brick

Unreinforced masonry and brick perform poorly in shaking. Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation notes that brick or masonry homes may cost more to insure than wood-frame homes. Masonry veneer and full masonry walls may also face specific policy limitations, so confirm how they are treated.

Chimneys

Brick chimneys are among the first things to fail in an earthquake. Coverage for chimney damage depends on the policy and may be limited or excluded. If your home has a tall masonry chimney, raise it specifically when you compare coverage. Do not assume it is fully covered.

What underwriting may ask

For an older home, expect questions about the year built, construction type, foundation type, whether it has a basement or crawlspace, masonry and chimney details, whether it has been retrofitted, and whether the water heater is strapped. Photos may be required. These are not hoops for their own sake. They are how the carrier prices the real risk of your specific home.

The opportunity in the details

Here is the constructive part. Because construction drives the risk, improving it can improve your position. Documented retrofitting can support safety and sometimes eligibility or pricing. An older home that has been bolted, braced, and updated is a different risk than one that has not, and it is worth making sure the carrier knows it.

How we help

We help owners of older Oregon and Washington homes present their property accurately, find markets that fit, and compare coverage with the masonry, chimney, and foundation details in view. Compare your coverage and we will walk your home’s specifics.

Questions to ask your advisor

How does my home’s age, foundation, and construction type affect eligibility and pricing?
How is my brick chimney or any masonry treated, and is there a specific limit or exclusion?
Would documenting a retrofit change my options, and what documentation matters?
What will underwriting ask for, and should I expect a photo inspection?
Does an endorsement or a standalone policy fit my older home better, and why?

Want guidance first? Compare your coverage. Already know what you need? Get a quote.

Continue the series

You are reading part 9 of Earthquake Insurance in Oregon and Washington: What Homeowners Should Know.

Previous: Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It in Washington?

Next: Earthquake Retrofitting and Insurance

What many people don't realize

The part that catches owners off guard

Older homes may have foundation, cripple wall, masonry, and chimney concerns.
Construction details can affect eligibility, pricing, and how a claim plays out.
Brick or masonry homes may cost more to insure than wood-frame homes.
Documented retrofitting can sometimes affect eligibility or pricing with some carriers.

The Vantage Point

What we see most often

The Pacific Northwest has a lot of beautiful older housing stock, and a lot of it predates modern seismic building practice. That is not a reason to avoid these homes. It is a reason to look closely, because the same features that give an older home character, a raised foundation, a brick chimney, unreinforced masonry, are the ones an earthquake tests first.

The constructive part is that construction drives the risk, and construction can be improved. An older home that has been bolted, braced, and documented is a different risk than one that has not. The goal here is not to talk you out of an older home. It is to help you see it the way an underwriter does, so the coverage conversation starts from facts rather than guesses.

A real example

A homeowner bought a charming pre-war house with a raised foundation and a tall brick chimney, and assumed earthquake was a simple add-on. When we walked the details, the carrier wanted to know whether the home had been bolted, whether the cripple walls were braced, and how the chimney was built, because each of those changes the picture. None of it was a dealbreaker. It just meant the application told the truth about the house.

After the owner documented a retrofit a qualified contractor had recommended, the comparison looked different than it had at the start. The figures here are illustrative, but the lesson holds: with older homes, the construction details are not paperwork. They are most of the risk, and most of the story.

Details changed to protect privacy. Shared to illustrate, not to promise an outcome.

Free, two-minute check

See where your coverage stands

Answer a few quick questions and get a clear read on your current coverage in about two minutes. We flag what is worth a closer look.

Compare your coverage

When to review

It may be time for a coverage review if:

You own or are buying a pre-1980s home
Your home has a raised foundation, brick chimney, or masonry
You are not sure whether the home has been bolted or braced
You are comparing an earthquake endorsement against a standalone policy on an older home
You recently retrofitted and want that reflected in your coverage review

Compare your coverage Get a quote

Frequently asked

Are older homes harder to insure for earthquake?

They can be. Foundation type, cripple walls, unreinforced masonry, and chimneys can affect eligibility, pricing, and how a claim is handled.

Do brick homes cost more to insure for earthquake?

Often. Oregon's Division of Financial Regulation notes brick or masonry homes may cost more to insure than wood-frame homes, because masonry tends to perform worse in shaking.

Will retrofitting help an older home qualify?

It may. Steps like bolting the home to its foundation and bracing cripple walls can improve safety and sometimes affect eligibility or pricing with some carriers.

What will underwriting ask about an older home?

Expect questions about year built, construction and foundation type, basement or crawlspace, masonry and chimney details, whether the home has been retrofitted, and whether the water heater is strapped. Photos may be required.

Is chimney damage covered?

It depends on the policy. Coverage for chimney damage may be limited or excluded, so raise a tall masonry chimney specifically when you compare coverage rather than assuming it is fully covered.

Written and reviewed by

Richard Sweet

Founder and Principal Advisor, Vantage Point Risk

Richard Sweet runs Vantage Point Risk, an independent insurance and risk advisory for property owners, real estate investors, business owners, and families. He works with investors every week on the coverage decisions that decide how a claim actually turns out, and writes the Learning Center to put those decisions in plain language.

Reviewed for accuracy by Richard Sweet. Last updated June 26, 2026.

Richard also writes The Vantage Point, notes on building a better business.

This information is general education, not a coverage determination, engineering recommendation, or legal advice. Earthquake coverage varies by carrier, policy form, state, property characteristics, endorsements, exclusions, limits, deductibles, and underwriting eligibility. Actual coverage is determined only by the policy contract and the facts of a specific loss.

Back to the Personal Insurance Learning Center

Related resources

Keep going.

Earthquake Insurance in Oregon and Washington: What Homeowners Should Know

Standard homeowners insurance usually does not cover earthquake damage. Here is how earthquake coverage works in Oregon and Washington, including deductibles, exclusions, Cascadia risk, and what to compare before you buy.

Earthquake Retrofitting and Insurance

Bolting a home to its foundation and bracing cripple walls can improve earthquake safety and may affect insurance eligibility or pricing. Here is how retrofitting and coverage connect.

What Earthquake Insurance Does Not Cover

Flood, tsunami, landslide, masonry veneer, chimneys, pools, and costs below the deductible are common earthquake coverage gaps. Here is what surprises homeowners most.

Compare your coverage

It's not a quote. It's a real review.

Answer a few quick questions and get a clear read in about two minutes. We will flag what is worth a closer look, and you can hand us your current policy if you want us to dig in. No pressure, no obligation.

Compare your coverage Or just get a quote

We review your current coverage for gaps and overlaps

We compare the market to see if you are overpaying

We tell you what is actually worth changing, and what is not

You get clear answers, even when you are already covered well