Home Home insurance Claims Guide to the insurance claims history report (CLUE) Guide to the insurance claims history report (CLUE) Read our full guide to getting a CLUE report when you’re buying a home. Written by: Shivani Gite Shivani Gite Shivani Gite is a personal finance and insurance writer with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She is passionate about making insurance topics easy to understand for people and helping them make better financial decisions. | Reviewed by: Nupur Gambhir Nupur Gambhir Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service. | Updated on March 25, 2023 Why you should trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing honest and reliable information so that you can make the best financial decisions for you and your family. All of our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. We maintain strict editorial independence from insurance companies to maintain editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. Getting a CLUE report is one way to make sure you don’t have any last-minute home insurance coverage issues when buying a new home. Imagine you found your dream home. Your credit score is excellent and you were able to secure a low rate on your mortgage. Then, days before you’re scheduled to close, you find out you can’t get homeowners insurance. You learn your so-called dream home is uninsurable because the previous owner has a lengthy history of homeowners insurance claims. That issue could be avoided if you requested a CLUE report before agreeing to buy the home. Key Takeaways A CLUE report is a way for insurers to check for insurance claims on autos and property over seven years.Insurance companies considers CLUE report and review this information when deciding on whether to give you a homeowners policy.You can request for a CLUE report online, via mail, or by directly contacting LexisNexis.If you’re buying a home, make sure to check the CLUE report on the property. Review any claims to see what insurance-related work has been done on the property over the past few years. What is a CLUE report? Every cookie you eat these days leaves a crumb on the path of your life. In the credit world, it’s your FICO score and credit report. In the insurance world, it’s the CLUE report. A CLUE report — Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange — is a compilation of claims on autos and property over seven years. Insurance companies review this information when deciding on whether to give you a homeowners policy and when setting your rates. How does a CLUE report work? Owned and operated by LEXIS-NEXIS, CLUE is a way for insurers to track auto, home and renters claims. It’s important to remember that the report, while helpful, isn’t universal. While it’s a glimpse into a home’s claims history, insurance companies don’t have to provide the data to CLUE. So, a CLUE report may not include a complete home claims picture. Homeowners insurance companies provide the following information for the CLUE report: Policy number Insurance company’s name Date of loss Type of loss Amount that the homeowners insurance company paid for the loss Types of claims you may find on CLUEs report: Contamination Damage to other people’s property Dog bite Earthquake Fire Flood Freezing water Hail Liability Lightning Medical payment Slip/fall Smoke Theft/burglary Vandalism Water damage Wind Workers compensation How to get a CLUE report The claims history report — the CLUE Report — is relatively easy to get. LEXIS-NEXIS accepts requests for CLUE reports online, via email and snail mail or over the phone. Here are ways to request a copy: Online: https://consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/ Call: 888-497-0011 Email: consumer.documents@lexisnexisrisk.com You could also request a copy from a homeowner There are a host of security questions that you must answer to confirm your identity. You can order a report for yourself/your property or someone over whom you have legal authority, such as a minor. Thanks to the Fair And Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA), you’re entitled to one free copy of your report per year. When you apply for homeowners insurance, your insurance company will request a loss history report to determine whether you, the buyer or the seller have filed any claims during the past seven years. The database also includes damage reports that were later closed when the owner made the repairs. QuickTake Home insurance claims – How to file and what you should know Does homeowners insurance cover water leaks? Can my homeowners insurance get canceled because my house is empty? How much do claims increase home insurance rates? Does homeowners insurance cover storage units? How to protect your home from lightning strikes Does homeowners insurance cover mold? Are pools and hot tubs covered by homeowners insurance? Does homeowners insurance cover a leaking washing machine? How to file a successful mold claim Does homeowners insurance cover tornado damage? If the roof on my house caves in due to the weight of snow, is this covered by home insurance? Can insurance companies enter your house or examine your car? Don't get snookered by fake roof damage scams The basics of sewer backup insurance Don't try this at home: Easy ways to mess up your home insurance claims Does homeowners insurance cover power surges and outages? Is carpenter ant damage covered by homeowners insurance? Rotten or Sagging Floors: Does homeowners insurance cover rotting wood? What to do when lightning hits your house Chain saw massacre: Insurance for downed trees How your fire department's rating affects your home insurance bill My husband fell in our home and broke his ankle. Will our homeowners insurance cover this since the accident happened in our home? My dad passed away and we need to find the homeowners insurance policy. What should we do? Before you know it, your kitchen is on fire One of my trees fell into my neighbor's yard last night during a storm. It did not cause any damage. Do I need to call my home insurance company to file a claim? Is it legal for my home insurance company to drop my coverage after filing claim? That's gross! Why home insurance won't pay for disgusting problems We left a faucet turned on in my home and it caused water damage Home insurance policies cover damage from trees downed by ice and snow The trouble with drunk friends Homeowners premiums fluctuate with community's fire-fighting ability See more > How can I check my home insurance claims history? If you’re buying a home, you may want to ask the seller to pull the CLUE report on the property. You can then review any claims and see what insurance-related work was done on the property in recent years. Follow these simple steps to get your CLUE reports from LexisNexis: Requesting your CLUE report online Submitting a request by downloading a form and sending it to them via mail Order the report over the phone at 866-312-8076 Loss history reports alert insurance companies to properties that potentially carry more risk than they are willing to assume. They also give consumers another tool to make good purchasing decisions. Do home insurance claims follow you? Yes, most home insurance companies provide information to the CLUE report, so your claims history follows you. Your home’s claims history also influences rates — even if the claims were before you owned the home. Claims going back up to seven years will be on the CLUE report. Keep in mind that while the CLUE report won’t contain inquiries to a home insurance company, insurers may have their own records. So, if you called a home insurance company about a potential claim but wound up handling the issue yourself, an insurer may still have that communication on your records. Buying a house with an open insurance claim You can buy a home with an open claim. Having an outstanding claim shouldn’t stop you from selling your house, nor should it stop anyone from buying it. Here are two options if you want to buy a home with an open insurance claim. The first option — and the easiest — is to lower the selling price and sell it “as is.” This is a pro for both parties: The seller gets out of the hassle of having to have any damage repaired. The buyer gets a deal on the property. In this situation, the house seller would keep the insurance claim money because the price was lowered on the house. They would still have to get a reputable professional to give a quote to reflect the actual cost to fix the issues. One con in that scenario is that the new homeowner may appear to be getting a deal, but really they have to put up money out of their own pocket to get the damages fixed. Another, more complicated, option is to transfer the claim to the new homeowner. In that case, all hassle is removed from the seller, which is a bonus for that party. The pro for the new homeowner is that they can find their own contractors and feel comfortable with the work. A con in either scenario is that there’s still an insurance claims history on the house that will go on the CLUE report and likely increase home insurance rates temporarily. Make sure you can insure your home It pays to educate yourself about home insurance when you’re seeking affordable coverage. Here are some ways you can help yourself: Find out the rules regarding home insurance renewals in your state. Some states exercise control over when an insurer can refuse to renew your policy. In Texas, for example, an insurer can’t refuse to renew your home insurance policy unless you’ve made three non-weather-related claims within the past three years. Consider paying for small losses out of your own pocket. Insurers take notice of customers who submit many small claims. If someone breaks into your house and steals your new TV, it might be better to buy a new one at your own expense. That’s especially true if you’ve had a claim or two within the past three years. Think twice before you call your agent or insurance company. If you’re considering filing a claim but aren’t sure, wait to make that call. The minute your insurer’s customer service representative logs your call, the insurer opens a file on that issue that it will track through its computer system. Shop around for coverage. Don’t get discouraged if your insurer denies a policy based on previous claims or the rates are simply unaffordable. Obtain insurance quotes from at least three other insurers so you can compare premiums and coverage options. Insure.com provides an annual ranking of the Best Home Insurance Companies. See if your state has a Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) Plan if you can’t get a home insurance policy. FAIR plans were created in the late-1960s to make property insurance more readily available to people who can’t obtain it from private insurers because their property is considered “high risk.” Raise your deductible and bundle policies. Consider raising your deductible to lower your premiums. Also, most companies give you a discount if you insure both your car and home with them. Check your credit record. In addition to your past claims history, most states allow insurers to use your credit history when deciding on a policy and setting rates. Order a copy of your credit record periodically. This will ensure it doesn’t contain mistakes that could prevent you from obtaining a home insurance policy or lead to higher premiums. See how your credit history affects your auto and home insurance premiums. Do home insurance companies share claims history? Yes, insurance companies share any information related to insurance claims on your CLUE report. Insurers use this information to assess the risk when someone applies for an insurance policy. The database is extensive, containing information about all the claims you’ve made in the past seven years and claims that were filed on the property even before you lived there. Can insurance companies see previous claims? Yes. Insurance companies can see previous claims on a property using the CLUE report. Insurers consider claims history in their underwriting process, and if there was a claim on the property in the past, it could lead to a higher premium offer from an insurer. Can you look up insurance claims on a house? Only homeowners and insurance carriers are allowed to request an official CLUE report. You can ask the property seller for a copy of the CLUE report to learn about the property’s claims history. LexisNexis is a research company that maintains the CLUE database and most home insurance companies contribute to it. How much does a CLUE report cost? The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act allows consumers to get a free copy of the CLUE report every year upon request. And if you need a CLUE report on a property you are planning to buy, you’ll have to ask the owner to request it. Frequently asked questions about clue report Are insurance claims public record? Yes, insurance claims are public record, but not everyone can see them. The insurance company and the policyholder can request and receive copies of claims. Realtors and prospective buyer for a property can also request to see your insurance claims. Unrelated parties — those other than the insurer, homeowner, realtor or prospective buyer — can’t access these documents. How is a CLUE report generated? Homeowners and insurers are the only ones who can request a CLUE report. But you might be able to get your hands on one from the home seller to know more about the property’s claim history. How do CLUE reports affect your homeowners insurance? A CLUE Report can either positively or negatively impact your homeowners insurance. LexisNexis stores this information for review and the insurance company will check your history with LexisNexis to get a better idea of how healthy your home is. Each insurer follows their own methodology which determines how different outcomes may be used in determining your insurance premium. How long do claims stay on a CLUE report? Claims stay on a CLUE report for five to seven years from the date filed. How to get a clue report online? You can request for a free copy of your CLUE report online by visiting the official website of LexisNexis or by contacting at 866-312-8076. How to find insurance claims on a property? You can find out about the insurance claims on a property by using the CLUE report or seller’s disclosure reports, that holds all the information of any previous claims that have been filed over the last five years. Sources: Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. “Frequently Asked Questions about CLUE” Accessed May 2022. The National Association of Realtors. “What is a CLUE report.” Accessed May 2022. Susan Manning contributed to this story. Shivani GiteContributing Writer | . .Shivani Gite is a personal finance and insurance writer with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She is passionate about making insurance topics easy to understand for people and helping them make better financial decisions. In case you missed it What is HO-6 insurance? 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By Chris Kissell Renters insurance quotes: Compare rates By Chris Kissell Average home insurance cost in 2023 By Barry Eitel Personal liability insurance: What it is and why you need it By Barry Eitel Home insurance claims – How to file and what you should know By Chris Kissell Table of contents What is a CLUE report? How does a CLUE report work? How to get a CLUE report How can I check my home insurance claims history? Do home insurance claims follow you? Buying a house with an open insurance claim Make sure you can insure your home Do home insurance companies share claims history? Can insurance companies see previous claims? Can you look up insurance claims on a house? How much does a CLUE report cost? Frequently asked questions about clue report Get instant quotes now ! Please enter valid zip Get quote