Can a Buyer See the Seller's Claims History?
Not directly, but a CLUE report on the property shows past claims, and sellers often disclose them or buyers can request one.
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A CLUE report pulls claims tied to the property itself, going back about seven years, and it's the seller or their agent who typically has access to order one, not the buyer automatically. Some sellers share it upfront, especially if the house has a clean history. If they don't, ask during the inspection period. A history of water damage or foundation claims matters because insurers sometimes decline to write a policy on a house with repeated losses, which could delay closing if it comes up late.
A house with a rough claims history can be hard to insure, and finding that out after the inspection period closes is a bad time to find it out. Comparing quotes early shows whether insurers are willing to write the house at all, not just what it costs, so there's still room to negotiate repairs or walk away if coverage turns out to be the real problem.
How does a CLUE report work, and who can get one?
A CLUE report, short for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, is a record kept by a company called LexisNexis. It pulls together claims filed against a property, not a person. It lists the date of each claim, the type of loss like water, fire or wind, and the amount paid out. Because it's tied to the address, the history follows the house even after it's sold. That's why a buyer cares about it before closing rather than after.
Ordering a CLUE report usually requires being the owner or having the owner's permission. It's treated like a consumer record tied to the property's insurance history. A buyer who isn't yet on title typically can't pull one directly. The request has to go through the seller, either on their own or through the real estate agent. It helps to ask early rather than assuming it will show up with the other disclosure paperwork.
Some states require sellers to disclose known property defects, including past water or structural damage, separate from whatever a CLUE report would show. That disclosure form is worth reading closely. A seller might have paid for a repair out of pocket without ever filing a claim. It would not appear on a CLUE report at all, but it could still matter to an insurer looking at the house today.
A CLUE report only covers claims, not repairs or maintenance history. A house with zero claims isn't necessarily a house with zero problems. An insurer deciding on coverage will often ask about the roof's age, the condition of the plumbing, and whether anything's been recently renovated, regardless of what the claims record shows. A clean CLUE report is a good sign. It's one piece of what decides whether a policy can be written and at what cost.
What else should a buyer check besides the CLUE report?
A CLUE report only shows what was filed as a claim. It says nothing about the roof that's fifteen years old and never leaked, or the water heater that's about to fail. Insurers underwriting a new policy usually ask about the age of the roof, the age of the electrical and plumbing systems, and whether the house has had any major work done. Some of this comes from an inspection the buyer is already ordering for other reasons, so it's worth sharing that report with whoever is shopping for coverage.
Home age and construction type affect what a policy costs and whether certain insurers will write it at all. A house with knob-and-tube wiring or an older oil tank buried in the yard can be harder to insure even with a spotless claims history. These are the kind of details that come up during underwriting, sometimes after an application has already been submitted, which is another reason to start the insurance search early rather than waiting until just before closing.
Location matters alongside the house itself. Proximity to a fire station, the local building codes in effect when the house was built, and whether the area has a history of wind or hail damage all factor into what's offered and at what price. None of that shows up on a CLUE report, since that report is only about this one property's claims, not the neighborhood around it.
A home inspection and a CLUE report answer different questions. The inspection says what condition the house is in today. The CLUE report says what's been claimed on it in the past. Buyers sometimes assume a clean CLUE report means a straightforward path to coverage, but an insurer looking at an aging roof or outdated wiring can still decline or charge more, regardless of what the claims history shows. Getting both pieces of information before the inspection period ends leaves room to negotiate or reconsider while there's still time to act on it.
Before the inspection period ends
Ask the seller or their agent for a CLUE report on the house, and get quotes while there's still time to walk away or negotiate if an insurer won't write it.
