Making a Claim
Why a claim gets declined, in order of frequency
Declined claims cluster into a handful of causes, and nearly all of them are decided long before the loss happens.
Making a Claim
Evidence, timing, loss adjusters and what to do when a claim is declined.
20 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 1 of 2
Making a Claim
The exclusions page is the policy
Cover is defined by what it refuses to pay for. Reading the schedule first tells you more than any summary.
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Making a Claim
Auto-renewal is where insurance quietly gets expensive
Renewal pricing is not a reward for loyalty. In most markets it is the opposite, and it compounds silently.
Making a Claim
Indemnity means putting you back, not making you better off
One principle underlies most general insurance settlements, and understanding it predicts almost every offer you will ever receive.
Making a Claim
Risk pooling: your premium is mostly other people's claims
Insurance is not a savings account with your name on it. Understanding what it actually is changes what it is reasonable to expect…
Making a Claim
Proximate cause decides which peril pays
When a loss has several causes in sequence, the policy responds to the dominant one, and identifying it can be the whole argument.
Making a Claim
The loss adjuster works for the insurer, and that is not a scandal
Understanding who is paid by whom, and what each party is actually deciding, makes a claim visit far easier to handle.
Making a Claim
Betterment: why the insurer deducts for the improvement
When a repair leaves you with something better than you had, insurers often ask you to contribute the difference, and the request…
Making a Claim
Subrogation: why your insurer chases someone else after paying you
Once a claim is paid, your right to recover from whoever caused the loss usually transfers to the insurer, and that transfer has…
Making a Claim
Cash settlement or insurer repair: the choice has a price
Taking money instead of a managed repair feels like freedom, and it usually costs a meaningful share of the settlement.
Making a Claim
Proof of ownership is the evidence nobody collects in advance
At a claim you are asked to prove that things existed, what they were and what they were worth. Almost nobody can, and it is…
Making a Claim
When a decline is not final: complaints and independent review
A first decision is a company's view, not a verdict. In most regulated markets there is a structured route past it, and it costs…