r/InsuranceClaims

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice because I’m really stressed and not sure what to expect here.

A few weeks ago I was in a minor accident (literally a parking lot fender bender, about $3,300 in damage) while driving my mom’s car. She owns the car and has the insurance policy. I had permission to use it, but I was not listed as a driver at the time.

Context: • I’m her daughter and part of the household • I only use the car occasionally (a couple times a month at most) • I split my time between my mom’s house and my boyfriend’s house (they’re about 10 minutes apart) • I’m only 26 and don’t own a home or a car , and I never fully “moved” my things from my mom’s to my boyfriend’s • After the accident, my mom added me to the policy (I now understand the timing looks bad) • I primarily stay at my boyfriends and borrow his car

Now the insurance company is questioning coverage and asking for proof that I wasn’t a resident at my mom’s house when the policy started (October 2025).

So far: • I provided two receipts showing my name and my boyfriend’s address (December 2024 and December 2025) • They then asked my mom for a lease to confirm I’m not listed (but she has a mortgage, not a lease, so that didn’t really help) • Now they’re asking for more documentation (like receipts/mail) from September–December 2025

The problem is I don’t really receive or keep mail—if I do, it’s usually junk and I throw it out. I don’t have much “official” documentation tied to either address.

I’m honestly confused because: • I had permission to drive the car • I don’t use it regularly • This is a small claim (~$3,300)

But they’re treating it like a huge issue and now I’m worried they’re going to deny it. I’m also in the middle of moving downstate with my boyfriend and don’t have the money to pay this out of pocket.

My questions: • Does this still fall under permissive use if I only drove the car occasionally? • How much does being part of the household matter vs. how often I actually drive? • Is it normal for them to push this hard for a relatively small claim? • What should I do next if I can’t provide more “proof of residency”?

I’m not trying to misrepresent anything—I just genuinely don’t have the type of documentation they’re asking for.

Any advice or similar experiences would really help.

I got into a minor rear ender last week. We agreed to pay the invoice for the damage to the other car and signed an agreement and release confirming it was a full and final settlement in satisfaction of all claims. The agreement also co fimed the other side would not start a claim through insurance.

Surprise surprise - they still went ahead and did it despite the payment and the signed agreement. My insurance claims advisor contacted me and I told them the whole story and they said they would look into it.

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? If so, how did your insurance company handle it in the face of a signed and witnessed agreement and proof of payment? I figure my insurance company would show everything to the insurance adjuster on the other side and they would tell them that it's settled privately and deny coverage because they'd rather not pay out anything either.

Any advice and insight would be greatly appreciated!

Filing a claim is not easy, I am wondering if the adjuster would typically apply a “Diminished Value” amount or is it something that the claimant must request?

An annoying aspect of my claim is that the idiot insured that caused the accident is ALSO a GEICO insured. They keep filing on MY policy, which is really annoying. Last I spoke with GEICO, they are figuring out if the idiot has enough property damage coverage to pay me the Diminishment?

In addition, I’m also stuck with filling out forms for my mother who was my passenger. She is not injured and will only file for ~$150 or so (plus mileage if they will give it to me?), but why are they asking for her SSN on the forms? I don’t mind supplying it, but really what business is it of theirs?

For privacy purposes, not including exact dates:

Water Claim filed and approved over 5 weeks ago.

Mitigation still hasn’t started.

First contractor recommended by adjuster fired because they caused a water leak 3 weeks after original claim/incident.

I cannot get ahold of adjuster. Adjuster does has not reimbursed anything or provided loss of use payment in 2 weeks.

The new contractor we are using is complaining they can’t get ahold of him either.

When I finally heard from adjuster, he was demeaning, condescending and provided no customer service or support.

I gotta ask, is this normal?

I’ve researched these guys work in high stress environments, but they chose the job.