Filing A Claim On Your Homeowner’s Insurance Will Not Increase Your Premium

Hello: I have a walk-in shower that leaks and it has caused part of my livingroom ceiling to fall out which also resulted in having to remove my carpet; I also need apointing done on my property and I need a back door

I want to know if this is covered by my homeowner insurance and is it better to use an adjuster or find a contractor myself.

If these things are covered by homeowners insurance, can’t I file without an adjuster?

Hello Mary, great questions.

Let me try to answer them one at a time.

1. First of all, I cannot tell you if you have coverage in your homeowner’s policy for a certain scenario without reading your policy. Every company has polcies which differ in policy language including exclusions, conditions, and coverages. But generally speaking, if you had a walk-in shower that was leaking behind the walls (meaning you were unaware it was leaking until it causing your ceiling to cave through) then there should be coverage for the resulting water damages, which would be replacement of the ceiling. However, the policy would not pay to fix the leaking shower.

2. Okay, here’s how filing a homeowner’s claim works: An adjuster will be assigned to your claim. You cannot request that an adjuster NOT be assigned to your claim. They are the only people that handle insurance claims, because they are licensed by your state to adjust insurance claims. An adjuster will schedule an appt with you and they will inspect your damages. Once they determine coverage, they will prepare an estimate for what they think the damages will cost. Then, they issue you a check and you use whatever contractor you want to get the work done. Some companies may offer some names of contractors to do the work and some companies will even guarantee that contractor’s work if you use them. However, they can never force you to use a certain contractor. Insurance companies are in the business of paying claims, not rebuilding houses.

I hope that answers your questions. If you have more questions, email me from the moneycrashers contact form. I’d love to help you out further.

my adjuster mentioned that his final numbers would be increased by some extra percentage? What is he talking about?

Please advise -

Thank you -

Dony

Dony, he is probably talking about overhead and profit. If there are more than 2 trades involved to do the repair work, they typically pay contractor’s overhead and profit which is probably between 10 and 25% more.

Actually, I am pretty sure insurance companies are in the business of DENYING claims, not paying them. And contrary to what you state in your posting, they do in fact raise rates based upon your claim history.

I am really not trying to defend them, but we never hear about the thousands of claims they pay every day. We only hear about that one instance when they DO deny a claim. They can definitely be stingy, but insurance companies pay most of the claims they receive or else they’d never stay in business.

I returned from the holidays this year and when I stepped into my garage to store some things I stepped into about 1/2″ of warm water discovering my garage flooded. I turned off the water to the hot water heater and then called my insurance company to start a claim, that was Wed Dec 30th 2009. I squeegied the water out of the garage and was able to stop the leaking but it still isn’t fixed and I haven’t had hot water since.
It is now Sun the 23rd of Jan 2010 I still haven’t heard from my insurance adjuster and mold is starting to form on my walls and the majority of my boxes I had in storage most of which is merchandise that is battery opperated for my home business. My ceiling caved in and several pieces of sheetrock have started coming loose from the ceiling causing the garage door to get stuck and not open. I think this was do to the humidity caused by the hot water pooling on the floor for days before I discovered it.
I have several questions first; am I right in believing someone from the insurance company should have contacted me before now? I haven’t been able to use my hot water in almost a month I’ve been rotating through friends to take a shower at their house but it is inconvenient for both of us and I feel guilty so I have been compensating them so i don’t feel like a moocher. I am thinking about just staying at a motel so i can take showers with out the guilt and inconvenience. Wouldn’t the insurance company be responsible for those costs since its taken this long and still no word from them?
Is merchandise for my home based internet business in my garage covered under my home owners or did I need a separate policy for it?
Are my personal items covered I have several boxes that were ruined by standing water and several more that were soaked by the condensation from that water? Now I’m dealing with mold forming on these boxes and possibly on the contents with in.
Help! water logged in Idaho.

My neighbor on my right says he’s getting water in his sub-basement from mine. He and I both had our plumbing checked. We think my neighbor on my left is the corprite. They are very negligent renters. How can we find out if it is coming from them and can we claim damages.

How can I claim internet fraud losses to my homeowners insurance?

I had two claims in 2009 with my home insurance company. Now they are forcing me to take a higher deductible on my policy – if not they will not renew my policy. They also say that no other insurance company will write a policy for me because I had 2 claims in one year – is this really true?

Filing a claim on my homeowner’s insurance caused a 30% penalty increase on my premium for the next 5 years. So filing a claim caused the premium to increase, and my agent stated it clearly that I will be paying higher premium for the next 5 years because of the claim I and what the insurance paid out. It may not be right for them to do this but they did, and when I tried to shop for another insurance coverage they will hold the claim against when they quote my premium. I really don’t agree with this post at all

I open a claim with my Home Owners insurance and I’m getting sued for a dog bite situation and my question is if they cover me will i bee drop for this or will my primium go up and if they decide not to cover my claim what can I do.

From the prior comments, it seems that many don’t know what is/not covered by homeowners insurance. Turns out, I may no either. I basically know how much I pay and how high my deductible is ($1000). I’ve never filed a claim, but was a victim of about $850 in items during a theft last summer. It would have been covered, but there was no point due to the high deductible.

I couldn’t imagine things like a dog bite would be covered. Has nothing to do with the home. Also, nearby home owners causing water problems in the home? Interesting case. No idea about that one.

Regardless, I’m surprised to hear that the premium wouldn’t go up after a claim. Always thought it was more similar to auto insurance myself.

I have a landlord policy with Allstate for a rental property in VA – our son is the tenant. This policy has been in force for about 3-4 months, when our son kicked a stone while weedwhacking and broke a sliding glass door. Our agent is telling us that it’s better to buy the door and install ourselves, not file a claim ($500 deductable; door + installation est. to be around $1800) because if we do, there’s a liklihood the Ins. Co. will drop us, since a claim has been filed within the 1st three months of a new policy. What’s your experience there?

Maria, did you make a claim for your internet fraud case? I just discovered that I was scammed and PayPal cannot do a thing about it. I was defrauded of a 5 carat diamond bracelet. Let me know what you experienced in regards to your claim as I am facing the same dilemma. Thank you.

I live in NM. and this past weekend we had some fierce wind storms. I have a wood fence that surrounds the perimeter. One side is older than the rest and is shared with the next door neighbor. I moved in about 2 years ago and I think the previous owner never changed or did any upkeep to this portion of the fence. So being this portion was old and rotting the wind took it down. Should one of us or both (me or the neighbor) claim this on our insurance. And will the insurance allow us to replace it with something better than wood like composite or cinder block.

It depends on what state you live in. In Michigan, you can be cancelled if you have 3 claims within 3 years. All claims are reported to a database, which every insurance company has access to. Any other company can also deny coverage based on those 3 claims in 3 years. Every state is different. Michigan has a state controlled “high risk” insurance policy for the homeowners who can’t get insurance elsewhere. Very expensive with bottom of the barrel coverage.

It depends on your insurance company and the policy language. Every state is different on the regulations/requirements of insurance companies.

In Michigan, a State Farm homeowner’s policy covers dog bites under the liability section of the policy. There is no deductible applicable to liability insurance. Coverage would be limited to the liability limits you set when you started the policy. They wouldn’t drop a client after a dog bite claim, but they would require them to get rid of the dog. If the client refuses, then they are dropped. Premiums did not increase due to liabiltiy claims.

Dog bites would be covered under the liability section of the homeowner’s policy.

They would probably go buy the depreciated value of that section of fence. If it was old and rotting, probably wouldn’t even be covered by the deductible.

I am in the process of purchasing a new home. I was in my last home for approximately 15 years. We filed a claim in 2006 for hail damage. I relocate to another state and am about to close on my home. I was just told my “Liberty Mutual” insurance that my insurance rate is higher because I had a claim within the last 5 years. Out of the 15 years that we lived in the home, we filed 1 claim. If there were any damage to the home previous to this, we took the hit and paid for it ourselves. 1 claim within the 15 years and it has impacted my rate because it was within the last 5 years. What is the point of having homeowners’ insurance if they punish you for using it!!! I would understand- somewhat- if we had a history of filing claims. We do not. This sucks big time!!! I feel like I am being ripped off. The insurance company stated that if I stayed with my same insurance agent, it may not have made a difference, but since I must go to a new agent with a new house, the claim makes a difference. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

I live in TN and have Traveler’s Insurance. We had a pretty bad hail storm last week, and my roof and gutter sustained damage. Instead of letting the circling roofers check it out first, I called my insurance and asked them to do it. The adjust came out and said we need replacment and get some quotes.

I’ve only got one quote so far at $9200. My adjust said they are cutting me a check for $7600 and I will have to have the contractor call their “dispute” department to get the rest covered. He said I’d have to pay the difference out of pocket and then the insurance co. would cut me another check for the difference….up to $9600. Does this sound right? I’ve never filed a claim and want to make sure I’m protected.

Thanks.

I live in Georgia in a subdivision. About 3 weeks ago, my husband and I were startled by what sounded like a gunshot hitting metal. We went outside to find someone on a riding lawnmower cutting my next door neighbor’s yard. The person was cutting in a very rocky, debris filled area within a few feet of our driveway and cars, and rocks and other debris were flying everywhere and hitting our 2 cars and our closed garage door. When I finally got the mower’s attention and told him to stop he notified my neighbor who said she knew rocks would be flying everywhere so she went inside. One of the rocks was fairly large and put a sizable dent in our garage door, so I called the Sheriff’s office to have a complaint on record and told my neighbor she might want to notify her insurance company, which is USAA, but whatever the method, I wanted an assessment and if possible a repair made to the garage door by the original installer. Well, today when I asked her for the status, she informed me that her insurance agent told her that her insurance policy would not pay, as what happened was an act of God, like a tree from her property falling on my property and causing damage. I told her that if her agent did in fact state that, that I disagreed with his assessment. God doesn’t mow lawns. If He did, He’d have used better judgment; I believe she was more than a little negligent in knowing that she had created a hazard with the shower of rocks in all directions. Am I right in assuming she is liable and should pay to repair damages?

I am an insurance agent and can assure you this article is absolutely incorrect. Our company will raise your rates with every claim, whether it is on the property the policy insures or another policy. Very incorrect story.

This would not be considered an “act of God” — call USAA directly and file a claim; you do not need her permission or her agent’s permission to file a claim.

Agreed. I have been working in the insurance business for many years. It is very common for an insurance company to add a surcharge to your policy for claims on your homeowners policy.

I live in New Orleans. Maybe that says it all. In 2005 I did flood in Hurr. Katrina, but that is the one claim I have ever filed and homeowners (Fidelity) paid “everything above the flood line” – the roof was fine, and there was no structural damage. My home value was: $149 K, I received $149 K from the flood ins. co. and $5,000 from the homeowners policy (Fidelity).
When my policy came due for 2006, premium shot up to $3700.00. So, luckily AIG was writing in the area and I got an online policy for $2750.00 with a $5 K deductable for wind/hail. Then AIG went belly up, and 21st Century became my homeowner’s with Homesite as the underwriter.

I figured I’d take the chance on the wind and hail since I’d not had a claim in 20 years.

Skip to 2007. I lost a small backyard shed (value: $2000) to Hurr. Gustav. I called Homesite to see if this would be covered on my policy and to ask if my premiums would be raised. They said it was covered up to $5000 K and my premiums would not be affected.

Everything was fine in 2008 & 2009. Now in 2010 all of a sudden I get a renewal policy that used these three things to hike my rate:

1. A so called credit report (my credit is 750)….;

2. A statement that a claim was filed in 2007;

3. And a notice from Homesite saying I was not charged for 2008 & 2009 for the Louisiana Fair Plan (Citizens Ins.) and that was being tacked on to my bill.

I was enraged.

BOTTOM LINE: A COMPANY WILL GO UP ON YOUR RATES, EVEN IF YOU JUST MAKE A PHONE CALL TO SEE IF YOU “MIGHT” HAVE A CLAIM TO FILE. (THIS IS COUNTED TO THEM AS A CLAIM, NOT AN INQUIRY).

I luckily got insurance from another company, but I expect because of the image New Orleans has now, our rates will continue to go up and we will be subjected to more hikings in the future because of where we are located.

It seems unfair.

Susan H. BArre

We just bought a home. It turned out there were birds in the atic. The person who removed the bird did so by placing MOTH BALLS in the attic. Now they don’t have the correct insurance for me to sue them for the damage to my home they inflicted. My home is now over run with a toxic odor, and I have to remove all of the insulation in the attic and replace it. Is this an insurance claim issue or not? It is going to be very expensive.

Sincerely,

Kathy

I found mold in my basement, furniture and carpet damaged. The cause was from perimeter tiles. I have mold coverage. The adjuster originally told me that I wasn’t covered because the damage didn’t come from my sewer line. After several conversations and not getting a satisfactory answer to the reasoning. I mean what does it matter which drain caused the problem. He finally told me that if I had the drains dug up and if there were roots that caused the problem with the drain, it would be covered, up to $1,000 for the digging work (less my $500 deductible, and $5,000 coverage for damages.
My problem is that I don’t have $1,000 to pay someone, or at minimum $500, just to find out that roots didn’t cause the problem?
What if the perimeter tile isn’t located outside but instead runs under the basement slab? Is this covered? And what if I do the work myself? Will this affect coverage?
I am a licensed (journeyman plumber), what is the best way to handle this and come out ok?

I filed a Claim on my HomeOwners Policy as I recently incurred a Theft. This was “Theft Off Premises” which is supposedly covered by my HomeOwners Ins. I had rented a Uhaul Trailer and during an overnight stay at a hotel someone Un-hitched the trailer and made off with it as well as All my personal property. I Contacted U-hual after making the Police report as I had purchased the Optional Insurance. I then learned that they only cover the Equipment.
I Contacted my HomeOwners Ins. and filed a Claim. The Adjuster and I went back and forth over the items stolen and he passed on his report to the Insurance Co.
This has been about Three Months now, and they refuse to return my calls.
My Ins. Agent indicates they are looking at it as possible fraud and are refusing to pay.
This I believe is a POOR way of getting around my Claim and not having to pay.
What can I do at this point ?
I don’t want to have to pay it all to an Attorney if he/she takes the case and I end up with NOTHING !
How wrong this is !!!

Hey William, were you in the process of moving from one house to another house? Was the original policy still in effect when you were in the process of moving? If it was, then it should definitely be a covered claim. If you filed a police report, and you provided somewhat reasonable documentation to justify the personal property that you are claiming and its replacement value, then they MUST pay out. If they haven’t sent you a denial letter, then they WILL pay it, but they are dragging their feet, because they want to investigate the claim further. My guess is that they handed it over to their special investigations unit (every ins. company has one of these units) and they do more research into the matter just to cover their bases to make sure that it’s a legit claim. To help your case, you MUST try to come up with the any documentation you can to justify the stuff you’re claiming that was stolen. It doesn’t have to be receipt. It can be old photos with the items in the background, bank/credit card statements showing the purchases, or anything like that. If it’s something purchased recently, you can sometimes go back to the place you bought it and reprint a receipt. I hope this helps! You don’t need an attorney at this point, just be persistent, stick to the facts, don’t get overly emotional about it, and bug the hell out of them on a daily basis. If the adjuster won’t call you back, call customer service and get an inside adjusting manager on the phone.

I own a condo in Chicago, IL and have a condo home owner’s plan with State Farm. Every year on my bill it says that I get a discount for not filing any claims. That is to me the same as telling me I’d be paying more if I’d filed any claims. Thus I think your article is incorrect.

On the national news a while back they had a story about people whose home owner’s insurance was raised simply because they’d called to inquire about something. I think this was in California. If merely asking a question raises your rates, don’t you think that filing a claim would, also?

I just filed my first claim in 24 years. Small fire in the kitchen but flooring, counter tops and cooktop has to be replaced. $4800 in damages. AAA just sent me my premium statement and they raised my homeowner insurance $260 per year. Unbelievable. It’s not like I’ve filed claims left and right. Just 1 after 24 years.

Hi, i was at a friends house and when i left his house it was 3am. He didnt have his deck light on when i left and i thought the stairs were to the left when in fact they went straight. i could not see anything because it was pitch black. he had no railings either. well i fell and dislocated my foot. i need surgery but i do not have insurance and cant afford to be out of work for 3 months. im a single mom and need an income to support my kids. i was drinking that night but i was not drunk.Do i have a case? the friend said its not his fault and he wont file a claim because his premium will go up. yes i was drinking and im naturally clumsy. but he didnt have a light on and no railings.what should i do?

We had our first homeowners claim ever and it was huge. There was a faulty transformer in our boiler in the basement and it failed and cause broken, frozen pipes and subsequent damage on 3 floors of a very custom house. When we filed our claim we were told we could not be dropped for filing. Now, after insurance has made the final payment, they have also informed us they are canceling our coverage.

Is this legal? How can we get insurance in the future if we have had a claim? Will the bank call our loan? HELP!!! Any advice is appreciated – this is all new to us. We live in Colorado.

Thanks Eric, I have been on top of this since day One, It is going on 4 months now. I provided a copy of a Police report, Uhaul Contract, statement of events leading to the theft, etc. I gave the adjuster a “Recorded Statement” which he requested and uploaded and sent to it the Ins. Co.
Now they want me to meet with another Ins. Representative as they want a “face to face” and another recorded statement. I am told the problem is that the Ins. policy is in my Fathers name however I am submitting the claim for him as I have a Power of Attorney ” to act on his behalf, He is 88 yrs.old and doesn’t want to be bothered. They question this. Also the Insured property is in one city in Texas and we live in another city.
So, can you help me come up with a proper Demand letter ?
This is wearing on me and I shouldn’t have to write off as total loss, agree ?
Also Finally they are asking for an itemized list and Dollar amount for the items.
Can you help out, please advise, Truly Appreciate it, Regards William

Okay, here about 5-6 months ago, my husband and i got rdnters insurance on a home we were renting. Well aboit 4 months after the policy was open, our house got broken into!!!! And a lot of stuff was taken electronics, jewlery, home decore items etc. Well a police report was filed and an insurance claim was made. But now my insurance has turned my claim over to their special investigative unit (SIU) so what does this mean? Are they thinking its a fraudulant claim or what???? Please help, because this is worrying us! We have been looking on the internet & seen that some insurance agencys really drill you to death when it comes to theft claims……

I bought a brand new house 10 months ago. Garage door fell off tracks from overhead while closing August 17th. Company could not get out to see it (1 year warranty) until next day. To secure my belongings, dogs, etc. my friend & I repaired the door enough to get it back on the tracks and nearly closed. Builder states “could only have happened if door was latched and you tried to open it” refuses to service under warranty, then suggested I get third party garage door company to inspect. I did- they found problems with installation. Builder still states homeowner responsibilty – refusing to repair. Now What?!

Just want to inform everyone that I had a claim on my homeowners insurance due to hail…an act of GOD and my rate went up on the very next billing. This was my first claim ever. When I called and inquired the insurance agent told me that anytime you file a claim your rate will go up. I live in Ohio. So there you have it. Straight from the horses mouth!

My Grandmother owns the house that i live in. Well, we have extensive damage and mold due to a leak underneath the bathtub. I t went undetected for quite some time. Well, my grandmother is wanting to pay on the upwards of 10,000 + out of her own pocket because she is afraid we will get dropped by the insurance co. She was dropped somewhat recently by her own insurance co. for filing a claim. (is that legal?) I am pretty sure my house and her house are covered by the same insurance company and/or policy…Since it is in regard to two seperate properties, does she have to worry about this new Insurance carrier dropping her? And do the reasons why she was dropped from her old insurance carrier get taken into consideration by the new company in regard to a claim?

Hey, I have filed a claim and was told how much it was going to cost and they said they would cut me a check and mail it to me for what they would pay out of pocket so with that being said do I have to send them a receipt for the work that was completed? The check is already in the mail and I have not had the work completed yet and so I don’t know if I should call back or take the money and be done. I just want to know do I need to give them a receipt for the work that was done? Thanks

We recently noticed that the floor in an office addition was suddenly about 4 inches below the molding. When we pulled the floor up, we discovered water damage had rotted all the way through the floor joists. There’s no flooding and no water outlet in this room, so the most likely reason we can determine is long term condensation. The walls and floor of the room had no damage so we had no idea what was going on under the floor until it collapsed. Is this something homeowners would cover? And we’ve already started dong the repair work- can I still make a claim based on the contractor’s work receipts?

Sue, it’s hard to say exactly what your policy covers without looking at it, but most standard HO policies will cover damage like this as long as the damage was hidden and unknown to you. If there was no conceivable way for you to know that the damage was going on, then they should cover it.

If you’ve already started work, you can still file the claim, but be prepared for the adjuster to come up with his or her own estimate for how much the damages cost. If it’s not in line with the contractor’s price, there may be a discrepency. However, if it’s pretty standard work, the adjuster may just follow whatever the contractor charges you if he or she feels that the estimate was fair.

I agree with Erik. I recently had a claim on my homeowners for a water leak that flooded 3 rooms of my home. My rates went up the next month and the insurance company didn’t even pay for all the cost of the repairs that they were suppose to. I had a plumber bill of $1400 and had replacement coverage for the furniture I lost, which was estimated at $1200 to replace and they claim that I was responsible for paying the plumber, even though all of the repairs where covered except the actual repair of the pipe, which was $180 and that they only pay the depreciated cost of my furniture until I replace it and then they will give me the difference. They are claiming now that the plumber cost and the furniture where figured in as part of my deductible, which was $1000. I think that the $1400 plumber fee more than covered that and that they should have had to pay him at least $400 and my understanding of replacement cost means they pay to the total cost of replacing something.
Then to top it all off they raise my rates.
I also have my auto insurance through this same company and for 3 months after this claim on my house they canceled my auto policy each month and sent back my payment. When it happened the third time and I called once again to my agent’s office he didn’t even want to look into why this was happening. I decided it was time to find a different company to deal with so I have just this week changed companies for both my auto and my homeowners insurance.
By the way did I mention that this was State Farm that did this to me.
When changing my insurance for my home I found that I was under insured on my policy and paying $100 more a year for the coverage that wasn’t even enough to replace my home if I would need to.

Let me guess you have State Farm? I had to clean up the water from a flood in my home myself, they wouldn’t even send out or pay for anyone to clean it up. They replaced the flooring in all but one of my rooms and said it didn’t need to be replaced just needed cleaned. I called a plumber myself after filing the claim to come and do the line repairs and then it took them two months to complete the repairs, which I didn’t think were going to get done at all.
Good luck, if I were you I would keep hounding them to get it done or get someone out to do it that will bill your insurance company for the repairs.

I know what you mean. I had called my insurance company in 2009 after a wind storm that ripped off some of the shingles on my roof and I told them that I had gotten an estimate for $4200 for the repairs and they sent decided to send out one of their adjusters to check it out and he told me that there was not $4200 worth of damage that it was only about $200 and that I could get a handy man to replace the shingles. Part of the decking is even buckled from this storm. There was never any official claim filed or anything paid in repairs for this but it still showed up when I switched to a new insurance company.

I guarantee if you file a claim with state farm you rates will raise within a month of filing. I had state farm until just this week because they wouldn’t even pay for the full amount of the claim that was suppose to be paid. They do not pay what your coverage is for. I had replacement coverage for my personal belongings and only got $400 of a replacement cost of $1200 and they didn’t cover all the repairs that they were suppose to saying it was all apart of my $1000 deductible even though just the plumber cost was $1400. Beware of them, my niece also had problems with a claim, she ended up only getting part of her’s too.

Dear Steve,

Insurance companies do not always behave in an ethical manner. I have learned this the hard way and many of the companies are not worth having as your insurer regardless of how good of deal they offer. I would advise you to deal with this by writing a letter with the information that you have provided and demand they take action to settle the claim within the next 30 days. Additionally contact an attorney, the insurance company is acting in bad faith which allows you to receive punitive damages (big bucks) to punish the insurer for their actions. Also consider contacting a reputable public insurance adjuster. As far as business coverage, it is going to probably be limited to something like $5,000. Lastly, when you have a chance I would advise you to switch to a “real” insurer; CHUBB is the best. Good Luck and hang in there.

One thing that’s important to remember is that “replacement” cost doesn’t necessarily mean the cost you paid for the item. It means, they’ll pay you the amount it costs to replace a similar item of like kind and quality. A good example of this is a computer. If you paid $1,500 for a computer in 2005, the insurance company can replace that computer that is 10 times better than the one you bought in 2005 for $750 today. Just because you paid $1,500 for something, doesn’t mean they’re going to give you $1,500 unless it still costs the same amount to replace that item today.

I just got through talking to my insurance agent about placing a claim for roof repair on my home due to act of God. He told me that my homeowner’s insurance won’t go up however if I filed another claim in the same or following year then it may go up because they’ll consider the first one as an incident. Using my own better judgment after going up to the roof with the roofers, I decided to file a claim only after a fire.

I was renting a garage to store my furniture and cats got in and had kittens and sprayed everything my furniture is ruined will that be covered under the the home owners that i was renting from homeowners insurance policy being this was no fault of my own

I read your article about homeowners insurance premiums not going up because of a single claim. Mine did. When I called my insurance company to ask what the huge price increase was they told me it was from my claim and I will have to continue paying it for 5 years. They told me that you get a discounted price on your insurance until you file a claim. I have never heard of this before. We purchased our home 2 1/2 years ago and in Dec 09 our basement flooded so we filed a claim. The only claim we have ever filed. If I new we would have to pay all the money back, I wouldn’t have filed the claim and paid for it myself. I don’t think it is right!!

The details on this depend on the company you’re using, but nearly all will dramatically increase your rates if you file a claim. The rating organization Insurance Services Office has a rate factor of 1.3 or so if for one claim in the past 3 years, if I recall correctly.

I just tried to get homeowner’s insurance a few minutes ago and was denied because my husband made a fire claim on a house he owned and rented out before we met . There was a fire in the property and he made a claim as you’re supposed to as that is the reason for having insurance. Due to this claim, we’ve now been denied coverage on a house we jointly just bought 3 years after he made the claim on a different house. Isn’t the point of having insurance to help you if you run into trouble?

My house has vinyl siding badly damaged by recent hail. We have an adjuster coming out to look and we’ve talked with a couple contractors already about the cost of damage. I just found out my siding is covered 100% under a warranty.

Here’s my question, if I have the adjuster come out and he says (arbitrary figure) there’s 10k in damage, after my deductible and having the roof fixed do I get to pocket the rest of the cash because I purchased a warranty on the siding of my home? He still has to figure in the costs but do I benefit?

Or is that illegal and he won’t give me the money for the siding because it’s of no cost to me despite paying insurance “just in case” ?

I’m freaking out now, My insurance company replaced all my music gear, i love them for that. now 9 months later my gurage has been broken into again. All my items were stolen yet again. Do i file another claim?

You have NO IDEA what you’re talking about, dude!! My friend filed 4 claims in 5 years. She just got a bill for $5500.00 for a year of insurance. It went up from $1100.!! Allstate told her she was high risk because she filed so many claims. How can you babble nonsense like this and claim rates dont’ go up when you file claim?? You’re very dangerous with this ill advise!!

You have NO IDEA what you’re talking about, dude!! My friend filed 4 claims in 5 years. She just got a bill for $5500.00 for a year of insurance. It went up from $1100.!! Allstate told her she was high risk because she filed so many claims. How can you babble nonsense like this and claim rates dont’ go up when you file claim?? You’re very dangerous with this ill advise!!

thats because your friend had quite the history of claims. Im surprised they didnt drop the policy

You need to send some proof the claim was fixed – receipts, photos, etc. If you don’t then they will treat that claim as not repaired, so if it happens again you will not get any money because you can’t prove after the fact it had been repaired. Receipts alone don’t prove much, it only proves you bought materials, unless it is a work order completed. Photos and reciepts are best sent off to them. KEEP COPIES of everything, including their correspondence.

I hear ya, just finishing up a hail claim now, and expect same thing, or to be dropped. I’m going to prepare to get another insurance carrier if they want to fight giving the last pmt the contractor asked for, and thank them for their time and patience. I am a good homeowner who pays everything no matter what, and try to do things that prevent damage in the first place. The roof was just too much. I’m sure another carrier will appreciate me, though I would like to stay with mine. But waiting for the hammer to drop is not going to do a thing, so will begin looking before I am told to.

So many DO try to use insurance as a pocketbook, buying things that then get stolen, so have items plus the cash. I also know many landlords do not change the locks on doors and often the last tenant will come rob you, or they sell key to another renter near you who then robs you. CHANGE LOCKS when you move in!! Don’t move expensive things in for a few months in case a robbery occurs like this, get deadbolts, get a dog. You may even ask the landlord to let you install a steel door, if you are in a bad area. If you are, then never put your expensive things in that apartment, use a storage unit or bank deposit box. Insurance doesn’t like to pay for cluelessness either.

You knew when you went in that there were no rails, etc., and if the lights were off, duh, turn them on before stepping out! Stop drinking, or think enough to use a flashlight. Don’t blame him for your thoughtlessness.

Actually, they don’t PAY you replacement cost at all. They pay the current depreciated value, then once you replace the items they will give you the rest. In cases of house damages and other big expenses, they can cut interim checks once you show a contract showing what is estimate of the replacement. Still they will fight, but that the world of insurance.

Not true. Last year we filed our first homeowner’s claim ever and our rates went from 677 to 905. Liberty Mutual. The claim was a very small one under 3,000 for a tree that fell on our porch from our neighbors yard during a microburst.

I filed a claim with Aarp(The Hartford) for damage caused by the ice storms in Jan. 2011. Now my premium went increased more than $500.00. Iife insurance companies can’t increase premiums because who would they give the bill to. So why homeowners??

get a public adjuster you are entitled to the monies for the repair and should never incur out of pocket expense for a covered loss or peril

Erik Are you a Public Adjuster? what services do you provide

my insurance company dropped my coverage when I tried to make a claim and did not because it was manitenace. No claim was even filed and I was dropped, furthermore the next company i tried to get home owners ins. would not cover me because i had made 1 claim, ( that never even was filed or addressed). Sounds like freud and they are in on it.

i had a house fire in 2003 everything they said they would fix is falling apart floors have been replaced with fiber board its a mess from start to finish.what?do i do?sincerly wm smith [email protected]

Can you sue the manucfactuer of the faulty transformer for causing you to become uninsurable or high risk, when the damages were caused by the faulty product and
not by the innocent, unknowing, homeowner?

Interesting how you completely disregarded the many statements and questions on the legitimacy of who you are and the many many many responses of how wrong you are. Unfortunately for you, any readers of this article are also reading how stupid you are- and since you failed to address any of the really valid questions people had such as – What are you? An adjuster? A guy who likes to write like he’s an expert when he’s clearly putting out inaccurate info? That’s what people are going to have as the takeaway here.

Bad example Erik. Contractors & supplies never depreciate. Therefore, the price of replacing or repairing any part of home is going up.

Bad example Erik. Contractors & supplies never depreciate. Therefore, the price of replacing or repairing any part of home is going up.

Thats bs because my insurance raise 300 after I had a roof claim

Great article. Many homeowners are very misinformed when it comes to their insurance and premiums. Your rates are going to increase depending on the area and many other factors not just because you made a claim! It is illegal for them to raise your premium for you making a claim.

The idea that home owners insurance does not increase because of a claim is rediculous. That it is against the law is false. I have researched the law in Maryland and there is nothing to prevent a company from tacking on a “surcharge” of a certain percentage of your total premium for three years after you file a claim. There is a system that contains all claim that you file that are available to any prospective insurance companies so that they, too consider the claim(s) when determining a premium for your property. Some companies look at any claims filed within the prior 5 year period. There should be laws that prevent these practices, but there aren’t.

You need to get a security system — it will more than pay for itself! Also, as soon as you have it installed you can submit your invoice to your insurance company and you are supposed to receive a discount — reduction in your premium — for having a security system. Most people don’t even know this and have security systems and have not informed their insurance companies —Good luck!

In the recent high winds, ridge tiles blew off our home and caused substantial damage to our car parked below. Our home insurers say we have to make a claim on our car insurace policy…thus having to pay two lots of excess (home insurance paying for repairs to the roof only) and losing two years no clims bonuson ou car insurance! If however they had hit the vehicle belonging to a third party, they would pay up. This seems to me to be wrong. Any thoughts?
Lyndiloo

In the recent high winds, ridge tiles blew off our home and caused substantial damage to our car parked below. Our home insurers say we have to make a claim on our car insurace policy…thus having to pay two lots of excess (home insurance paying for repairs to the roof only) and losing two years no clims bonuson ou car insurance! If however they had hit the vehicle belonging to a third party, they would pay up. This seems to me to be wrong. Any thoughts?
Lyndiloo

This guy is not totally accurate with his comments. Most home owners carriers will raise your premium by about 20% of the dwelling portion after the 1st claim then if you have a second claim with a 3 year period from the 1st claim they will drop you. The severity of the claim is not really the issue as much as the number of claims. Water claims are the most common so the timing of the second claim is key.

I am from PA and my homeowners insurance went up 35% — I have been with Allstate for 20 years and never had any claims… they told me that when ever you make a claim there is an surcharge I am pissed that they are allow to get away with such practices. I have paid premiums for years and the little money they paid on the claim is a slap in the face not to meantime how much of a fight it was to even receive a payment. Something needs to be done to stop such nonsense.

I had the same thing happen after 20 years and my first claim a 35% surcharge increase it is a sin!!! and now I can not get insurance with anyone else

Erik, I would need your help.
I had lots of damages with 2 storage units.
My 3 fur coats have mildew and a fine art piece broke in the box due to the freezing temperature.
My AAA insurance doesn’t accept to cover anything.
What would you suggest me?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks,

my home insurance went from $735 to $1175 after I filed a claim.

in oct or nov 10 we filed a claim because a pipe went under my bathroom sink adn we didnt even notice or have any problems until water started coming out of the lights over the breakfast bar in my kitchen, wegot a adjuster and got quite a bit back. now i regret that. in feb. ’12 a pipe went under my house and my basement is flooding… what do i do?