Published: 12 October 2026
Why are home insurance claims rejected?
Home insurance claims are usually rejected for one of a handful of reasons: wear and tear, worn-out appliances, not having enough cover in place (like accidental damage or personal belongings cover), incomplete information on your policy, or a claim that's lower than your excess. Home insurance, house insurance, buildings and contents cover, whatever you call it, it's there when you need it, but only if you know what it does and doesn't cover. And if you believe your claim was rejected unfairly, you have the right to challenge the decision, more on that below.
Key Takeaways
- Standard home insurance usually won't cover wear and tear, gradual deterioration, or damage from poor maintenance, this is one of the most common reasons claims are rejected.
Did you know?
Allianz found that 45% of rejected claims during Autumn related to storm damage, and almost half of those were down to maintenance issues like wear and tear rather than the storm itself. It's a pattern seen right across the industry. The Financial Conduct Authority found that only 32% of storm damage claims made to UK home insurers in 2024 resulted in a payout, with wear and tear and maintenance issues among the top reasons for rejection.
What is home insurance?
Home insurance is a policy designed to financially protect your home and belongings if the worst should happen.
Having home insurance can offer much-needed peace of mind if your house was ever damaged by things like flooding or fire, as with the right policy, your insurer will pay out to replace your belongings and repair or rebuild your home.
There are two types of home insurance:
- Buildings insurance: This covers the structure of your home and its fitted fixtures.
- Contents insurance: This covers things like furniture, freestanding appliances, tech, clothes… basically everything you’d take with you if you moved house.
If you own your home, you'll want to make sure you have a policy that includes both building and contents insurance.
Key insurance terms explained
A few key terms come up again and again when it comes to home insurance claims. Getting to grips with them makes it much easier to understand why a claim might be accepted, or rejected.
- Insured event. The type of loss or damage your policy agrees to cover, like fire, flood, theft or storm. If your insurer decides your damage doesn't match one of these, they may reject the claim.
- Exclusion. Something your policy specifically doesn't cover. Wear and tear, gradual damage and deliberate damage are common examples.
- Gradual damage. Damage that builds up slowly, rather than happening in one go. Think of a roof that's been quietly wearing down for years. It's different from a sudden insured event like a storm.
- Policy condition. Something you need to do to keep your cover valid, like maintaining your property or giving accurate information when you take out your policy. Miss a condition, and your insurer may decline a claim or even cancel your policy.
- Policy limit (or sum insured). The most your insurer will pay out. If you're underinsured, meaning your sum insured is lower than the real cost of rebuilding or replacing things, your payout could be reduced, even if your claim is otherwise valid.
Knowing these terms makes your policy documents a lot easier to read, and helps you understand exactly what you're covered for.
The most common reasons home insurance claims are rejected
The best way to make sure you don't get any nasty shocks is to make sure you've made sense of your home insurance policy. It's worth giving your policy documents a read, just so you know what to expect if you do ever need to make a claim.
You may also want to think about adding things like accidental damage or personal belongings cover to your policy if they're not included as standard.
Wear and tear is a common reason for rejected claims. It's usually not covered on home insurance. Wear and tear means gradual damage. It builds up over time, rather than happening all at once. Insurers sometimes call this a "gradually operating clause" exclusion in your policy wording.
For example, say a roof leak is caused by the roof slowly wearing down over the years. That's gradual damage, not a sudden insured event, so you won't be able to claim.
But if your roof is damaged by a sudden, one-off insured event, like a storm, you might be able to make a claim. The question insurers ask is simple: did the damage happen suddenly, or did it build up over time? Keep an eye on early signs of wear, and get them sorted before they turn into a bigger problem you can't claim for.
TVs, ovens and microwaves are cheaper than ever but unfortunately, they’re no longer built to last.
So, unless it was a one-off accident that caused the damage (like an appliance being stolen or deliberately damaged in a theft), it’s unlikely any appliance-related claim would be approved.
Understanding the cover you have and the cover you need is essential. Not only for peace of mind, but for if you need to claim.
Underinsurance happens when the amount you're insured for isn't enough to cover the true cost of rebuilding your home or replacing its contents. If this is the case, your home insurance provider may only pay out a reduced amount, even if your claim is for less than your total sum insured, also known as your policy limit. It's worth reviewing this regularly, especially after renovations or major purchases.
Accidental damage cover is an optional extra that pays out for sudden, unintentional damage that isn't deliberate, things like a dropped vase or a DIY mishap. It's different from standard cover, which usually only protects you against big, one-off events like fire, flood or theft.
Adding enhanced accidental damage cover to your home insurance helps with:
- DIY incidents
- Spillages or stains
Adding personal belongings cover to your home insurance helps with:
- Loss or damage to personal belongings at home and anywhere worldwide.
- Belongings include things like jewellery, cameras, mobile phones, tablets, bicycles and golf clubs.
A quick look at what's covered and what isn't:
Swipe to view more
| COVERED | NOT COVERED | |
| DIY incidents (accidental drilling, spillages) | Wear and tear or gradual deterioration | |
| Spillages or stains | Spillages or stains | |
| Loss or damage to personal belongings, at home and worldwide | Poor maintenance or neglect | |
| Jewellery, cameras, phones, tablets, bicycles, golf clubs | Damage caused by pets |
You can also add personal belongings cover away from home to your policy.
The excess is the amount you’d need to pay towards a claim. For example, if a claim is worth £500 and your excess is £100, you would pay £100 and we would cover the remaining £400. You would have chosen this amount when you set up your policy.
When you take out a policy, your insurer bases your cover and premium on the information you provide. If something relevant wasn't disclosed, such as a previous claim, a lodger moving in, or running a business from home, your insurer may argue the policy wouldn't have been the same had they known. This can lead to a rejected claim, or in some cases, a cancelled policy.
Always double-check your policy details are accurate and up to date, and let your insurer know about any changes to your circumstances.
How are home insurance claims checked?
- Our claims staff receive continuous training on damage and the signs to look out for, and have access to technical reference documents containing photos of typical damage examples and common causes.
- A wide support network of building specialist teams, technical teams and suppliers are on hand to help claims staff with queries.
- When the initial report, known as the 'First Notice of Loss' (FNOL), is made to the insurer, a comprehensive description is taken down. This is where a customer can explain the damage, how they noticed it, what they believe caused it and most importantly, how it has impacted them.
- If the cause of a claim is difficult to determine we'll work with you to decide the best way to investigate further.
- We use qualified specialist suppliers who will complete an inspection and come to a decision.
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Why might a home insurance claim be rejected?
Home insurance doesn't cover wear and tear. Wear and tear refers to the gradual damage to a property over time. For example, if a roof leak is due to deterioration of the roof over time, it's classed as wear and tear and you won't be able to claim.
Maintaining your appliances
TVs, ovens, and microwaves can break or stop working with no warning. But unless it was a one-off accident, like an appliance being stolen or deliberately damaged in a theft, it's unlikely you could claim on your home insurance. So, remember to maintain, clean, and use your appliances according to manufacturer instructions.
Do you have enough cover?
Understanding the cover you have and the cover you need is essential. Adding enhanced accidental damage cover to your home insurance helps with DIY incidents, damage caused by children, spillages, and stains. Adding personal belongings cover to your home insurance. Helps with loss or damage to personal belongings at home and anywhere worldwide.
Understanding your excess
The excess is the amount you'd need to pay towards a claim and your insurer covers the rest. For example, if your excess is £250, but the value of your claim is £200, your insurer can't help because the claim amount is less than your excess. You can choose your excess amount when you set up your policy.
So, in summary, make sure you have the cover you need, choose your excess amount, maintain your appliances, and take care of wear and tear.
Start your quote today at allianz.co.uk
Allianz claims data
Storm claims
- Storm claims have a big impact on the volume of claims rejected, especially in Autumn.
- Allianz found that 45% of the rejected claims during Autumn, related to storm damage. *
- Almost half of those repudiated (rejected) storm claims were due to maintenance issues like wear and tear, gradual process, poor workmanship or materials used. *
- The same trend is seen across all seasons for storm claims, with 43% of storm claims being repudiated for maintenance issues, and 23% being for storm conditions not being met (e.g. wind speeds). *
Allianz Home Claims Repudiation Analysis (1 June 2024 - 15 January 2026)
Accidental damage claims
- The highest repudiation rate for accidental damage claims was for claims reported due to wear and tear.
- The biggest volume of accidental damage claims reported was for “Breakages / Dropped / Knocked / Fall of Item” 16% of which were repudiated due to insufficient cover on the policy.
- Over half of claims reported for “Damage Caused by an Animal” had to be rejected, due to circumstances not covered by the policy.
Allianz Home Claims Repudiation Analysis (1 June 2024 - 15 January 2026)
Allianz case studies
To make sure we’re being completely transparent, and to give you some real-life examples of home insurance claims being rejected, here are some of our own case studies…
Accidental Damage Case Study: Circumstances that weren't covered
Pet and pest damage is one of the most common circumstances that falls outside accidental damage cover. Here are some real examples from our case files.
Pet damage
- Pet dogs going to the toilet on the sofa
- Pet dogs getting out of crates at night or being home alone and chewing and damaging furniture.
Pest infestations
- Bed bug infestation
- Woodworm
- Insect damage to heat pump
- Wasp nests
- Pests (possibly squirrels) damaged loft/guttering with visible holes in frontage
- Grommet for solar panel cables eaten away by vermin, causing water ingress and damage to roofing felt/chipboard
Rat damage
- Rats chewed electrical wires; asbestos discovered preventing repair
- Rats in loft/under floorboards; previous infestation year before
- Rats chewed wiring and cardboard boxes; dead rats found
- Rats chewed ground floor electrical cabling; vulnerable PH needs hospital bed powered
- Rats in carport roof damaged ceiling; asbestos now falling
- Rats entering via drainage pipes built over during 2010 extension
- Pest control recommended CCTV survey to block rat access
- Rats entered flat roof through hole; rotting wood and damaged fibreglass sheeting
How can you help make sure your home insurance claim is approved?
Everyone has little jobs around their home that they’ve been ignoring. But try to keep on top of them where you can. Small, timely repairs will be much cheaper than big repairs later on.
Using timers or smart plugs for lights and other household appliances will make sure you're only using them when you need them. If you get cheaper energy overnight, you can make the most of this too.
Using timers or smart plugs for lights and other household appliances will make sure you're only using them when you need them. If you get cheaper energy overnight, you can make the most of this too.
Less stuff means less repairs, less maintenance, and less cleaning. Furthermore, it comes with the added bonus that you can sell some of your old stuff for a bonus cash injection too.
Above all else, make sure your home insurance covers you for what you need. It’s important to know what’s covered (and what isn’t!) to avoid a hefty repair bill should the worst happen.
Frequently asked questions
The most common reasons are wear and tear, poor maintenance, deliberate damage, or not having accidental damage cover on your policy at all.
Not usually. It's typically an optional extra you add to your buildings and/or contents insurance, so check your policy documents to see what you already have.
Wear and tear is gradual damage that builds up over time, like a roof slowly deteriorating. Accidental damage is a sudden, one-off, unintentional event, like a dropped vase or a DIY mishap.
Not by default. For belongings you take out and about, you'll usually need separate personal belongings cover.
Ask your insurer for their decision in writing, review your policy against the reason given, and gather any supporting evidence. If you still disagree, you can raise a formal complaint and, if needed, escalate it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Insurers can decline to offer cover, or refuse a claim, if there's a history of previous claims, incomplete information on your application, or if your property falls outside their normal risk criteria.
If you disagree with a decision, you have the right to challenge it. Here's how:
- Ask for the decision in writing. Your insurer must explain why your claim was rejected. Ask them to reference the exact policy wording they've used as the basis for their decision.
- Review your policy and gather evidence. Check the section they've quoted against your actual policy documents. Collect anything that supports your case: photos, correspondence, or a professional assessment (for example from a plumber or surveyor).
- Make a formal appeal. Explain clearly why you disagree with the decision and include your supporting evidence.
- Raise a formal complaint. If your appeal doesn't change the outcome, you can submit a complaint to your insurer. Include your policy number and all your evidence.
- Contact the Financial Ombudsman Service. If you're not satisfied with your insurer's final response, or you haven't heard back within eight weeks, you can take your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.
Get an Allianz Online Home Insurance quote today.
You may also want to consider accidental damage cover… just in case!