Homeowner claim guide

Your homeowners claim was denied. What now?

Updated August 5, 2026 · Havn.ai

A denial letter is written to be final and reads that way. It is a position, stated in the carrier's words, based on the information the carrier had. Understanding exactly what it says — and what it relies on — is the work to do before deciding anything else.

Read the letter properly

Read it twice, with a pen, and pull out four things:

What exactly is being refused — the whole claim, or one part of it? Letters routinely deny a portion while accepting the rest, and the accepted part is easy to miss.
Every reason stated. A single paragraph can contain three separate grounds. Number them.
Every policy provision cited — section names, form numbers, page references. Then go find and read those provisions in your own policy. Not the summary; the text.
Every date and deadline mentioned, including any window for requesting reconsideration or appraisal.

If the letter cites a form number that isn't in your copy of the policy, ask the carrier for a complete certified copy of the policy in force on the date of loss. You're entitled to know what document you're being held to.

Denial, partial denial, underpayment

Denial. The carrier says the loss isn't covered — an exclusion, a condition, or a coverage that isn't on the policy.
Partial denial. Some of the loss is covered, some isn't. Usually a scope argument in disguise.
Underpayment. Coverage isn't in dispute; the amount is. This lives in the estimate — depreciation, missing line items, unit pricing, or an overlooked room — not in the policy language.

The distinction decides where you look. A denial sends you to the policy; an underpayment sends you to a line-by-line comparison of the carrier's estimate against a contractor's.

Common stated reasons

Excluded peril. Flood, earth movement, sewer backup — coverage that lives in a separate policy or endorsement.
Wear and tear or maintenance. The carrier says the damage was gradual, not sudden. Pre-loss photos and maintenance records are what speak to this.
Late notice. The claim was reported outside the policy's window.
Insufficient documentation. Often the most fixable reason on the list — it means the file didn't contain enough to evaluate, not necessarily that the loss isn't covered.
Below the deductible, particularly with a percentage wind or hurricane deductible people didn't know applied.
Material misrepresentation on the application. Serious, and a reason to get professional help promptly.
Failure to mitigate — the argument that damage worsened because reasonable steps weren't taken.

What to do next

Don't respond angrily, and don't respond same-day. Nothing in the letter requires an immediate answer, and the first reply sets the tone of everything after.
Get the file. Request the adjuster's report, the full estimate, photos, and any engineer's or expert's report the decision relied on. If an expert report drove it, that report is the thing to read.
Read the cited provisions in your own policy, in full, with the definitions section next to them. Insurance policies define ordinary words in unordinary ways.
Assemble what's missing. If the reason is documentation, that's a gap you can close: photos, receipts, inventory, contractor estimates, pre-loss condition.
Get an independent estimate if the dispute is about amount, and compare it line by line rather than total to total.
Check whether your policy has an appraisal clause. Many do: a process for resolving disputes about the amount of loss (not coverage) using independent appraisers and an umpire. It's often faster and cheaper than the alternatives.
Put your response in writing, specific to each stated reason, with the documents attached.
Keep a dated record of everything from here on.

Who can actually help

A licensed public adjuster represents you (not the carrier) in valuing and negotiating the claim, typically for a percentage of the settlement. Best suited to disputes about scope and amount. Check licensing in your state and read the contract carefully.
An attorney — specifically one who handles first-party property insurance — for coverage disputes, bad-faith questions, or anything with a legal deadline attached. Many work on contingency and offer a free consultation.
Your state's department of insurance takes consumer complaints and can prompt a carrier to explain itself. It's free, and the complaint becomes part of a regulatory record.

Whichever you choose, an organized file makes their work faster and cheaper. Most of what any of them will first ask for is the material you already have.

Deadlines to watch

Three clocks may be running: any internal reconsideration window in the letter, the policy's own suit-limitation period (a contractual deadline to file suit, often one to two years from the date of loss and shorter than you'd expect), and your state's statute of limitations. They are not the same, and the shortest one governs. If you're anywhere near one, that's a reason to talk to an attorney now rather than after more correspondence.

How Havn.ai helps

Upload the denial letter and Havn.ai summarizes it in plain language, lists the reasons it states separately, and quotes the passages from your own policy it relies on, with page numbers — so you can see what was actually relied on rather than what the summary paragraph implies. It also gives you hedged points to discuss with a professional, and a report packet that puts your documents, expenses and timeline in one place before you pay anyone for their time. It will not tell you whether to appeal, and it will not draft one.

This is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Every policy is different, and only your own policy and your state's rules decide your claim. For advice, talk to your adjuster, a licensed public adjuster, or an attorney.