ADVERSE CLAIMS HISTORY EXPLAINED

Written by

Emma Myrie

Insurance Underwriting Expert

Reviewed by

Sophie Kamkar

Content Marketing Manager

When your claims history is described as ‘adverse’, it is usually because you have made a large number of (or a small number of high value) claims in the past. Though this is likely to be the result of a run of bad luck, unfortunately it doesn’t stop there.

Your bad luck is likely to continue when you come to apply for home insurance in the future too. Having an adverse claims history can become a problem when trying to renew your policy, or when a new insurer asks you to disclose any claims you have made in the past.

Disclosure

If asked, you are required to disclose your claims history when applying for insurance. However, if an insurer fails to ask you about something and then later refuses to pay a claim directly because they did not know this, you may have grounds to complain. Having a high claims history can be extremely problematic, but it doesn’t mean that you should be forced to forego home insurance completely.

Accidents

It seems that the more accidents you endure, or inopportune circumstances you survive, the more risk you pose to a potential insurer. This is not necessarily true. In fact, in most situations it is a result of the mainstream insurer’s inability to assess your risk adequately that prevents you from getting cover. Having an adverse claims history is often all it takes for a standard insurer to refuse to offer you a quote, but when you seek cover from a specialist insurer they will usually ask you more detailed questions to help determine the actual risk you might present.