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The Premium Decoder

Your rate isn't only about your house. Carriers also look at your roof's age, a claims database with your name in it, your credit, and how far you live from a fire station. Move the dials and watch how a carrier might see you.

EXAMPLE HOME LOADED · ADJUST TO MATCH YOURS

Your file

Homeowners · illustrative weights

Roof+17%

Age and material. Older roofs are often paid on a depreciated basis after hail.

Roof age17 years

Credit-based insurance score0%

A credit-based insurance score, not your lending score. Rules vary by state.

Claims in the last 5 years+15%

Pulled from the CLUE database, which can hold up to 7 years. How far back a carrier looks varies. Even a denied claim can be on file.

Fire protection class0%

Your community grade from 1 (best) to 10, set by fire service and water supply.

Class 5 · typical

Gap in coverage0%

Even a short gap can cost you the "continuous coverage" credit.

Home age & systems+5%

Old wiring and plumbing are a top cause of fire and water claims.

Built 1991 · 35 years old

Deductible0%

A higher deductible means you carry more of a small loss yourself.

Home + auto bundled0%

Carriers usually reward keeping home and auto together.

What the carrier sees

141

41% above an average-risk home (100)

Your biggest lever: Replacing an aging roof with Class 4 impact-resistant shingles could move that factor from +17% to −22% and bring this index down about 47 points.

What's pushing your rate

Roof

+17%

Claims (CLUE)

+15%

Home age

+5%

Credit tier

Fire class

Coverage gap

Deductible

Bundle

−40%0+40%

Factors multiply rather than add, so they compound. Three moderate surcharges can add up to more than their sum.

Have an agent decode my real file (719) 591-2036

Every carrier weighs these factors differently. That's why shopping 20+ carriers matters: the one that penalizes your weak spot may barely notice it.

Things most people never find out

Your insurer knows more than you think

Each of these can change your premium, and each has something you can actually do about it.

The claims database

There's a report on you, and on your house

It's called a CLUE report, run by LexisNexis. It generally holds up to seven years of home and auto claims, and carriers check it when you apply or ask for a quote. Insurers can report a claim they paid, a claim they denied, and even one they only opened a file on.

What you can do: Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act you can get your report free once a year at personalreports.lexisnexis.com or 866-312-8076. Dispute anything that's wrong. And call your agent before you call the carrier about a possible claim.

Source: Tennessee Dept. of Commerce & Insurance; Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner

The hidden score

Your credit can move your home rate

In most states, carriers use a credit-based insurance score, which is different from a lending score. A few states restrict it or ban it for certain policies, so the same person can be priced very differently across state lines.

What you can do: Some carriers lean on this score far less than others. If your credit has improved since you bought your policy, ask for a re-score or a re-shop.

State rules vary. Ask us how your state treats it.

The roof clock

Your roof's age can outweigh your home's size

Many carriers price, limit, or decline coverage on roof age alone. Older roofs are often paid on a depreciated basis, so the check after a hail storm can be far smaller than the cost of a new roof.

What you can do: Impact-resistant (Class 4) shingles earn credits with many carriers in hail states. Keep your roof install receipt; carriers ask for the date.

Credits and roof rules vary by carrier and state.

The fire map

Your town has a fire-protection grade

Communities get a Public Protection Classification from 1 (best) to 10, based on the fire department, water supply, and emergency dispatch. Distance to a hydrant and a fire station can show up directly in your premium.

What you can do: Ask your agent which class your address carries. Rural homes sometimes get a better class than expected once the nearest station is confirmed.

Classification published by ISO (Verisk) for most U.S. communities.

This tool is an illustration, not a quote or an offer of coverage. The rate index uses simplified, example weights to show how underwriting factors can interact. Actual factors, weights, and eligibility vary by carrier, state, and policy. Credit-based insurance scores are prohibited for auto insurance rating in California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts — residents of those states should disregard the credit factor in the Auto mode. RightQuote is an independent agency licensed in 46 states.

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