So we had a drunk driver drive into our fence this weekend, nothing catastrophic, but it took out part of our fence.

I would imagine that it would be no more than $500 total to remove the remaining pieces from the broken section, buy new fencing (Home Depot PVC) and fix the remainder of the fence, but we're worried about what it will do to our insurance rate on our home if we go through our company. Has anyone had luck dealing with insurance companies by themselves?

Suggestions?

I'm confused, why would your insurance go up for a claim that was not your fault?

First question is, what is the deductible on your homeowners?

Second question is, do you live in a 'no-fault' state in regards to property damage caused by a car accident?

If you are not in a no-fault state in regards to property damage, then the drunk driver's car insurance should pay for your fence.

Otherwise, I say, do it without your insurance. Homeowner's insurance should be mostly thought of as disaster insurance, not for smaller incidents like this. In many states, three claims against your homeowner's policy is grounds for them dropping you. You will likely face more hassles than it is worth if you go through your homeowners.

Just my $0.02.

First, I’d say don’t file such a small claim on your homeowner’s policy. Insurance companies don’t like to process small claims, and if you do it too many times, they may drop you. Being dropped by an insurance company makes it difficult to get insurance at reasonable rates again.

Second, try making a claim directly with the driver’s auto insurance company. Also, submit the bill the prosecutor’s office. They may be able to ask the court to order restitution as part of the sentence or include it in a plea agreement. This way if the driver’s auto insurance company wont pay it, the driver will have to.

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One factor in all insurance policies is number of incidents.

In 1998, I was in a car accident that wasn't my fault, and then two days later the car was stolen. When it was recovered, the damage from the theft plus the accident totaled the car. Since they were unrelated, the deductible was applied twice, and two incidents went on my insurance. They don't raise your rates by themselves, but having multiple incidents hurts, just like living in a higher-crime area. You are just more of a risk that something will happen and the insurance company will have to pay, even if they are later reimbursed by the offending party's insurance. In my case, I was hit by a driver with American Family, and it took almost a year for them to pay my insurance company. No, I'm not bitter or anything.... I really liked that car too.