Most Florida property managers know their insurance premiums are rising. Fewer understand one of the quietest reasons why: the C.L.U.E. report. This claims history database — maintained by LexisNexis Risk Solutions and consulted by virtually every property insurer in Florida — can be the difference between affordable coverage, a carrier non-renewal, or being forced into the Citizens residual market.

Understanding how the C.L.U.E. report works, what appears on it, and how to manage it strategically is a genuine competitive advantage for property managers in a market where insurers are exercising underwriting discretion they've never had before.

What the C.L.U.E. Report Actually Is

C.L.U.E. stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. It is an industry-shared database, not a government record. LexisNexis collects claims data from most U.S. property and casualty insurers and compiles it into a standardized report that participating insurers can query when evaluating new applications or renewals.

For property insurance, the report contains up to seven years of claims history tied to a specific property address. Each entry typically includes:

  • Date of loss
  • Cause of loss (fire, wind, water, theft, etc.)
  • Amount paid by the insurer
  • The insurer who paid the claim
  • Claim status (open, closed, denied)

The report is tied to the property address, not just the policyholder. This has significant implications for property managers advising clients on acquisitions — a property with three water damage claims under the previous owner still shows those claims when a new owner applies for insurance.

How Florida Insurers Use the C.L.U.E. Report

In Florida's current insurance climate, the C.L.U.E. report isn't background noise — it's an active underwriting tool. Insurers in Florida use the report to:

  • Decline new applications. A property with two or more claims in the past three years, particularly water-related claims, can trigger automatic declination by many private carriers.
  • Increase premiums. A claims history doesn't just affect eligibility — it directly affects pricing. A single large water claim can increase premiums 15–30% at renewal, independent of any market-wide trend.
  • Issue non-renewal notices. If claims during the policy period are processed and recorded, insurers can use the updated report when deciding whether to renew at the end of the policy term.
  • Require inspection before binding. Properties with prior claims may require a current inspection before a new carrier will bind coverage.
⚠ FLORIDA-SPECIFIC RISK

Florida's 2022 insurance reform law gave Citizens Property Insurance additional authority to non-renew policies on properties with claims histories that private carriers have already declined. A property manager who loses a private carrier because of the C.L.U.E. history may find Citizens as the only option — with its assessment risk and coverage limitations. Know the history before the renewal lands.

What Appears on a C.L.U.E. Report — Including Surprises

Property managers are often surprised to learn that the C.L.U.E. report can include more than just paid claims. Depending on the insurer's reporting practices:

  • Inquiries that didn't result in a claim. If a property manager called their insurer to ask whether a damaged fence was covered, and the insurer opened a claim file to investigate before the manager decided not to proceed, that inquiry may appear on the report. Not all insurers report inquiries — but some do.
  • Denied claims. A claim the insurer denied can still appear in the history. The status will reflect the denial, but the entry is still visible to the next insurer.
  • Claims under prior ownership. The report runs by property address. A prior owner's claims follow the address for seven years. When advising a client on acquiring a property, pulling the CLUE report on the address is as important as a home inspection.
  • Closed claims with $0 paid. If a claim was investigated and closed without payment — because damage was below the deductible or coverage was denied — the entry still appears.

How to Request a C.L.U.E. Report

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), property owners are entitled to one free C.L.U.E. report per year for their own property. For a property you manage but don't own, the owner must request it — not the property manager.

Three ways to request:

  • Online: personalreports.lexisnexis.com — the fastest method for a verified owner
  • Phone: 1-866-312-8076 (LexisNexis Consumer Center)
  • Mail: Written request to LexisNexis Consumer Center, P.O. Box 105108, Atlanta, GA 30348 — allow 7–10 business days

Additional copies beyond the free annual report cost approximately $19.95. During an annual insurance review, pulling the CLUE report for each property in a portfolio is a standard best practice — particularly in Florida, where carriers are actively exercising underwriting discretion.

Disputing Inaccurate C.L.U.E. Entries

Errors in C.L.U.E. reports are more common than most people assume. The most frequent issues include:

  • Claims from a prior address incorrectly associated with the current property
  • Inquiries recorded as claims when no claim was actually filed
  • Incorrect claim amounts or cause-of-loss codes
  • Claims that have been settled and closed but still appear as open

To dispute an entry, file directly with LexisNexis at personalreports.lexisnexis.com. Under the FCRA, LexisNexis must investigate and respond within 30 days. If the disputed entry cannot be verified, it must be deleted or corrected. Keep records of all dispute correspondence.

If the dispute involves a claim that the insurer reported correctly but you believe should have been handled differently, the dispute is with the insurer, not LexisNexis. Contact your insurer's claims department in writing and document every communication.

The Claims Threshold Decision: Should You File?

This is where the C.L.U.E. report has the most practical impact on property management decisions. Every claims filing is a seven-year entry. Small claims — particularly those involving water or mold — can trigger underwriting consequences that cost far more over time than the original claim payout.

A framework for the decision:

BEFORE FILING — RUN THIS ANALYSIS
✓What is the estimated repair cost? If it is less than 1.5× the deductible, paying out-of-pocket may cost less than the long-term premium impact.
✓What is the property's current CLUE history? A clean record is worth protecting. A property with one prior claim in the past three years is approaching the threshold where carriers begin issuing non-renewals.
✓What is the cause of loss? Water and mold claims trigger the most underwriting scrutiny in Florida. Wind and hail claims, while damaging, are often viewed differently because they are weather-driven rather than maintenance-related.
✓Has the underlying cause been fixed? Filing a claim for water damage without repairing the source creates a pattern that looks like neglect to the next underwriter.
✓Is the property already with Citizens? If so, the downside of a claim is different — Citizens's pricing is less market-responsive — but the claims history still affects options when leaving Citizens.
✓Does the policy include a deductible that absorbs most of the loss anyway? If net payout after the deductible is under $2,000, the claims filing may cost more in premiums over 3–5 years than the payout.

This is not an argument against filing legitimate claims. Hurricane damage, fire damage, and losses that genuinely exceed deductibles should be filed. The analysis applies to borderline cases where a property manager is weighing whether a small claim is worth the long-term insurance relationship cost.

The C.L.U.E. Report and Property Acquisitions

Property managers who advise clients on acquisitions — or who take on management of newly purchased properties — should treat a CLUE report request as a standard due diligence step, alongside the home inspection and title search.

Sellers are increasingly required to disclose known claims, but the CLUE report captures the actual record, not just what a seller chooses to volunteer. A property with three water intrusion claims in the past five years reveals a pattern that changes both the acquisition decision and the insurance conversation immediately after closing.

Some Florida real estate transactions now include a CLUE contingency — the buyer requests the seller's authorization to pull the property's claims history and reviews it as part of due diligence. In a state where insurance eligibility directly affects property value, this is reasonable risk management.

How Property Managers Can Help Clients Manage Their C.L.U.E. History

This is an area where property managers add real value — most property owners don't know this report exists, let alone how to manage it strategically.

  • Annual review as part of the insurance audit. Pull the CLUE report annually alongside the policy review. Flag any entries the owner didn't anticipate and verify accuracy before the next renewal.
  • Claims communication before filing. When a loss occurs, discuss the CLUE implications before the claim is filed — particularly for smaller losses. Some owners will prefer to self-pay after understanding the long-term cost.
  • Pre-acquisition research. When a client is acquiring a property, facilitate a CLUE report request from the seller as part of due diligence. Know the history before the close.
  • Document repairs independent of claims. When a loss is handled without a claim, document the damage and the repair thoroughly. If the same type of damage recurs, proof of prior proper repair protects against a pattern-of-neglect argument.

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What Property Managers Should Know Before Their Next Renewal

Florida's insurance market has fundamentally changed the stakes around claims history. In a market where multiple private carriers have exited and Citizens is stretched thin, a CLUE report with two or three claims — even legitimate, properly handled claims — can mean the difference between competitive private market options and the Citizens residual market with its assessment exposure.

The property managers who handle this best treat the CLUE report not as a reactive document they pull after a problem arises, but as a proactive tool they review annually as part of each property's insurance strategy. Know what's on it. Dispute what's wrong. Make intentional decisions about what goes on it next.