The Shoulder
The Shoulder
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Insurancehumble-sparrow-587

Insurance threatening to void my policy because I didn't list household members — was never even asked

I'm honestly losing my mind over this and could really use some perspective from people who've been through the insurance wringer.

So I got rear-ended about three weeks ago — not my fault, other driver ran a red light and hit me pretty hard. Filed my claim the same day, super responsive, thought everything was going smoothly. Then during my recorded statement the adjuster starts asking whether anyone else lives in my house. I said yeah, my older brother and my grandmother both live with me. Neither of them drive — my grandmother never had a license and my brother's was suspended years ago, so neither touches my car.

Now the insurance company is telling me that because I didn't list them as household members on my original application, they're flagging my policy for a "material misrepresentation" review and may deny my claim entirely while they figure things out.

Here's the thing — I went back and looked at every screen of the online application I filled out. There was no question asking about other people living in my home. Not one. I even have screenshots of the quote flow because I saved them when comparing policies. The question just... isn't there.

I'm in my mid-20s, this is the first time I've ever had to actually USE my insurance, and now I feel like they're looking for any excuse to wriggle out of paying. The damage to my car is significant and I've got some neck and shoulder pain I've been getting treated for.

Has anyone dealt with this "household member" denial tactic before? Is there anything I can do, or do I just have to accept whatever they decide?

9replies

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9 replies

  • 18
    bold-badger-888

    Not legal advice, but what you're describing could potentially be a bad faith claim handling issue depending on your state. If the insurer is denying or unreasonably delaying a valid claim using a justification that doesn't hold up — like a "misrepresentation" about something you were never asked — that's something an attorney would want to look at. Many PI attorneys take free consultations and some handle insurance bad faith cases. Might be worth a conversation.

  • 17
    patient-wren-477

    Please don't let the insurance stress make you neglect the neck and shoulder stuff. I see patients all the time who put off follow-up care because they're waiting for insurance to sort itself out, and then the gap in treatment gets used against them later. Keep going to your appointments and make sure everything is documented regardless of how the claim shakes out.

  • 16
    sharp-seal-769

    You have screenshots. That's your whole case right there. Don't overthink it — get a PI attorney involved now, hand them the screenshots, and let them send the letter. Insurance companies fold a lot faster when there's a lawyer's name on the correspondence.

    • 6
      clever-grouse-534

      This sounds so stressful, I'm sorry you're dealing with it on top of recovering from an actual crash. You did everything right — filed the same day, cooperated, saved your documentation. You shouldn't be getting punished for being honest when they asked about your household. I really hope you get this resolved quickly.

  • 15
    bold-dove-198

    A few practical steps that might help: First, submit a written request to your insurer asking them to identify the exact question on your application that you allegedly answered incorrectly — make them point to it specifically. Second, most states have an Insurance Commissioner or Department of Insurance where you can file a complaint if you feel a claim is being handled in bad faith. Third, keep a log of every phone call — date, time, name of rep, what was said. That paper trail matters if this escalates.

  • 5
    candid-crow-964

    This is a classic delay-and-deny move. They go fishing during your recorded statement, find something that sounds like a discrepancy, and then manufacture a reason to stall. The fact that you have screenshots of the application flow showing that question was never asked is HUGE. Do not let those screenshots out of your hands and back them up in multiple places right now.

    • 13
      hearty-swift-416

      I used to work claims for a mid-size carrier and I'll be honest — household member questionnaires exist partly as a post-loss fishing net. If the question genuinely wasn't on your application, their "material misrepresentation" argument falls apart because you can't misrepresent something you were never asked. The key is proving that. Your screenshots are exactly the kind of documentation that can kill this argument before it goes anywhere. Send a written response (email so there's a trail) laying out that the question wasn't presented to you, and attach your screenshots. Make them work for it.

    • 1
      quiet-parent912

      This is really helpful — thank you for posting it.

  • 5
    clear-wren-647

    Almost the exact same thing happened to me two years ago — different scenario but same vibe where the adjuster seemed to be hunting for something to disqualify my claim. The moment I stopped talking to them on the phone and put everything in writing, the tone shifted completely. They're way more careful when there's a written record. Stop doing verbal-only communication with them if you can.