When Should I Make A Homeowners Insurance Claim? 
Let me differentiate between a liability claim and a property claim . If you are sued , notify the claims office of the insurance company immediately . Do not sign any papers and do not make any statements to agents of the individual or company suing you . Never hesitate to submit a liability claim . If your home is uninhabitable because of a covered loss such as fire or lightning call the insurance company claims office immediately . If you are the victim of a disaster , call the claims office immediately . Many insurance companies have mobile claims operations that are dispatched to help victims of disasters . Any damage to your home is a big deal . However , if the damage is not more than two times your deductible , and it pays to know your deductible , call your agent first . Property insurance policies have varying features that can either reduce the deductible or reduce the premium if your policy is claims free . Sometimes a little pencil work will show that it is better to forgo the claim as the reductions you receive for being claims free could be greater than the amount you would recover . If there is water damage and you can not reach your agent quickly enough contact the claims office because water damage only gets worse ! Often a quick responding water mitigation team can reduce and almost eliminate the loss . 