How Long Do Claims Stay on a CLUE Report?
Claims typically stay on a CLUE report for seven years, regardless of whether you filed or were paid out.
Free to compare
A CLUE report pulls from the last seven years, so a claim from year five still shows up at renewal even if nothing else about the house changed. This matters most if the premium jumped without a claim on your part. The insurer may be pricing in claims history on the property itself, from a previous owner, or weighing broader claims trends in the area. Request your own CLUE report to see exactly what's listed and when it drops off, since that seven-year window is the clock working against this year's increase.
Seven years is a long time to pay for one report
Other insurers weigh that same CLUE history differently. If your increase traces back to a claim nearing the end of its seven years, comparing now shows whether you're still being priced for something about to drop off.
What actually shows up on a CLUE report
A CLUE report lists more than the payout amount. Each entry typically shows the date of loss, the type of claim such as water, wind, fire or theft, the amount paid, and the insurer that paid it. Some reports also note claims that were filed but closed without payment. A claim you reported and then withdrew, or one the insurer investigated and denied, can still show up even though no money changed hands.
Claims tied to the house follow the house, not the person who filed them. Say the previous owner filed a water damage claim four years before you bought the place. That claim can still appear on the CLUE report tied to the address, and an insurer pulling the report when you apply for a new policy will see it. You never filed it and never knew about it, but it sits there until the seven years run out. Pulling the report on a house before closing catches this kind of thing early, rather than finding out at your first renewal.
Not every call to an insurer becomes a CLUE entry. Asking a general question about what your policy covers, or getting a quote for additional coverage, doesn't get logged. What typically triggers an entry is an actual claim filed, meaning you reported a specific loss and asked the insurer to act on it, even if the claim was later withdrawn or paid for zero dollars. The line between an inquiry and a claim isn't always obvious to the person making the call. That is part of why some homeowners are surprised to find an entry for something they thought they had only asked about.
The report itself comes from a consumer reporting agency, separate from any one insurer. Federal law entitles you to a free copy each year, similar to a credit report. Pulling it directly is the only way to see the exact dates, descriptions, and payout amounts behind this year's pricing, rather than guessing from the renewal letter alone.
How claims history affects what different insurers charge
Insurers don't all weigh CLUE history the same way. One company might price heavily off any water damage claim regardless of amount, treating it as a sign the house is prone to repeat losses. Another might only care about claims above a certain dollar threshold, or discount older claims faster than a seven-year straight line suggests. This is why two insurers looking at the exact same CLUE report can land on different premiums for the same house.
Frequency tends to matter more than size. A single large claim paid out years ago often weighs less than two smaller claims close together, even if the total paid is lower. Insurers reading a CLUE report are often looking for a pattern, not just a number. A house with one water claim from a burst pipe five years ago looks different to them than a house with two water claims in three years, even if the second house's claims were each smaller.
Where the house sits plays a role too. Some insurers fold in broader claims trends for the area alongside what's on the individual CLUE report, especially for things like wind or hail that hit whole neighborhoods at once. That's part of why a jump in premium can trace back to something that has nothing to do with your own house or your own claims record. The CLUE report explains your history. It doesn't explain the insurer's current appetite for risk in your area, and that appetite shifts on its own timeline.
None of this is listed on the CLUE report itself. The report shows dates, amounts, and claim types. How heavily an insurer weighs that information, and for how long, is a separate decision each company makes on its own. Comparing quotes is the only way to see how that decision plays out for your specific claims history, since the report stays the same no matter who's pricing it.
Check what's still on the clock
Pull your CLUE report and find the oldest claim listed. If it's close to seven years old, this year's price may already be about to change on its own. Comparing now shows what another insurer makes of it.
