What follows the house
Insurers keep a claim history on the house as well as on you, and you can request it.
Insurers report claims to shared databases, and those records attach to the property as well as to the person. A history of water claims can raise a premium, narrow what cover is available, or complicate a sale. You are entitled to request your own copy, and it is worth doing before you need it.
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What is in the record
Each entry typically shows the date of loss, the type of loss, the amount paid and the property involved. Entries usually persist for around five to seven years. A claim reported and then withdrawn can still appear, which is the part that surprises people most.
That last point is the practical reason to think before opening a claim on a small loss. An inquiry recorded against the property can cost more over several renewals than the repair would have.
How to get your own copy
Consumer reporting agencies that hold insurance claim histories are required to disclose their file to the person it concerns. The CFPB publishes a list of such companies and how to reach them, and LexisNexis, which operates the most widely used of these databases, has a request page for your own disclosure.
Request the property report as well as the personal one if you are buying. They are not the same file.
If an entry is wrong, the dispute process runs through the reporting agency rather than through your insurer, and it has its own timetable.
What it means when you are selling or buying
A buyer whose insurer prices the property using its claim history may find the quote higher than expected, or may find some cover unavailable. Sellers rarely see this coming. Requesting the property report before listing gives you the chance to explain a repaired loss rather than have it discovered.
Documentation of a properly dried and repaired loss is the answer to an entry on the record. A drying log and a final moisture reading are worth keeping for exactly this.
Why you would request it
The reason differs by what you are about to do.
- 01You own and live here. Request it before your next renewal, so a surprise on the premium has an explanation you already know.
- 02You own it and rent it out. Claims on a let property accumulate against the address. Check it before adding another small one.
- 03You are buying the place. Ask the seller for the property loss history, or price the risk that repeated water claims make cover expensive.
- 04You are selling. Request it before listing. An entry you can explain with a drying log is a different conversation from one discovered by the buyer insurer.
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What to ask before you agree to anything
Ask these of whoever turns up. A contractor who answers them plainly is the one you want; a contractor who will not is telling you something.
- 01Will you give me a final moisture reading in writing when the job is done?
- 02Can I have the drying log as a document, not just as a number on the invoice?
- 03Does your paperwork state what was replaced and why?
- 04If I do not claim, does anything about your scope or price change?
- 05Do you provide a post-repair certificate of any kind?
- 06What licence do you hold, and where is it published?
Have this ready before you call
Three facts move the first minute past the formalities: what happened, when it started, and whether water is still moving. These add the detail that decides what gets loaded on the van.
- The address, since the record attaches to the property
- Any previous claims you know of, with rough dates
- Whether you intend to claim this one
- Your insurer and, if buying, the seller insurer if known
- Any drying logs or certificates from previous work
- Whether a sale or a renewal is coming up
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Where these figures come from
Every number on this page is published by someone other than us, and each link goes to their own text rather than to a summary of it.