These policies cover "named perils such as wind, fire, and theft." Not ghosts.
I really have to applaud this article by InsuranceQuotes.com blogger Gina Roberts-Grey. It may have started out as a "capitalize on Halloween by writing something sensationalistic and silly" project. But it turned into an interesting and thought-provoking article about, of all things, the intersection between paranormal activity and homeowner's insurance.
Something most of us may not have considered is that ghostly activity is not covered by most homeowner's insurance policies. These policies cover "named perils such as wind, fire, and theft." Not ghosts.
A woman who lives in a haunted house found this out the hard way, when her insurance failed to cover an item of art that fell and broke "moments before" her mother passed away. Live and learn: if this happens to you, maybe you should consider blaming the wind instead of the paranormal!
People living in a haunted home can incur a surprising amount of damage. Woodwork and trim can be scratched, scorch marks can appear, water damage, and broken household items aplenty. Most of this is small stuff that most people would probably never even consider filing an insurance claim over. But I hear about a lot of cases where an upstairs tap will mysteriously turn itself on. What happens if no one's around, and that open tap floods the floor?
As Roberts-Grey points out, you can add an endorsement to your coverage for "special personal property." This all-risk coverage costs quite a bit more than a standard insurance policy, but it will also cover any damage caused by spirits. It's probably only worth it if A) you have observed physical damage being caused by your haunts (i.e. not just sounds like shuffling feet or shadow play) and B) you have a lot of expensive stuff.
For most people, just putting aside the difference between the two policies in a bank account to use as self-insurance is probably enough. I once lived in a home that had a slate floor in the kitchen. It was beautiful, but if you dropped anything, it would absolutely explode. I lost a lot of good coffee cups and Pyrex dishes in that home, but I just mentally wrote it off as part of the cost of living in an interesting home. Damage caused by ghosts: chalk it up the same way!
This article also reminds me that I have heard a lot of rumors that the famous Amityville haunting was all basically one big case of insurance and real estate fraud.
Homeowner's insurance: more relevant to the paranormal than you might think!