You come home to find that someone has broken in, stolen your valuables and/or vandalized your home. Theft and vandalism are covered under most home insurance policies. In most cases, there are dollar limits.
Unlike car insurance, which has strict government-mandated rules about how much insurers can charge and what criteria they can use to determine your premiums, home insurance is sold in more of a traditional free market system. In practical terms, that means that your insurance company will be more likely to increase your premiums if you make frequent claims, regardless of whether they are your fault.
It’s very rare that an insurer would increase your premiums dramatically for a single claim, but if you do make a claim, you want it to be worth your while. Especially if you’ve already made a claim in the last 5 years, if you suffer a loss, before you call your insurer, calculate roughly how much the claim would be, minus your deductible. If the amount is something you can afford to pay yourself, it may be worthwhile to avoid the claim. Otherwise, it’s possible you could find yourself paying it all back and then some in premiums over the next few years.
Ask Adam Special: To Claim or Not to Claim