Omaha woman’s house burns down before they even move in. Then she learns what their home insurance covers: ‘It just doesn’t work like that’

An Omaha woman recently realized that even if you have home insurance, you may not have the right terms to cover what you need. As 2025 was coming to an end, Conner Lukowski (connerrensch07) took to TikTok to share the horrible note on which their year was ending. For most of the year, her husband had been battling an aggressive form of cancer. Then, right before Christmas, when they were going to move into their new home, it burned down.

In a video that has garnered over 650K views, the TikToker urged others to take a hard look at their own insurance coverage before it is too late. “So I’m, I’m not one to come on here and cry and tell anyone personal information about myself,” she stated. “But,” Conner noted, “I never want anyone that I know to go through what we’re going through right now.” 

“If you have insurance on your home, you need to call and make sure that… ask the simple question of, if something as devastating as what happened to us, our whole house is gone, can we just build exactly what we had with our insurance policy? Because what I’m finding out,” she claimed tearfully, “ it just doesn’t work like that. I, I, I don’t know a lot about insurance, but we’re, it doesn’t even come close.”

The result of incomplete coverage

Conner claimed that the family only had one choice: “So we’re gonna probably have to sell our lot to try to pay off the mortgage and then find something else.” Conner then cautioned her viewers again, “I just thought that, God forbid something like this happens, you have that type of… that’s why you have insurance… and it just, just doesn’t work that way.” 

“So I don’t want this to happen to anybody else,” she said. “So just make sure you have it cause you just don’t ever think it’s gonna happen to you.” If you do it right, insurance can be a blessing. A Minnesota artist whose studio was just destroyed by a vandal can consider rebuilding, partly because of her insurance.

The community was quick to rally, offering advice and shared frustration. One user bluntly remarked, “Insurance is the biggest scam ever!!! Auto home and medical.” Another commenter, who identified as a mortgage processor, offered a vital piece of advice: “Please, make sure your Homeowners insurance has 100% Replacement cost Or guaranteed Replacement cost. SUPER IMPORTANT.” 

Several users suggested hiring a public adjuster to fight the insurance company, with one person noting, “Get a public adjuster immediately. 40 years in insurance. Public gestures will get you what you deserve.”

The sentiment that insurance companies often operate in bad faith was echoed by another user: “We had to sue our insurance company because the were trying to underpay. They are required to operate in good faith and they DO NOT. They underpay everyone because they know people will not get a lawyer.” 

A former employee even shared their own experience, stating, “The worst job I’ve ever had was insurance. I had to ruin people daily. It was miserable. I only lasted 4 months. There’s a reason they reward employees to deny the claims.”

This situation highlights the critical importance of understanding exactly what is in your policy. According to  United Policyholders, underinsurance after a total loss is a very common problem. The organization emphasizes that homeowners should not rely on the purchase or appraised price of their home to set dwelling limits, as that is not predictive of the cost to rebuild.

Instead, they recommend establishing a contact at a reputable insurance company and being specific about wanting full replacement coverage. United Policyholders also suggests that homeowners should “double check the formula your agent or insurer used to set your dwelling limits” and ask for a copy of the worksheet used to calculate the cost to rebuild. 

Additionally, the evaluation keeps changing based on situations like a wildfire, as Prince Harry learned last year, so you need to work with your contact to revisit the evaluation. The site also advised buying the highest percentage replacement cost endorsement you can afford, which acts as a “fudge factor” to bridge the gap if limits are set too low. 

As one commenter on Conner’s post put it, “YOU HAVE TO FIGHT WITH INSURANCE UNTIL YOU GET WHAT YOUR SUPPOSE TO GET. THEY TRY TO UNDER CUT YOU. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!!”

For Conner, the timing of this disaster has been particularly cruel. She mentioned that while everyone is safe, the process of dealing with the insurance fallout is a heavy burden to carry alongside her husband’s health struggles. “So just make sure you have it cause you just don’t ever think it’s gonna happen to you,” she said.