Home Insurance Forum

Aug. 30, 2007

I recently purchased renters insurance. The agent who took my application asked if I had submitted any claims during the last three years. I told the agent yes, there was one claim that was paid for about $8,000 18 months ago.

The agent still wrote on my application "no prior claims." I told the agent that this was a false statement. His response to me was "don't worry about it." It did not appear on the investigative report that he did on me.

I called his home office and wanted to tell a manager what the agent did. However, the home office told me I must contact the individual agent.

Can this come back to hurt me if I ever have to file a claim?

Steve, Virginia

Dear Steve,

I spoke with Andrea Leeman, a spokesperson at the Virginia Bureau of Insurance. She said that you should call the bureau right away about this, toll-free at (800) 552-7945.

"The bottom line is that the insured is responsible for the information on the policy application," says Leeman. "When going through the claims process, if the insurance company discovers that some information is inaccurate, the claim can be denied."

Back to the Forum

Disclaimer: We are journalists, not financial planners or insurance brokers. Nothing we say should be interpreted as a recommendation to buy or sell any insurance product, or to provide other financial or legal advice.