From creaking staircases to unstable realities, haunted properties present unique challenges for insurers.
WSRB is proud to announce the launch of our latest risk tool - HauntHound™ - aimed at helping underwriters, agents, risk managers, and other insurance industry professionals assess supernatural exposure with accuracy and confidence.
For centuries, haunted houses, crypt-side cottages, moonlit manors, and dilapidated, spook-infested structures of all kinds have been viewed as uninsurable. After all, how do you price a premium for a staircase that might vanish overnight? How do you measure liability when the neighbor complains about ghostly organ solos at 3:00 AM?
HauntHound provides a data-driven solution. By quantifying key structural, spectral, and paranormal risk factors, HauntHound allows insurers to offer tailored coverage to the living (and the not-so-living) while protecting their own loss ratios.
Our crack team of insurance and paranormal specialists crunched the numbers and has identified 10 core liability factors. Each factor is scored on a proprietary scale, generating a Haunted Book Liability Rating (BOO) for the property.
“Cemeteries see a lot of wear and tear — collapsing tombs, poltergeist graffiti, you name it. Thanks to HauntHound, we can focus on keeping the dead rested instead of fighting liability claims.”
Mortimer Graves, Eternal Rest Insurance
Structural Decay / Atmospheric Collapse (SDAC)
Crumbling staircases, damp basements, and collapsing towers aren’t just required elements of your run-of-the-mill haunted structure - they’re hazards. HauntHound integrates structural surveys with the latest paranormal overlays, accurately distinguishing between ordinary neglect and supernaturally induced deterioration.
Visitor Panic Response Index (VPRI)
Slip and fall doesn't cut it; fainting, fleeing, and even crashing through windows can be common visitor responses to ghostly activity. HauntHound uses behavioral data to predict panic-induced claims, allowing insurers to set appropriate liability thresholds.
Ghost Density Index (GDI)
Measured in “specters per square foot,” the GDI offers a standardized way to assess exposure based on apparition population. It's all about concentration: after all, a cramped attic with ten phantoms is far riskier than a ballroom with one.
Specter Interaction Frequency (SIF)
Do spirits merely moan in the distance, or do they engage in direct contact (throwing teacups, tugging at sleeves)? Higher SIF scores correlate directly with higher liability.
Spectral Noise Pollution (SNP)
Rattling chains, bone chilling wails, disembodied whispers, and pipe-organ fugues can spark nuisance suits from neighbors. HauntHound tracks frequency and decibel levels to evaluate the risk potential of future litigation.
Ectoplasm Residue Hazards (ERH)
Outside of VPRI, slip-and-fall tops the list of most common liability claims. HauntHound samples specific flooring materials and their susceptibility to ectoplasmic slickness, along with calculating and quantifying benchmark cleanup costs.
Poltergeist Property Damage (PPD)
Ghosts come in all shapes and sizes, and none is more pesky than a poltergeist. From flying plates to shattered windows, poltergeists are repeat offenders, physically manipulating their surroundings for maximum inconvenience. HauntHound’s robust and consistently updated incident database helps underwriters anticipate recurring losses.
Crypt/Zombie Liability (CZL)
Mausoleums, basements, and attached graveyards increase reanimation risk. HauntHound maps subterranean structures and assigns a containment score.
Moonlight Transformation Risk (MTR)
For properties with residents prone to lycanthropy or other metamorphic states, HauntHound tracks lunar cycles and overlays historical incident data to forecast liability surges.
Unstable Reality Index (URI)
Infinitely stretching hallways, reconfiguring floorplans, Escher-style staircases: these represent the apex of uninsurable supernatural risk. HauntHound's proprietary “Reality Stability Score” offers insurers the first-ever benchmark for these phenomena.
HauntHound doesn’t stop at evaluating haunted structures alone. It also includes a proximity feature that scores nearby properties for “haunted adjacency risk.” After all, just because your building isn’t crawling with spirits doesn’t mean you’re safe from their influence.
Adjacent Property Exposure: Structures located next to high-density hauntings often experience “spillover activity”, including - but not limited to - unexplained drafts, noises, or the occasional phantom sighting.
Neighborhood Reputation Effects: Even non-haunted homes can see reduced value or increased liability when they’re on the same block as a known poltergeist hotspot.
Cross-Property Paranormal Migration: HauntHound flags risk corridors (creeks, wooded paths, abandoned rail lines) that tend to act as thoroughfares for supernatural activity between properties.
“Before HauntHound, every full moon meant full liability. Between shattered chains, broken doors, and neighbors suing over claw marks in their hedges, I was howling at the costs."
Luna Wolfman, Lycanthropic Insurance Associates
The Haunted Liability Rating is derived using HauntHound’s proprietary Spectro-Actuarial Model™ (SAM). Each property is assigned a baseline score of 100 spectral basis points, adjusted upward or downward through weighted multipliers across the ten core risk factors.
The final BOO is normalized on a 1–10 scale, where 1 represents “minimal spectral liability” (occasional creaks, manageable ectoplasm) and 10 represents “uninsurable metaphysical exposure” (shifting staircases, dimensional collapse).
HauntHound is more than a novelty; it’s a serious tool for a seriously underserved market segment.
By bringing the latest in available paranormal data to insurance underwriting, WSRB continues its mission to provide trusted information that helps insurers and communities thrive — in this life and the next.