This is not necessarily true.
Actually, it is necessarily true.
The exclusions page is to be taken literally and the agreement between the company and the insured will be enforced according to it's terms.
What is an issue is whether the layman can read those exclusions the way a court will.
It is also true is that some s (not all) insurance companies will seek to deny claims until a court orders them to pay and they can be very creative about the denials. They are in the business not to insure your property, but to make money taking a gamble on whether your property will need replacing. Ergo their true vested interest is in making money and depending on the sort of company they are, if that means screwing you over then that's what it means.
the insurance company will investigate.
Yah and it won't be for their health or from mere protocol.
It's always all about the money
If it turns out the homeowner caused the fire through negligence
Well sort of, kind of, maybe and maybe not.
Ya see negligence is a jury question. If the home owner abrogates the making of determinations to some corporate employee of an insurance company (the ones with a cash interest) the home owner will be making a serious error.
After all the Exclusions page is in fact the end and beginning of what they won't cover.
If it isn't in there, then they can't add it to it later on using vague expressions and complaints about negligence or lack of care. .
If a person won't read it carefully then there's no helping them. - - At least they can't add to it and do so risk free. that's why we have the Courts. When partners in an agreement differ, they need a place to take those differences.
In a regulated and litigation enforced environment a homeowner's insurance company's policy can not be vague or wildly open ended and the insurance company has to be subject to the vagaries of the demographic they choose to do business with.
Which includes hobbies.
I'm pretty sure they'll find a way to avoid paying.
For some companies, it is in their interest to deny claims so long as they are doing business with people who won't or can't hold them accountable.
After all, you get nothing from the insurance company if you burn your house down yourself.
If you read your exclusions page/s you find that among the things which are excluded.
Some companies are more inclined to deny claims than others. Some depend more on word of mouth in the industry for their client base than slick TV ads. Some, never advertise on TV.
There is only one insurance company I'll use and it's also the only insurance company whose stock I'll own.
They are more interested in paying claims quickly than dallying and nickel and dimeing you.
I've submitted claims of several thousands of dollars each & more than once and never even seen an adjuster. They just settled the claim within a week.