Common Homeowners Insurance Claims?

Ever wonder which home insurance claims are most common?

So which home insurance claims are the most common – and costly? Between 2014 and 2018, these were the events that triggered the most homeowners insurance claims, according to national data from the Insurance Information Institute.

#1: Wind & Hail (34% of Claims)
This category encompasses destruction caused by hurricanes, tornados, and the wind associated with thunderstorms, so it’s no wonder it comes in first for frequency. Think about it: when major wind events roll into town, they often do a lot of damage – enough that repairs are greater than an insurance deductible, so it makes sense to make a claim on a policy.

But while wind and hail account for more than a third of all homeowners insurance claims, they’re actually not the most expensive, coming in at only $11,200 per claim on average (number four overall). Read on and you’ll see that this makes wind and hail about a fifth as expensive as fire damage (shudder).

#2: Fire and Lightning Damage (32% of Claims)
While fire and lightning rank second for frequency, they tend to be the most expensive claims, with a whopping average price tag of $79,785. The good news? Homeowners insurance was originally designed to protect against fires, so coverage for fire claims is easy to find.

The bad news, obviously, is that fires can destroy a lot of property fast (hence the high cost of claims).

#3: Water Damage & Freezing (24% of Claims)
When pipes burst or appliances leak, serious damage can result. And it happens fairly often: more than one in five homeowners insurance claims relate to this type of water damage.

In addition to being common, these claims are somewhat expensive, ranking third overall and coming in at about $10,849 on average.

#4: Non-Theft Property Damage (6% of claims)
Miscellaneous property damage can take a million forms: a tree falling through your roof, a baseball shattering your window, a trash truck backing into your brand-new garage. Because of the sheer variety here, the average cost of these types of claims isn’t too informative. But for the record, it’s $6,598.

#5: Liability (2% of Claims)
Let’s all be glad liability claims are rare because they tend to be expensive. As a refresher, liability refers to your duty toward other people. So when a guest is injured or has their property damaged while visiting your home, you may have liability for their medical costs or the costs to repair or replace their property.

Liability claims rank second in average cost, coming in at $26,872. The good news: most homeowners insurance policies offer liability protection.

#6: Theft (1% of Claims)
Rounding out the top six most common homeowners insurance claims is theft. Coming in at just one percent of all claims with an average claim cost of $4,391, theft is the smallest of the big guys, you could say.

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