We've filed a homeowner's claim for burglary and our insurance company was an Illinois based company (take a guess!). The loss was approximately $9800 and at the time, we had a $500 deductible. Fortunately, we had pictures, appraisals and serial numbers of about 90% of the items taken. The last 10% we had to come up with documentation for - it wasn't hard to gather it. Thank goodness the deductible was low - our reimbursement was very good.

The reason I had pictures, was that about 25 years ago, when I was a tenant, my apartment was burglarized one day while I was at work. I was not made whole under the terms of my apartment insurance for that one. As a result, I'm insistent on homeowner's insurance and as we have the financial resources now, I'm fine with a larger deductible; however, I"m not confortable with a deductible larger than $1000.

My co-worker's family had a fire about 18 months ago which pretty much destroyed the 2nd floor of their home and caused smoke and water damage throughout all of it. I know they had the same insurance company as we had for our burglary. This fellow was out of his house for 9 months and the insurance company housed them in a house in the same school district during this period. I know he had out of pocket expenses that weren't reimbursed but I don't know how much that totalled.

I'd like to suggest that you take a minute to think about this from a different angle - that of such a disaster happening, and your being left with absolutely nothing you care about (whether or not you have money to buy new furniture). Think of your children's having lost everything they care about, and personal things that can't be replaced. And what about if not everyone gets out in one piece? No, I don't work for an insce. co. and have had to claim (for another type of problem), but there's more to it than just money.

we lost our home this fall to a major fire. the insurance (sounds like the same company referenced above) at first called it a "total loss". they then came back with an adjustment which doesn't even come Close to the cost to rebuild. it's a total awful nightmare-- losing everything and then being jerked around like this as the months drag on. this has taken over the last half year of our life and there's no end in sight- the financial ramifications for us are staggering.
insurance is risk management-- yes the chances of needing it are small, but whew, we Never Dreamed it would happen to us, no one does. secondly, though, research carefully who your policy is with... some are notorious for lowballing and badfaith claims (on large losses). In retrospect I wish I had done more research in that area (we were busy figuring out mortgages/home inspections etc with the purchase of our first house, now gone.)

i'm not really sure of your question - is it about increasing your deductable?

So given your experiences, what are the "good" home owner insurers?

haven't filed a claim for total loss, or fire, but have had two trees on the house at different times. Allstate were not good to work with, Prudential were fine. Just my experience

lucy -- The damages you mention are permanent and heartbreaking. Insurance settlements won't turn ashes back into precious family memorabilia -- or replace lives lost. Suppposedly the insurance will cover financial costs. I don't understand your point.

My question is whether the 'peace of mind' insurance supposedly brings is a fantasy. You don't know until you file a claim whether your insurer will do what you paid for it to do: make you whole again, *financially*.

In today's Chicago Tribune there is a front page story about a family made homeless by a skunk who burrowed under their house a *year* ago. The odor circulated throughout the house before the animal could be located, dug out and removed. The house interior is now down to the framing and still stinks.

The homeowner is suing their insurer. The insurer refused to declare the house a total disaster and tear it down -- but they've spent $500,000 in dribs and drabs. They could have replaced the house for not much more than that. (The property cost $940K in 2005; lot is likely half of that.) Now the company can spend more defending against a law suit while the family remains in temporary housing -- another cost to the insurer.

Wednesday, I had a drunk driver careen over my backyard garden area...he had to be towed out. The garden area is pretty much gone as the car sort of shaved the area clean.

So I call my insurance company's 800 number. I didn't want to file a "claim" on my own policy... just wanted them to go after his car insurance.

I called my local agent after that. She said it is ALWAYS better to call the local agent before calling the 800 number. Local agents can give better advice and do a little foot work that won't be offered by the corporate 800 number folks.

So I called and withdrew my "claim".

The driver was driving his mom's car, had no insurance of his own, so it is a matter of finding the actual owners name and insurance policy. The local agent is willing to do that, but the official policy is that I have to file a claim and the claim has to be OVER my deductable ($1,000) in order for them to act on the claim.

Of course, I could get a real landscaper to give me an estimate over $1,000. That would be silly on many levels!...none of which would be to my advantage.

I guess my point was that it sounded like you were trying to play Russian roulette with the odds, like you wanted someone to say it's ok to not bother with insce. because it's so unlikely to be needed. And while of course it won't pay for memories, etc., at least it will give you the means to build new ones.

lucy -- I see what you were saying. I might have stated my question better: WILL your insurance actually give you the means to build those 'new memories'?

kelton -- Wow! Sorry for that damage. Glad no one was IN the garden! Do you have coverage for home and auto with the same company? Might the 'auto' part help track down the car owner's insurance? (Just guessing.) Now, through no fault of your own you have a claim on your record; will gain no benefit; may be penalized with a higher premium!

Last year we were burgled -- jewelry only. Burglar came into the house one summer evening while DH was walking the dog and I was *in the tub* -- eek! (Yes, the house was unlocked.)

Only one stolen item was listed; insurance paid immediately on it. I inquired about the rest; provided police report; sent copies of insurance company's records on the everything that had once been listed to prove values -- marking the items stolen.

They sent me a check for ALL the items on the old lists, most of which were still in our deposit box. I had to argue with them to take back their check.

We are not dealing with great minds here.

There was a thread back in early March titled "after a disaster: post fire or flood rebuilding" that I think, not sure though, was in this forum. Definitely it was a GW forum, though. You might want to search for it, there were some rather helpful tips about how to prod a reluctant insurance company into paying what they claimed they were going to.

There is no better starting point than to have photo or video documentation of your entire property, inside and out.

that was me who posted 'after a disaster' :( still here. still fighting.... and still no headway with our insurance company. each month gets harder to be honest. you pay into a policy thinking you'll be covered and then they don't play fair at all. the good news (if there's good news) is that we were technically (contractually!) covered under our policy.... so if we have to take it all the way to court to get money to rebuild, we are in the right. i guess that's the bottom line.... insurance is there to cover you after a disaster/tragedy. whether they come through for you as they promise in their policy or not is the real kicker. if they do not (as we are experiencing) there are recourses to take.. but they are timely and expensive. this, while you are already "down" ahving experienced a major loss! again, i believe wholeheartedly in insurance, but check your carrier and your policy to make sure you are covered.

also, it really IS a good idea to document with digital photos of video everything you own/ the structure of your home. digital is key-- unless you put it in your safety deposit.... we had a ton of photos from our home inspection that will (hopefully) help us out.

Behavior...you may have figured this out already, but you'll probably wind up filing that claim under your own house policy. All auto policies pay out on a cash value basis...meaning they will come in and depreciate every item he's damaged. However, your house more than likely pays on a replacement basis. I always advise against filing claims on house policies if the amount is small. Use your best judgement if it comes to that.

behavior, your auto policy is not involved because your auto was not involved, it is a homeowners claim only, because your home was damaged, not your car.
As noted, insurance is a financial tool, it cannot replace sentimental items.
I've paid in thousands over the years, but never made a claim.

I only use old well known insurance companies. The home is the largest investment most people have. I will not gamble with my home and the security it gives me. I haven't inventoried my house hold items and I need to do that. I talked to a neighbor who lost her home to fire and she didn't have the inventory and only had 3 months to turn in a list to the company. She took a loss on household items because of it. You have to be careful of all insurance companies, they don't just automatically give you what you have coming. My husband argued with ours twice about the pitiful amount they offered. Both times he got what he wanted immediately, he threatened to sue them in one case.. A younger person would probably just accepted the offer.

Could someone post a link to the "After a Disaster" Thread?

We didn't have a disaster in our home, but a toilet overflowed and we had 12K of damage. Thank goodness we were home when it happened. The water overflowed (thank goodness it was 'gray' water) in the upstairs master bath and went through the heat ducts to the downstairs bath, office, laundry and family rooms.

We are getting new flooring in both baths, new carpet in the master, family room, office and hallway. New bathroom vanities, baseboards, etc.

The problem is, the contractor sent out by the insurance company sent a sample of our carpet to a company that assesses it to ensure it is replaced with like carpet. Fine. The house was built in 1995, had builder's grade carpet and is original to the house. We have full replacement value insurance.

The assessment of the carpet came back with a price per sq. ft for the carpet and a price per sq. ft for the installation. However, the carpet price is not in line with today's prices. The carpet company doesn't even have any carpet in their store at that price. Nothing near it at all. So, how can this objective company determine a price for carpet and yet nowhere can I find carpet in this price range we've been allocated?

Now, the contracted carpet company basically showed me the cheapest carpet they have that is more expensive than the cost allocated by the assessing agency and of course, they're giving it to me for that price. But it doesn't seem right that this agency determined a price that is not available in this market.

So, does anyone think I have an argument with the insurance company about the value of the carpet being lowballed? I have searched many carpet places and have not found anything in the allocated range. We are paying the difference to upgrade and carpet the rest of the home that was not damaged by the water.

We have USAA insurance and I have no complaints with them. They had a water mitigation team out in a couple hours on the Easter Long weekend. They were quick to act, they have sent a top notch contracting company and they warrant the work for two years. I just can't wrap myself around the carpet allocation.

Can anyone help? If I can challenge it with USAA, how do I go about it?

here's the link sparksals. i would say you definitely have a case with the insurance company. i would get in touch with your adjuster or whoever did the estimate for you and explain that you've been unable to find the carpet at the price alloted and could they please advise how that estimate was reached and where you might be able to find like-for-like replacement at that cost. i would be nice about it, using a tone that is completely non-accusitory (which seems like how you're feeling anyway) that you'd like someone to help you understand.... hopefully they can provide you with a good explanation if not increase the allotment so you can get the carpet covered by your policy. good luck to you.

Here is a link that might be useful: old posting

"I didn't want to file a "claim" on my own policy... just wanted them to go after his car insurance."

To hit on what some others have already mentioned: the insurance company is in business to pay claims presented to it. They cannot act as your attorney to pursue a claim for you -- you can hire an attorney for that or pursue that claim yourself.

Now, if you make the claim through your company, and the claim value is in excess of your deductible, the company can seek what is called "subrogation" or recovery from the at-fault party.

However, keep in mind that this is at the company's discretion. If this is a $1,400 loss and you have a $1,000 deductible, the carrier could determine that it is not worth the cost of seeking subrogation to recover $400 (although they would also seek to recover your deductible for you). They will look at the potential recovery (a sub attorney might get 40% of the cut) and the potential for actual collection (an uninsured kid is not a good target).

julia - thanks for that info. It's something I just haven't been able to wrap myself around. I thought that perhaps the contractor provides a discount to the insurance company and that's why the value was low-balled.

We never had an adjuster come out. Only the contractor referred by USAA. I have no complaints about them as they've been very nice and responsive.

I did talk to the contractor about it and he said this agency is objective and that is how they assign their prices. I just don't understand how they can assign prices that are not available in any of the 5 or so carpet stores I searched.

I'm heading out of town tomorrow (yay, get to go back to Canada for a few days!) and then will call USAA when I get back.

Thanks for the link! I can't wait to read it.

Sparksal, POSSIBLE good news. There may be more $$ coming your way for the carpet.

When you have replacement coverage on a home policy, the companies first move is to pay ACV (actual cash value). Only after you have actually paid for the item do they then give you the difference between the lower amount and the replacement amount. I know it sounds screwy, but I've been told it's the way the insurer guarantees you actually replace the item and not pocket the money.

For your sake I hope I'm right and some one's just dropped the ball on explaining the situation. If I'm wrong, you simply...and calmly...tell your claims contact that you've got replacement coverage and that what you're being told won't "replace" your existing carpet. I believe most replacement language involves the phrase "like kind and quality". If you get resistance simply ask for a supervisor. You are entitled to have the same quality carpet replaced at todays prices...nothing more or LESS!

On the original post...

I had a small fire with $3k in damage. It was outside but a homeowners claim. Deductable was $2500. The remainder was paid promptly. They even paid for the fire extinguisher that was used! I credit my agent with helping me submit the correct documents and proofs. He was able to answer questions like about claiming the extinguisher. Three thousand loss minus the deductible gave me a $500 check.

I am also concerned about the cost of my policy. At one time the deductible was 5k but now the $2500 is the highest offered. A high deductible really cuts down my premium payments. I also skimp on my auto, health, and life policies. I am in affect insuring myself. To that end I maintain a high balance in my checkbook and a revolving line of credit against my house that is not even close to maxed out. I was just off work and in the hospital. Not even a blip in my financial stability. Suppose I should add it took some years to get in this position. Nothing beats a month's pay in the bank available at all times for "insurance" against small problems.

In the end, I withdrew my "claim" on my own homeowner's insurance.

They sent me a letter saying that I have no claim on my policy to back that up.

The owner of the offending car has insurance, and they sent me a check based on what I was asking> They got a good deal out of me...I'm sure they knew it.

I justed didn't want to get involved in a hassle, and don't like "working the system" for every penny. There's too much of that.

My house was burgled the other night.
I am on the fence if I should file a claim or not.
It all depends on what exactly is covered, and what losses are not covered, and my local agent is not much help. For instance, my wife's keys were stolen, which had keys and fobs to both cars. Will homeowners normally pay for re-keying both cars and replacing the lost fobs and keys? Its a Toyota and a VW, but those electronic keys, etc are pricey. My agent said the policy will cover re-keying the house, but is not sure about the cars. Thanks.

I have filed a claim when the house was struck by lightening and when trees fell down in the yard. Both times they paid without any hassle but the amounts were small due to deductible and the small nature of the damamge.

I would never be without home owners insurance. My home is my back up plan, I can always sell it and buy a cheaper place, if I need money. My aunt lost a home because of fire and she had no insurance, lost everything. I had a neighbor who lost their home to fire and everything was replaced. The only problem they had was the claim listing everything had to be completed in 3 months. Everyone needs photos of the things in their home and up dating them every few years. Store the photos and information in a safety deposit box or with a family member so it doesn't burn with the house. My home is insured for replacement of everything. I have made claims for storm damage and water damage and my insurance company took care of everything without question. We had a flash fire in our dryer that did not even know about, it could have burned our house down.

I wanted to add, I have only had 2 insurance companies in my life. The first was State Farm for 15 years no complaints when our claims were processed. The second is Farmers Insurance Group, they were wonderful. The last time we had a storm claim they just wrote us a check for the damage instead of giving us a deposit then paying for the balance. I don't know if they still do that. My husband did the repair work, even on our cars when we had a wreck and we got to keep what was left.

We've had the same company (Allstate) for 30 years. Filed 2 claims, I think two in two years. First was when we moved a room wall to expand our family room. It wasn't a load bearing WAll. In the process, the contractor had to move a hot water pipe that was under the floor. A short time later, the pipe developed a leak and soaked the carpet down there. Had to have a plumber in to fix the leak and one of those fire-flood restoration companies shampoo the rug. Both were fully covered . Fine. Then we did a little remodeling upstairs. A different contractor came in to finish the wood floors, do some painting,etc. That guy laid a lit lamp on a fabric couch and it tipped over, starting a smoldering fire. We called Fire Dept. and they put it out. We filed a claim for damage to the sofa. Adjuster came and sent a tailor to remove the fabric back and sew over the burned part. Fine, two small claims in 2 years. Well, when it came time for renewal Allstate wanted to drop us. After many phone calls to Underwriting, they agreeed to offer us a policy. Since it was linked to our auto policy, we paid the new premiums, which were now nearly doubled. And they are still pretty high. My sister had an experience with a homeowners policy claim. A neighbor's child came over to play, in the process their dog got excited and bit the kid in the lip. His parents insisted on plastic surgery. To pay the medical cost, my sister herself filed a claim on her own homeowners policy. I'm not sure if her premiums went up, but I'd sure guess they did. So my advice is, don't file homeowners claims. You'll get "burned" in the end.

I am in the middle of a large loss fire claim. My sentiments pretty much echo juliatallmadge's (wish I could reach her to find out how it all turned out).

Mine was a high-end single family residential rental. The renter was at fault, so not only do I have the experience of dealing with my own insurance company (State Farm), I will be getting experience dealing with the renter's TWO insurance companies (one is for the general renter's policy and the other is for a general liability umbrella policy). All I can say is, it has almost been one year and the house is still standing unoccupied and untouched. The inside of the home was completely smoked out and partially structurally damaged.

Only now is the claim being subrogated by my insurance company, which has paid to term limits, to the tenant's insurance company. As juliatallmadge stated, it looks like the tenant's insurance companies will try to micro-negotiate everything, so I am in the process of shopping attorneys. Since the fire was the fault of the tenant's, I deserve to be compensated for my loss. But I get the distinct feeling at this stage this will not happen without legal representation and quite possibly a legal battle that may go all the way to court. I will know more as this situation unfolds in the next 2-6 months.

I can only say that State Farm has been wonderful. But be very certain to read your policy thoroughly, because even your claims adjuster can make big mistakes that you might catch. We caught a 90K mistake in our favor. Also, DO NOT make the very common mistake of being underinsured. If we had not been underinsured, we would already be started on the construction while waiting for the tenant's insurance companies to settle with us. Take pictures and videos of EVERYTHING. Open your drawers and cabinets and shoot pictures. Shoot every single feature in your house. And then store those someplace safe outside of your own home. Also, because I saw it happen, keep your computer backed up on a hard drive and store it outside of your home or in a fire/flood proof vault, as well.

In my opinion, $1,200 a year for homeowner's insurance is chump change. I was paying more than that and was still underinsured.