Published: 10 February 2026
Why are home insurance claims rejected?
Home insurance, house insurance, buildings and contents cover – whatever you call it, it's there when you need it… but do we really know what home insurance does and doesn’t cover?
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.
Why are home insurance claims 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, but it's usually not covered on home insurance. 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.
But if your property is damaged by a one-off event (like a storm), you might be able to make a claim for your roof.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Most big kitchen appliances have some form of eco mode that will reduce the amount of energy/water you are using. Get hold of the manual and find out your appliance’s most efficient setting.
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.
Get an Allianz Online Home Insurance quote today.
You may also want to consider accidental damage cover… just in case!