What are the 5 most common causes of homeowners insurance losses?

Asked by: Mr. Ricardo Kling  |  Last update: February 6, 2023
Score: 4.4/5 (54 votes)

The most common causes of home insurance claims, from an analysis of Travelers Insurance policyholders, are wind, nonweather water damage, hail, weather-related water damage and theft. Altogether, these five causes make up 77% of all homeowners insurance claims.

What are the most common claims for homeowners insurance?

Property damage from water is the most common homeowner's insurance claim, followed by wind and hail, fire and lightening and theft, which all combined accounted for 98.1 percent of those claims.

What are the 4 factors affecting home insurance cost?

Two of the biggest factors affecting the price of homeowner insurance are your home's location and the cost to rebuild it. Many other factors play a role, including your credit history, your choice of provider, and whether you bundle multiple types of insurance – say, auto and homeowner.

What types of losses are covered by homeowners insurance?

A standard homeowners insurance policy provides coverage to repair or replace your home and its contents in the event of damage. That usually includes damage resulting from fire, smoke, theft or vandalism, or damage caused by a weather event such as lightning, wind, or hail.

What are the 4 perils that insurance covers for your home?

Perils are covered by all types of home insurance, such as homeowners, condo, landlord, renters and flood insurance. Some of the most commonly covered perils in home insurance are wind damage like hurricanes and tornadoes, hail damage, home fires, theft and vandalism.

Top 5 Homeowners Insurance Claims

35 related questions found

What are the six categories typically covered by homeowners insurance?

Generally, a homeowners insurance policy includes at least six different coverage parts. The names of the parts may vary by insurance company, but they typically are referred to as Dwelling, Other Structures, Personal Property, Loss of Use, Personal Liability and Medical Payments coverages.

What are the 3 categories of perils?

human perils. One of three broad categories of perils commonly referred to in the insurance industry which include not only human perils, but also natural perils and economic perils.

What is considered a covered loss?

Covered Loss or “Covered Losses” means an accidental death, dismemberment, or other Injury covered under the Policy.

What is considered loss of use?

What's a loss of use claim, and how does it work? Loss of Use coverage only applies when your home becomes uninhabitable resulting from a covered loss. This coverage covers any Additional Living Expense, meaning any necessary expense that exceeds your normal standard of living.

Does homeowners insurance cover mold?

Although most policies will not offer universal cover against mould, most insurers will offer a mould-insurance clause as an optional extra (for a fee, of course). All-in-all, prevention is the safest way to save the cost of mould removal.

What are 3 things that could make home insurance go up?

9 Factors That Jack Up the Cost of Home Insurance
  • Learn What You Can Control. 1/10. ...
  • Location, Location, Location. 2/10. ...
  • Home Age and Construction. 3/10. ...
  • Remodeling and Risk. 4/10. ...
  • Home Business. 5/10. ...
  • Personal Profile. 6/10. ...
  • Likelihood of Fire. 7/10. ...
  • Coverage Type. 8/10.

What can make your home insurance go up?

When catastrophes like wildfires, wind or hail are on the rise in your area, it increases the risk to your property, and insurance carriers typically increase rates in tandem. Upticks in damaging weather conditions like hail, wind, tornadoes and hurricanes can also cause a rise in premiums.

What are three ways you can lower your homeowners insurance premium?

12 Ways to Lower Your Homeowners Insurance Costs
  • Shop around. ...
  • Raise your deductible. ...
  • Don't confuse what you paid for your house with rebuilding costs. ...
  • Buy your home and auto policies from the same insurer. ...
  • Make your home more disaster resistant. ...
  • Improve your home security. ...
  • Seek out other discounts.

What is typically the most common damage claim?

As you may have guessed, fire and lightning damage are by far the most costly home insurance claims. Unfortunately, they're also one of the most common claims. Nearly 35% of home insurance claims filed are for fire and lightning damage, and each claim averages nearly $70,000.

What is the most common claim?

Here are the 10 most common claims:
  • Burglary and theft (this may include theft by employees)
  • Water and freezing pipes (including roof damage from snow/ice and damage to frozen pipes)
  • Wind and hail.
  • Fire.
  • Customer slip and falls.
  • Customer injury and damage.
  • Product liability.
  • Struck by an object.

What is the most common type of insurance claim?

Accidents and Injuries: Filing a Claim with Your Own Insurance Company. Claims for accidents and injuries are among the most common types of insurance claims out there. And within this category, auto and home insurance claims are the most popular.

What two coverages are combined in loss of use under homeowners?

Loss of use coverage (or coverage D) is typically included in most homeowners and renters insurance policies and provides homeowners with reimbursement for two main things: additional living expenses and lost rental income.

What does actual loss sustained mean in homeowners insurance?

Actual Loss Sustained: The amount paid is the actual financial cost to the insured, typically up to a specific limit or time period. Additional Living Expense: If your home is uninhabitable due to a covered loss, your homeowners policy will pay for living expenses that above your normal cost of living.

Which area is not protected by most homeowners insurance?

The main areas that are not covered by homeowners insurance include:
  • Damage caused by earth movements such as sinkholes and earthquakes.
  • Issues caused by neglect or improper maintenance of the property.
  • Damage caused by termites and other insects.

Is mold a covered peril?

Typically, mold damage is only covered if it's related to a covered peril. Mold damage caused by flooding would need to be covered by a separate flood insurance policy. Proper preventative measures can help minimize the odds of having to deal with a mold issue.

What is the 80% rule in insurance?

Most insurance companies require homeowners to purchase replacement cost coverage worth at least 80% of their home's replacement cost in order to receive full coverage.

Which of the following would not be covered as a loss under Coverage D of a homeowners policy?

Coverage D of a Homeowners Policy includes loss of income from an incidental business -- Coverage D does not cover loss of income from an incidental business.

What are the 12 named perils?

The basic causes of loss form (CP 10 10) provides coverage for the following named perils: fire, lightning, explosion, smoke, windstorm, hail, riot, civil commotion, aircraft, vehicles, vandalism, sprinkler leakage, sinkhole collapse, and volcanic action.

What are the 16 perils?

The 16 named perils covered in insurance
  • Fire or lightning.
  • Windstorm or hail.
  • Explosion.
  • Riots.
  • Aircraft.
  • Vehicles.
  • Smoke.
  • Vandalism.

What types of perils are usually always excluded from homeowners insurance policies?

Lightning, fire, and theft are all examples of perils are found under the exclusions section of every standard homeowners insurance policy. This means if your house or another structure on your property is damaged due to any of the following, your home insurance company won't cover the cost of repairs.