Most Common Home Insurance Claims – All You Need To Know

Have you ever wondered what constitutes the most common home insurance claims? Perhaps you were curious or wanted some pieces of information before acquiring home insurance for your residence. Either way, you have come to the right place. We have compiled the top statistics about home insurance claims in this article. And rest assured that our list is not some make-believe. We sourced the statistics from authority sources such as Insurance Information Institute (III) and Verisk’s Insurance Statistics Office (ISO). More importantly, we vetted each of the statistics here before listing them. That said, shall we get to the details?  

What Are The Causes Of Most Home Insurance Claims?

There has long been a debate about properties and liabilities concerning which of the two causes the most home insurance claims. Well, the former has the upper hand. Here is how much: According to ISO statistics, over 90% of all homeowners’ claims came from property damage. The other claims are liability-influenced – they include cases of credit cards, medical payments, and personal injury. And together, the three don’t even amount to 2%. But understandably, we know you’d like to see the full breakdown of the popular home insurance claims. We’ll discuss that soon, but before we do, let’s talk about the most-claimed items.  

What Are The Most Claimed Items In Home Insurance?

According to a study by Value Penguin, there are ten commonly claimed items in home insurance for property damage. Namely, the items are:
  • Apparel
  • Appliances
  • Beds/mattresses
  • Books/magazines
  • Electronics
  • Furniture
  • Jewelry
  • Sporting goods
  • The house/home itself
  • Tools
But from the lot, jewelry items are the most claimed at 16%, while beds and mattresses are the least claimed at 2%. In other words, you need to ensure adequate care and surveillance for your pieces of jewelry. That said, let’s see the breakdown of the home insurance claims!  

Frequency Of Home Insurance Claims

Source: Insurance Information Institute (III)

According to the ISO statistics, there are eight common home insurance claims. They arrived at that figure by studying the claims per 100 houses over a year.

Here are the said claims:

  • All-other property damage
  • Bodily injury and property damage
  • Credit card and the other
  • Fire and lighting
  • Medical payment and other
  • Theft
  • Water damage and freezing
  • Wind and hail

 

Of the lot, “wind and hail” claims are the most common, with a score of 2.45 points on a 3 point scale. And there is no contention against that fact. Tornadoes, for example, wreak damages on homeowners so much so that they move them to claim insurance policies.

After wind and hail, the second most frequent claim is water damage and freezing with a 1.9 points. And the least of the lot are the claims over credit cards.

Bottom line: the chances are that if your claims fall into any of the said eight categories, any home insurance provider will readily help you.

 

Severity Of The Common Home Insurance Claims

Funnily enough, wind and hail, though is the claim with the highest frequency, is not even the most severe home insurance claim. On a scale of $0-$90k, it only ranks fourth with a sum of $10,801. The most astounding part: claims from “water damage and freezing” are even more severe and expensive than wind and hail.

Also, “bodily injury and property damage” claims are more expensive than wind hail. They are even costlier than “wind and hail” and “water damage and freezing” claims combined at a quote of $29,752.

But from the lot, the most severe claim is fire and lightning. It can cost up to $78,838. And mind you, that is not an exaggeration; fire can be destructive to both properties and lives.

But good news — all home insurance policies cover fire claims. So, it is easy to find if you are particularly interested in getting one for your residence.

Source: Insurance Information Institute (III)

What Is The Average Payment For Common Home Insurance Claims?

According to the Insurance Research Council, homeowners in the US received an average of $8,787. And while the frequency of the payment has dropped over the years, the severity consistency increases.

Another thing you should note is that your state of residence contributes to your claim payment. For example, if you live in Colorado and Nebraska, you can expect even fairer loss costs.

Bottom line: the average payment per claim now is more expensive than some years ago. Also, your state of residence is a contributing factor – a crucial one at that.

If you need any assistance regarding insurance, don’t hesitate to contact us.; we’ll be more than happy to help!

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