By the Yellow Ribbon Insurance team · Bill Cline, Licensed Insurance Agent
The printable checklist for an Indiana home insurance quote: what an agent asks about the house, the people and the loan, the coverage choices to make first, and how to check your CLUE report and credit rights.
Quick answer
For an Indiana home insurance quote, you need three sets of facts: the house (address, year built, square footage, construction, roof age and system updates), the people (everyone on the title, dates of birth, your current policy and recent claims) and, if there's a loan, your lender's mortgagee clause and loan number. Decide your dwelling limit, deductibles and add-ons before you ask.
- Your current declarations page answers most coverage questions on one sheet.
- You can get a free copy of your CLUE claims report every 12 months, according to the CFPB's 2025 list of consumer reporting companies.
- Indiana law requires an insurer that uses credit to tell you so on or at the time of the application (IC 27-2-21-18).
- Buying? In most sales, Indiana's seller disclosure form covers the roof, foundation, mechanical systems and water and sewer systems.
Do this: work through the checklist below, pull your CLUE report, and have your declarations page (or the seller's disclosure form) in hand before you request a quote.
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You started a home insurance quote and got stuck on the fourth question: what year was the roof replaced? Or you close in three weeks and the lender wants a "mortgagee clause" you've never heard of. What slows down an Indiana home insurance quote is usually missing information, not the price. This is the practical checklist: what an agent asks about the house, about you and about your loan, which coverage choices to settle first, and how to check your own claims and credit records. It goes deeper than the quote section of our Indiana home insurance guide.
Indiana home insurance quote: key facts
| Dwelling limit | Based on the cost to rebuild, not the purchase price or market valueNAIC worksheet |
|---|---|
| Claims report | CLUE holds up to seven years of claims; one free report every 12 monthsCFPB list, 2025 |
| Credit | Insurer must disclose it may use credit; an insurance inquiry can't count against youIC 27-2-21-16, -18 |
| Buyers | In most sales, the seller's disclosure form is due before an offer is acceptedIC 32-21-5-10 |
What do you need for an Indiana home insurance quote?
The short answer: You need facts about the house, facts about everyone on the policy, your lender's details if there's a loan, and a handful of coverage decisions, and nearly all of it fits on one page.
The NAIC's consumer guide to home insurance says a quote starts with a description of the house: where it is, its square footage, when it was built and the type of construction. The NAIC's homeowners insurance worksheet (2023) lists the rest of what an agent will ask. We've turned it into a checklist you can print or screenshot.
| Have ready | Details | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| The house | Address, year built, year bought, square footage, stories; frame, brick or masonry; basement; garage | Closing papers, appraisal, county property record |
| Roof | Material and the year it was last replaced | Roofer's invoice, inspection report |
| Systems | Years the electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning were updated; sump pump; well or septic; wood stove | Contractor invoices, inspection report |
| Protection | Smoke detectors, alarms (monitored or not), deadbolts, sprinklers; distance to the fire station and hydrant | Alarm contract |
| Liability items | Pool, trampoline or playscape; number and breeds of dogs; home business | You |
| People | Everyone on the title, dates of birth, anyone else living in the home | Deed, IDs |
| Insurance history | Declarations page, policy number, expiration date, years insured | Your current policy |
| Claims | Date, type and amount of recent claims | Your CLUE report |
| Loan | Exact mortgagee clause, loan number, any second mortgage or home equity line, closing date | Loan officer or servicer |
| Valuables | Jewelry, firearms, collectibles and approximate values | Receipts, appraisals, home inventory |
| Coverage choices | Dwelling limit, deductibles, liability limit, add-ons | The coverage section below |
Which details about the house will an agent ask for?
The short answer: Expect questions about the home's size, age, construction, roof, systems, safety devices and anything on the property that could hurt someone, because those are the traits the NAIC lists as shaping a homeowners premium.
Size, age and construction
These set the dwelling limit, the biggest number on the policy. The Insurance Information Institute suggests a rough rebuild estimate: total square footage times local per-square-foot building costs, adjusted for exterior walls (frame, masonry or veneer), the roof, bathrooms and garages. The NAIC adds that brick or masonry homes usually cost less to insure than wood frame, and older homes or homes in poor condition often cost more.
Roof and systems
The NAIC worksheet asks for the roof type and approximate age, the ages of the plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning, and whether there's a septic system, well or sump pump. The consumer guide lists a wood furnace or wood stove as a premium factor. Write down actual years. Some insurers offer discounts for updated electrical or plumbing or a new roof, the NAIC notes. Those discounts may be available; eligibility varies.
How a roof claim gets paid is its own question, and it often depends on the roof's age. Our guide to roof age and roof settlement terms walks through it.
Fire protection and safety devices
The NAIC lists the distance from your home to a water source or fire department, and the quality of local fire protection, among the things that affect price. Know roughly how far the nearest station and hydrant are, and list your alarms, detectors, sprinklers and deadbolts.
Pools, trampolines, dogs and home businesses
The NAIC's premium factors include a swimming pool, trampoline or playscape "that could cause injuries," the types of pets you have, and running a business from home. Its worksheet asks how many dogs you have and what breeds. That's a liability question, and the numbers behind it are real:
Estimated dog-bite claims in Indiana in 2025, averaging $53,396 per claim, the ninth-highest number among the states. Nationally, an estimated 28,450, averaging $65,450. Source: Insurance Information Institute, 2025 data. Checked October 2026.
The III notes that some insurance companies won't insure owners of certain breeds, which is why the question comes up front. Mention a home business too: the NAIC's guide says homeowners insurance isn't designed to cover most business uses of your home.
Estimate honestly. If you don't know the roof's age or the square footage, say so and give your best estimate. A quote is built on the facts you give, so a fact that turns out to be wrong can change the price or terms later.
Bill Cline
Licensed insurance agent · Veteran · Licensed since 2018
Bill owns Yellow Ribbon Insurance in New Albany. More about Bill.
What personal and insurance history will you be asked for?
The short answer: You'll be asked who owns and lives in the home, each named insured's date of birth, your current or past homeowners policy, and the claims you've filed in recent years.
The NAIC worksheet says you may be asked for your date of birth, Social Security number, contact information, marital status and job. The consumer guide explains the Social Security number: it lets the agent access your credit report, which insurers in many states use as a factor.
Who goes on the policy
List everyone who holds title to the house. With a mortgage, expect it to be required. For example, Fannie Mae's Selling Guide requires a policy on a one- to four-unit home to name all persons holding title as named insureds. If a spouse or co-owner is on the deed, they belong on the policy.
Your current policy and claims
The worksheet asks whether you have homeowners or renters insurance now or had it before, the policy number, the expiration date and how many years you've been insured. Your current declarations page has most of that, plus your limits, deductibles and endorsements. Also be ready with the date, type and rough amount of recent claims. The NAIC says most insurance companies report homeowners claims to private claim databases such as the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, better known as CLUE. You can see your own report for free, as the next section explains.
How do you pull and check your free CLUE report?
The short answer: Request your CLUE report from LexisNexis Risk Solutions online or by phone, read every entry, and dispute anything wrong, because federal law gives you one free copy every 12 months and a free reinvestigation.
- Request it. The CFPB's 2025 list of consumer reporting companies says LexisNexis C.L.U.E. collects up to seven years of auto and personal property claims and will provide one free report every 12 months on request. Request it through the LexisNexis consumer portal, or by phone or mail (contact details are on the portal). The same list includes a second claims database, Verisk's A-PLUS, which also offers a free annual report.
- Check every line. The Wisconsin insurance regulator's CLUE fact sheet (revised May 2026) says a report shows the date and type of each loss and the amounts paid, and includes losses you asked an insurer to cover even if it paid nothing. Look for claims you don't recognize, wrong dates or the wrong address.
- Dispute errors. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681i), a consumer reporting company must reinvestigate a disputed item free of charge, generally within 30 days. If an entry is accurate but needs context, the Wisconsin fact sheet says you can add a personal statement.
- Buying? Ask the seller. The fact sheet says a property's CLUE report can be accessed only by its owner, insurer or lender, but you can ask the current owner to order one. It shows past claims on the house, such as a roof or water loss.
Timing tip: request your report a few weeks before your renewal or closing date, so there's time to fix an error before it shows up in a quote.
How can an Indiana insurer use your credit for a home quote?
The short answer: Indiana lets home insurers use credit-based insurance scores, but Indiana Code chapter 27-2-21 requires a disclosure, bans certain inputs and gives you specific notice rights.
The chapter covers personal property and liability policies (IC 27-2-21-14), which includes homeowners insurance. Under the 2025 Indiana Code:
- You'll be told. Under IC 27-2-21-18, an insurer that uses credit must disclose, on the application or when it's taken, that it may obtain credit information.
- Some inputs are off-limits. Under IC 27-2-21-16, an insurance score can't be calculated using income, gender, address, ZIP code, ethnic group, religion, marital status or nationality.
- Asking for a quote won't count against you. The same section bars treating a credit inquiry relating to insurance coverage as a negative factor. Your own credit checks, medical late payments or collections, and multiple mortgage inquiries within 30 days are protected too.
- No credit history isn't automatically a negative. With no credit information or no score, the insurer must treat you as neutral or as the insurance commissioner has approved.
- Credit can't be the only reason. An insurer can't deny, cancel or decline to renew solely because of credit information, and any adverse action based on credit must use a report or score no more than 90 days old.
- You get specific reasons. If credit leads to an adverse action, IC 27-2-21-19 requires a notice describing up to four primary factors. "Poor credit history" alone doesn't meet the standard.
If you're already insured and a credit-report dispute shows your information was wrong, IC 27-2-21-17 requires the insurer to re-rate you within 30 days of notice and refund any overpayment, back up to the shorter of 12 months or the policy period. Our guide to what homeowners insurance costs in Indiana explains asking for a re-rate at renewal.
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What mortgage details does a home insurance quote need?
The short answer: If there's a loan, you need the exact mortgagee clause your lender or servicer wants on the policy, your loan number and, if you're buying, the closing date the policy has to start on.
The NAIC says most lenders require insurance for as long as you have a mortgage and require you to list them as the mortgagee. The CFPB adds that lenders generally require proof of homeowner's insurance, and if coverage lapses, the lender can buy a policy and charge you for it after giving notice.
- The mortgagee clause. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide gives the standard form: the lender's name, followed by "its successors and/or assigns," and its mailing address, or the servicer's name if someone else services the loan. Get the exact wording in writing and copy it letter for letter.
- The loan number, so the lender can match the policy to your file.
- Other loans. The NAIC worksheet asks about a second mortgage or home equity loan too; that lender may need to be listed.
- The closing date. A buyer's policy needs to start the day you close, and the lender will want proof before then.
Check flood risk at the same time. The NAIC says your lender will usually require flood insurance if the home is in a flood plain, and Indiana's Floodplain Information Portal shows FEMA and DNR mapping for an address. An NFIP policy usually takes effect 30 days after purchase, but FEMA's FloodSmart site says there's no wait if you buy it while making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage.
Which coverage choices should you make before you ask for a quote?
The short answer: Settle your dwelling limit, how belongings are valued, your deductibles, your liability limit and any add-ons first, so the quote prices the policy you actually want.
A quote is a price for specific choices. If you haven't made them, the agent has to assume.
| Choice | What to decide | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Dwelling limit | What it would cost to rebuild today | Base it on rebuild cost, not purchase price or market value (NAIC). The Indiana Department of Insurance warns that under 80% of replacement value, a claim is settled on actual cash value; your policy's terms decide the details. |
| Keeping up with costs | Inflation guard or extended replacement cost | An inflation guard raises the dwelling limit yearly (NAIC); extended replacement cost can pay an extra 5 to 25 percent above the limit (III). Ask whether either is available on your policy. |
| Belongings | Replacement cost or actual cash value | Actual cash value often doesn't pay enough to fully replace what was lost (NAIC). |
| Deductible | An amount you could pay tomorrow | A higher deductible lowers the premium (NAIC), but you pay it on each claim. |
| Wind/hail deductible | Flat amount or a percentage | Most commonly 1 to 5 percent of the home's insured value (III). Illustration: 2% of a $300,000 dwelling limit is $6,000. |
| Water backup | Whether to add it, and the limit | Most policies offer limited or no coverage for sewer or drain backup and sump overflow (NAIC). |
| Valuables | Which items need their own coverage | Jewelry coverage may be limited to under $2,000 (III); a scheduled personal property endorsement covers items above normal limits (NAIC). |
| Liability | A limit that fits what you own | Most policies start at $100,000; the III says it's increasingly recommended to consider at least $300,000 to $500,000. |
| Flood, earthquake, mine subsidence | Whether your address needs them | None is in a standard policy. Flood is a separate policy; mine subsidence can be added to a homeowners policy in 26 designated southwestern Indiana counties, up to $500,000 per structure (IDOI). Floyd County isn't one of them. |
If your home has a basement or a sump pump, our guide to water-backup coverage explains how that add-on works and how it differs from flood insurance.
Illustrative scenario
A $5,000 ring is stolen. The homeowners policy has an illustrative $1,500 special limit for jewelry theft (the III says jewelry coverage may be limited to under $2,000).
| Value of the ring | $5,000 |
| Most the policy puts toward it (special limit, before the deductible) | $1,500 |
| Left uncovered by the limit alone | $3,500 |
Illustrative figures only, not a quote or a promise of how any claim is paid. Your deductible and other terms also apply. A scheduled personal property endorsement would have its own terms; ask whether one is available on your policy.
What changes if you're buying a home instead of switching policies?
The short answer: Buyers work from the seller's paperwork and a fixed closing date, while switchers work from their current declarations page and renewal date, and both need to avoid any gap in coverage.
If you're buying
- Read the seller's disclosure form. Under IC 32-21-5-7, it covers the owner's known condition of the foundation, mechanical systems, roof, structure, and water and sewer systems, and, if the owner knows, whether the home is in a FEMA-mapped flood plain. IC 32-21-5-10 requires it before an offer is accepted, though IC 32-21-5-1 exempts some sales, such as foreclosure transfers and the first sale of a never-occupied new home.
- Use the inspection report for the roof, electrical, plumbing and heating details.
- Ask the seller for the property's CLUE report.
- Get the mortgagee clause and loan number early, and start the policy on your closing date.
- Check flood risk before closing, while the no-wait rule for flood coverage bought with a mortgage applies.
Buying your first home? Our first-time homeowner guide covers what to settle before closing day.
If you're switching
- Start with your declarations page, so the new quote matches your limits, deductibles and endorsements, or changes them on purpose.
- Start the new policy the day the old one expires, and don't cancel the old one until the new one is in force.
- Tell your servicer if your premium is paid from escrow. Our guide to switching home insurance without an escrow problem covers the timing.
- Use the current servicer's clause if your loan has been transferred; your mortgage statement shows who services it.
Bottom line
In short: an accurate Indiana home insurance quote comes from three stacks of facts, the house, the people and the loan, plus coverage choices you've made on purpose.
Print the checklist, pull your free CLUE report and know your rights under Indiana's credit-score law. Set the dwelling limit by rebuild cost, pick deductibles you could pay, and decide on water backup, valuables and liability first. Then our New Albany office can run a free quote and coverage review with your paperwork in hand. Insuring a car too? Our car insurance quote checklist does the same job for the driveway. See our home insurance page, or stop by or call.
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Please add your first and last name, a 10-digit phone number and a valid email.
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Frequently asked questions
Does asking for a home insurance quote count against my credit in Indiana?
Not in your insurance score. Indiana Code 27-2-21-16 bars insurers from using a credit inquiry relating to insurance coverage as a negative factor when they score or review your credit for a personal policy, such as homeowners insurance. The same protection covers inquiries you make for your own credit report. If you're applying for a mortgage at the same time, multiple home-mortgage inquiries made within 30 days of one another can't be counted as negatives either. This rule is about insurance scoring; it doesn't govern how a lender scores you.
Should I mention a home business when I get a homeowners quote?
Yes. The NAIC's consumer guide lists operating a business from your home among the characteristics that affect a homeowners premium, and it warns that homeowners insurance isn't designed to cover most business uses of your home. The NAIC's worksheet asks whether you run a business from home and what kind. Tell your agent what the business is, whether clients or employees come to the house, and what equipment or inventory you keep there, so you can find out what the policy would and wouldn't cover.
Can a claim the previous owner filed affect my home insurance quote?
It can. The NAIC's consumer guide lists the claims history of your home, and of homes in your area, among the factors that affect what you pay, so a past roof or water claim on the house can matter even though it wasn't yours. The Wisconsin insurance regulator's CLUE fact sheet says a property's CLUE report can be accessed only by its owner, insurer or lender, but a buyer can ask the current owner to order one. Ask for it while you still have time to look into anything it shows.
Who should be listed as a named insured on a homeowners policy?
Everyone who holds title to the house. If you have a mortgage, Fannie Mae's Selling Guide requires the policy on a one- to four-unit home to name all persons holding title as named insureds, and lenders selling loans to Fannie Mae work from that guide. So if you and a spouse or co-owner are both on the deed, both of you belong on the policy. If the title changes, for example after a marriage, a divorce or moving the house into a trust, tell your agent so the policy keeps matching the deed.
Do I have to tell the insurance company about my dog?
Yes, and answer accurately. The NAIC's homeowners worksheet asks how many dogs you have and what breeds, and the NAIC's consumer guide notes that some insurers won't insure owners of certain breeds. The reason is liability: the Insurance Information Institute estimated 824 dog-bite claims in Indiana in 2025, averaging $53,396 each. Leaving a dog off the application doesn't remove that risk, and an inaccurate answer can cause trouble later. Tell your agent about every dog in the household, including one you're about to adopt.