Can You Get Home Insurance After Recent Claims in Arkansas?
Usually yes, and the reason is that carriers read the same claim history very differently. Here is what an underwriter is actually looking at, what a CLUE report contains, and the Arkansas rule that changes the calculation on weather claims.
Short Answer
Usually yes. A recent claim narrows the market rather than closing it, because carriers score claim history very differently from one another. What matters is the type of claim, how many there are and how recent, and in Arkansas whether the losses were weather-driven — which state law treats differently from other kinds of claim.
Filing a claim is supposed to be what the policy is for, so it comes as a shock when the renewal arrives with a surcharge, the claim-free discount has disappeared, or the carrier declines to continue at all. The reflex is to assume the door has closed. It usually has not.
What has happened is narrower than that: one company’s underwriting rules stopped favoring your file. Insurers do not work from a shared rulebook. One will surcharge a single water claim for years; another barely reacts to it. One declines after two claims; another still has room. That variation is the whole reason a claim history is worth shopping rather than accepting.
This page is about how that history reads and what to do before you take it to the market. If you have already received a non-renewal notice, the non-renewal page covers the notice you are owed and the order to work in; start there and come back.
What an Underwriter Is Actually Weighing
Three things, roughly in this order.
| What they look at | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The type of loss | The underwriting question is whether the same thing is likely to happen again. A water loss from failed plumbing suggests a condition; hail on a roof suggests weather. Fire, water and liability claims generally draw more attention than a single storm claim. |
| Frequency more than size | Two or three modest claims in a few years usually read worse than one large one. Frequency is treated as a predictor; a single catastrophic loss often is not. |
| Whether the cause was addressed | A claim followed by a documented repair reads differently from a claim followed by nothing. This is the part you can change, and it is the one homeowners most often skip. |
The Arkansas Rule That Changes the Weather Math
This matters more here than almost anywhere, because hail and wind drive most Arkansas property losses.
Weather claims cannot be the trigger
Ark. Code § 23-63-109 provides that no policy covering damage to property may be canceled, nor its renewal denied, solely as a result of claims arising from natural causes. The Arkansas Insurance Department has read that to mean natural-cause claims beyond the insured’s control cannot be the event that triggers a non-renewal, and has directed carriers not to count such claims when evaluating loss history for cancellation or non-renewal purposes. The limit is real and worth stating: if the roof’s condition no longer meets guidelines, that is a separate and legitimate ground, and the Department assesses compliance case by case. The non-renewal page goes through it in full.
Practically, that means a hail claim on your record is not the same liability as a water claim on your record, and a carrier that treats them identically is not the carrier for a house in Benton or Washington County.
What a CLUE Report Actually Contains
When you apply for coverage, most carriers pull a CLUE report — the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, a claims database run by LexisNexis as a consumer reporting agency. It records claims tied to you and, for property, to the address, which is why a claim filed by a previous owner can turn up on a house you have owned for two years.
- It holds up to seven years of personal auto and property claims history. That figure is consistent across the federal consumer regulator and multiple state insurance departments.
- It is used mainly at new business rather than at renewal. Most insurers renewing an existing policy already hold their own loss history for you and do not re-pull it.
- It is a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which means you are entitled to a free copy annually and you can dispute what is in it. You can request your LexisNexis consumer disclosure report directly.
- Errors are common enough to be worth checking for. Claims belonging to a previous owner, a withdrawn claim recorded as paid, a wrong payout figure. Any of those can be disputed, and a correction is free where a surcharge is not.
Asking a question is not filing a claim, and in Arkansas it should not cost you
You will read in plenty of places that simply calling to ask whether something is covered can end up on your record and raise your rate. Two things are worth knowing before you believe it. LexisNexis advises insurers not to report claim information when a policyholder contacts them merely to ask about coverage or a deductible. And Ark. Code § 23-63-110 provides that an insurer may not cancel a policy or increase its premium because of claims that do not result in a loss to the insurer — the Department reads loss as money actually paid out. An inquiry that produces no payment should not be treated as a claim here. If you believe it has been, that is worth raising rather than accepting.
None of that makes it a bad idea to talk to your agent first about a borderline loss. It is simply a different reason: an agent can tell you whether the repair is likely to clear your deductible before anyone opens a file, which is a question about arithmetic rather than about your record.
The Work Worth Doing Before You Shop
A claim history is not a fixed quantity. Some of what an underwriter sees is inside your control, and the difference shows up in the answers you get.
- Pull your own report and read it. Free once a year under federal law. Check for claims belonging to a previous owner, withdrawn claims recorded as paid, and payout figures that do not match what you received.
- Dispute anything wrong, and do it before you shop. A correction takes time to work through, and a quote built on a report you have already cleaned up is a better quote than one you have to revisit.
- Document what you fixed. New plumbing, a shutoff valve, water sensors, a replaced roof. A claim with a documented remedy behind it is a different risk from a claim with nothing behind it, and underwriters treat it that way.
- Reconsider the deductible. A higher deductible lowers what you pay and takes small claims off the table entirely, which protects the record going forward. Pick a figure you could actually produce.
- Shop the market once, through one agency. Applying separately to six companies is slower and leaves a messier trail than one submission run across the market.
- Stop filing small claims. If a repair is only slightly above the deductible, paying it yourself usually protects more value than the claim recovers. That is a judgment about the next five years, not about this repair.
Where the Claim History Leaves You
Roughly, and with the caveat that every carrier underwrites individually.
| Your situation | What the market usually looks like |
|---|---|
| One weather claim | Little difficulty with most carriers, and state law limits its use as the sole basis for non-renewal. Documented roof repairs help. |
| One water, fire or liability claim | More underwriting attention. Documentation of the completed repair does real work here, and carrier appetite varies widely. |
| Two claims in a few years | The market narrows and frequency becomes the question. Worth comparing early rather than at renewal, and worth reviewing the deductible. |
| Three or more, or an active non-renewal | Standard markets thin out and specialty or surplus lines may be the route for a period. That is a stage rather than a destination: claim-free years and a resolved underlying cause reopen the standard market. |
What an independent agency is for here
A single company can tell you its own answer. What is useful with a claim history is knowing which carriers are comfortable with your particular kind of claim — which forgive a first loss, which read weather claims the way Arkansas law says they should, which reward a documented repair or a new roof, and what exists if the standard market says no for now. That comparison across more than forty carriers is the whole job, and it is worth having before your renewal date rather than after it.
Ask Cribby about your claim history
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get home insurance in Arkansas after recent claims?
Usually, yes. Carriers score claim history very differently from one another, so a file that one company declines is often routine for another. What matters most is the type of claim, how many there are, how recent they are, and whether the underlying cause was addressed and documented.
How long do claims stay on a CLUE report?
Up to seven years. CLUE is the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, a claims database run by LexisNexis as a consumer reporting agency, and it holds up to seven years of personal auto and property claims history. It is used mainly when a carrier writes new business rather than at renewal, since an existing insurer already has your history in its own records.
Can I see my own CLUE report?
Yes, and it costs nothing once a year. It is a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, so you are entitled to a free copy annually and you can dispute anything inaccurate. Requesting your own report does not affect your rating. Claims belonging to a previous owner of the property are a common error worth looking for.
Does asking my insurer a question count as a claim?
It should not. LexisNexis advises insurers not to report claim information when a policyholder contacts them simply to ask about coverage or a deductible. Separately, Ark. Code 23-63-110 provides that an insurer may not cancel a policy or raise its premium because of claims that do not result in a loss to the insurer, and the Arkansas Insurance Department reads loss as money actually paid out. If you believe an inquiry has been treated as a claim, that is worth raising.
Do hail and storm claims count against me the way other claims do?
Not in the same way here. Ark. Code 23-63-109 provides that a property policy may not be canceled, nor its renewal denied, solely as a result of claims arising from natural causes, and the Department has directed carriers not to count such claims when evaluating loss history for those purposes. The protection has a limit: if the roof’s condition no longer meets underwriting guidelines, that is a separate and legitimate ground.
How much will one claim raise my premium?
It depends on the claim type, the carrier, the amount paid, and the rest of your file, and no honest answer exists in the abstract. What is consistent is direction rather than size: water, fire and liability claims generally draw more underwriting attention than a single storm claim, and frequency does more damage than the size of any one loss.
Should I file a small claim or pay for the repair myself?
Do the arithmetic before you decide. If the repair is only slightly above your deductible, the recovery is small and the record lasts years, so paying it yourself often protects more than the claim collects. Ask your agent to walk through the numbers before anyone opens a file.
What should I do first if I have been non-renewed?
Do not wait, and do not let the policy lapse. The notice you are owed, what a lapse costs, and the order to work in are covered on our non-renewal page. Cleaning up your claims report and documenting repairs are worth doing in parallel, but replacing the coverage before the expiration date comes first.
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Disclaimer: This article is general information and is not insurance, legal, tax or financial advice, and it is not a substitute for the terms of your own agreements or policies. Underwriting guidelines, surcharge practices and appetite for particular claim types are set by individual insurance companies, vary between them and over time, and are subject to eligibility and underwriting approval. Availability of coverage is not guaranteed. Statutory references are summarized in substance rather than reproduced in full, are subject to amendment, and apply according to the facts of a particular policy; as the Arkansas Insurance Department has noted regarding the natural-causes provision, compliance is determined case by case. CLUE is a product of LexisNexis, which is not affiliated with Cribb Insurance Group, and questions about the contents of a consumer report are handled by the reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Coverage is set by the insurance company and is subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued to you, which controls in every case. Cribb Insurance Group Inc is an independent insurance agency licensed in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. Reviewed 2026-08-09; insurance law and carrier filings change, and this article may not describe the current position after that date. Cribb Insurance Group Inc, 1601 SW Regional Airport Blvd, Bentonville, AR 72713 · (479) 286-1066 · service@cribbinsurance.com.