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Did your home insurance claim get rejected? Here are 5 reasons why

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Published on July 30, 2021. EST READ TIME: 2 minutes

So, you bought home insurance in India that has loads of benefits and can financially protect the structure and contents of your home from a host of natural and manmade disasters. However, in reality, it can only do so if you file the claim the right way. Otherwise, your claim requests might get rejected. You may keep wondering what happened, but the answer could be something already mentioned in your policy.

Sometimes, when you are rushing to protect your beautiful home with insurance, you might forget to read the policy terms and conditions thoroughly. Not being aware of the inclusions and exclusions is often a major reason why homeowners file for the claim only to see their requests get denied by the insurance company. So, to ensure you never come across such an unfortunate scenario, know the five reasons why your home insurance claim request can get denied and how to avoid them.  

5 reasons why home insurance claims get denied

1. Delay in filing:  There’s a time window during which you should file the claim. If you miss the deadline or the insurance company feels you have taken too long to file since the incident took place, it has every right to reject the claim. Check with your insurance company about the timeline, but it’s advisable to inform the insurer as soon as possible.

2. Damage not covered in the policy : If the cause of damage falls outside the scope of coverage, you cannot claim for it. Every insurance has a list of exclusions such as damage due to floods, earthquake, sewage backup, replacement costs, mishap due to faulty electric wiring, etc. If you want coverage for these, you need to add them to your standard insurance policy by paying extra premium.

3. Incorrect information: After you have filed the claim, your insurer will send a surveyor to the site to assess the damage and may interrogate some people who were present at the time of the accident. If the surveyor finds that you have lied about the damage or there’s any mismatch in your statement, your claim will surely get denied.

4. Insufficient proof: To approve your claim, the insurer will need proof of the damage. So, when you have filed a claim, make sure you have adequate evidence to support it. If possible, try to take photographs of the spot and document it properly. Your insurer can reject the claim if they are not convinced with your claim.

5. Damage is less than deductible:  Deductible is the amount of money that you agree to pay in the home insurance claim. If the cost of damage is less than your deductible, then your claim will get rejected because your insurance provider will not be able to pay anything on the claim. For instance, if your deductible is Rs3 lakh and the cost of damage is Rs2 lakh, the insurer cannot pay anything.

How to Claim Home Insurance Online in India

• Visit your insurer’s website and go to the Claim page.

• Download the claim form, fill it up and upload it along with the required documents.

• After the request is authenticated by the Claims department, a surveyor will be appointed to investigate your claim.

• The surveyor will then submit the report to the Claims department.

• Once approved, your insurer will settle the claim.

Conclusion

Home insurance in India  protects your house and its contents in case of any eventuality. But in some cases, your claim can get rejected because the cause of damage was in the list of exclusions, or you filed the claim too late, or you cannot provide enough proof. This may leave you disheartened. So, to make sure your claim requests are honoured, be aware of all the inclusions, exclusions and read the terms and conditions carefully.

Disclaimer:  The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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