Scottsdale & Phoenix homeowners
One claim doesn't make you uninsurable
Yes, you can usually get home insurance in Arizona after a claim. Your carrier may raise the rate or decline to renew, and the next company will see the claim before it quotes. That narrows the market. It does not close it, because carriers weigh the same claim very differently, and an independent agency can shop your file with several of them at once.
What decides it is the type of loss, how recent it is, and whether you can show the damage was fixed. Here is how to put yourself in the best position.
Send us your policyWhat the next carrier sees
Your claims history has a name: C.L.U.E.
Before quoting, carriers check the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, run by LexisNexis. It holds up to seven years of property claims history on you and on the address: the date, the type of loss and what was paid.
You can see the same report. Request it from LexisNexis at personalreports.lexisnexis.com or 1-866-312-8076, under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. If something on it is wrong, dispute it, and LexisNexis reports back within 30 days.
Pull it before you shop. It tells you exactly what every underwriter is about to read, and it is the one piece of the process you can check yourself.
The call that counts as a claim
Phoning your carrier to talk through an actual loss can be recorded as a claim even if nothing is ever paid, and a denied claim can still appear on your report.
If you are unsure whether something is worth filing, ask your agent how a claim would affect your premium and your renewal before you decide.
What to do
Five steps before you shop
The first three are yours to do, and they cost nothing. The fourth is where an independent agent earns their place.
Step 1
Pull your own claims report
Request your C.L.U.E. report from LexisNexis before anyone quotes you. Check every entry: date, address, type of loss, amount paid. It is exactly what the underwriter will see.
Step 2
Fix anything that is wrong
Wrong address, a prior owner's claim, a duplicate, an inquiry recorded as a loss. Dispute it with LexisNexis in writing, and add a personal statement where a fact needs explaining.
Step 3
Document the repair
Invoices, before-and-after photographs, the roofer's or contractor's completion paperwork, the new roof's install date. Underwriters price the risk that is left, and proof that the damage is gone changes the conversation.
Step 4
If you were declined, ask why in writing
Arizona law (A.R.S. 20-2110) lets you request the specific reason in writing within 90 business days, and the insurer has 21 business days to answer. The reason tells you whether to fix something first or simply go to a different carrier.
Before expiry
Shop it through an independent agent and bind before the old policy ends
One company's decline is another's ordinary risk. An independent agent can put your file in front of several carriers at once. Bind before the current policy ends, with a policy number and an effective date, not merely a quote. A gap in coverage on top of a claim makes the next placement harder and can put your mortgage in default.
Questions
What people ask after a claim
Can I get home insurance in Arizona after a claim?
Usually, yes. A claim makes some carriers decline or price higher, but carriers weigh the same claim history very differently. The fastest route is to pull your own claims report, document the repair, and have an independent agent put the file in front of several carriers at once instead of applying to one company at a time.
How long does a home insurance claim follow me?
The industry claims database, C.L.U.E., holds up to seven years of personal property claims history, and carriers check it before they quote. How much a claim matters depends on the company, the type of loss and how recent it is. A single, repaired monsoon roof claim reads very differently from two recent water losses.
Can I see what carriers see?
Yes. Your C.L.U.E. report is available from LexisNexis under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, at personalreports.lexisnexis.com or 1-866-312-8076. Pull it before you shop, so you know exactly what the underwriter will see.
My claim was denied. Will it still show up?
It can. Insurers report claims they pay, claims they open a file on, and claims they formally deny. If the loss was reported and then denied, it may still appear on your report.
A carrier turned me down. Do they have to tell me why?
In Arizona, yes, if you ask in writing. Under A.R.S. section 20-2110 you can send a written request within 90 business days of the decision, and the insurer must reply within 21 business days with the specific reason in writing, the information it relied on, and where that information came from. That reason tells you whether the problem is fixable.
What if my claims report is wrong?
Dispute it with LexisNexis. Claims attached to the wrong address, a previous owner's history, or a duplicate entry are worth correcting before you shop, because every carrier you approach will see them. You can also add a short personal statement to your file, for example that a damaged roof has been replaced.
My carrier non-renewed me after the claim. Now what?
Arizona law sets notice periods the carrier had to meet, and in some cases gives you time to fix a problem with the property. Our non-renewal page walks through them. Start the replacement search the day the letter arrives, and never let the old policy lapse before a new one is bound.
What do you need from me?
Your current declarations page, your C.L.U.E. report if you have pulled it, and proof the damage was repaired: invoices, photographs, a roofer's completion paperwork. A repaired, documented loss is a very different underwriting conversation from an open question.
Related — if you were non-renewed, if your rate went up and our Scottsdale agency.
Send the policy and the claim details
The type of loss and the repair paperwork tell us which carriers to approach. Within 48 hours you hear what your options are. Free, and no obligation.
Get help placing coverageOr call (480) 382-7332 if you would rather talk it through.
General information, not legal advice, and it creates no agent-client relationship. Whether and on what terms a carrier will offer coverage depends on its own underwriting. C.L.U.E. reports are provided by LexisNexis. The Arizona statute referenced is A.R.S. § 20-2110, available at azleg.gov. Sullivan James is an independent insurance agency, not an insurance company.