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What counts as a claim?
Home and auto insurance companies can raise your premium for filing most types of claims. Auto companies can raise your premium if you’ve had accidents or gotten traffic tickets.
Home and auto companies can’t charge you more for:
- Claims you file that the company didn’t pay. This includes claims the insurance company denied because your policy doesn’t cover the damage.
- Calling your company or agent to ask questions about your policy or the claims filing process.
And home companies can’t charge you more for:
- Claims for damage from natural causes, including weather.
- Appliance-related water damage claims, if the repairs have been inspected and certified, unless you have three or more claims in three years.
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Consider your deductible
Before you file a claim, find out how much your deductible is. The insurance company will subtract the amount of your deductible from your claim payment. Also get repair estimates. If the cost of repairs is about the same or less than your deductible, you may decide it’s not worth filing a claim. Learn more about deductibles.
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Know your claims history
Insurance companies use your claims history to decide if they want to sell you a policy and how much to charge you. Most insurance companies get a report from the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) to learn your claims history. Because most companies use CLUE, they can learn about home or auto claims you’ve filed, even if the claim was with another insurance company.
You can get a free copy of your report each year by calling 866-312-8076. Learn more about your CLUE report.
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