# house insurance company wants to inspect my house!



## Ron6519

This is your policy, so only you would know if this is in your agreement with the insurance company.
Personally, I've never come accross this issue before. I've never heard of an insurance company even inspecting a house prior to writing a policy on it. Which seems odd if you think about it. Mortgage companies inspect the house prior to giving you the loan to see if it's worth the selling price.
Look over your policy and check it out. You can always go with another company if you don't want them to inspect, just don't be surprised if this is something all the companies are starting to verify the worth of a property.
Ron


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## vsheetz

In many years and many houses - both residence and income, I have never encountered this or heard of it... I have had insurance agents do a pass by and take a picture for the files and to verify there really is a house there I suppose - but never entering the property or a detailed inspection of any level.


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## Mike in Arkansas

I got a questionnaire a few weeks ago from our home insurance company. They said in the instructions that it was to make sure I was covered for replacement value not appraised value. But among the questions were a few that made me suspicious about their real intent. One was did I have any knob and tube wiring and another was how many trees around the house would damage if they fell. So, here I am waiting for the other shoe to fall Nothing good is going to come of this.:no:


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## Scuba_Dave

Knob & tube is standard question in some cases
Many insurance companies will not insure knob & tube houses any more

I know very few houses that do not have trees near them
--mostly newer houses where they buldozed the whole area :furious:
So that IMO is kinda stupid

My last house they sent someone to look at the house from the outside
But since I bought it for $23,600 & it was appraised at $70k they wanted to check the house

I think in many cases Insurance companies will have someone check out the house from the outside. I have never been asked to view the inside of the house


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## kbsparky

I have several thoughts and observations about this issue.

On things like knob-and-tube wiring, or other older electrical apparatus in general, they would have a vested interest in knowing the condition of your electrical system. 

As an electrical contractor, I can tell you that many older houses that have knob-and-tube wiring have more fire hazards present than a newer home would have. More than likely, there may be old fuse boxes still in use, and loose connections, bad splices, etc. Also, there is a 90+% chance that there are 30 Amp fuses installed where there should be 15 Amp ones. 

Over the years, I have changed out dozens if not hundreds of service panels. In all those years, I can count on one hand the number of them that had the correct size fuse installed on all the circuits. Most of the rest of them had all 30's since they don't blow as often or easily as 15's or 20's.

I have replaced fuse boxes with breaker panels for customers who got notices of 50% surcharges from their insurance company if they didn't upgrade.

The point here is you want the insurance company to pay for restoring your house in case it burns down. They have a right to know if your house is more likely to burn down due to substandard wiring, or other hazards.

Same concept for other things: Large trees that can fall over and cause extensive damage to your roof, smash your car, etc. 

We had a trampoline in our back yard, and steps for the side door without railings. I got a letter from the insurance company advising me we had to install a fence due to the "attractive nuisance" being in our yard. Since my kids had grown and flown the coop, I took down the trampoline instead of paying for a fence around my yard. 

As for the side door, we ended up having to install a railing there. In the end, I am sort of glad, since I have had to grab that railing a time or 2 since then to prevent from falling. Again, the insurance company knows where costs from claims can be minimized.

So before you jump ship over something like this, consider that most if not all new policies will require similar hoops to jump through, and you may lose any discounts due to being a long-time customer. :huh:


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## john curry

Is this really a request for an inspection or just their attempt to upsell you?

Many times insurance companies mask the upsell with things like "reviews", "updates", etc.


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## Michael Thomas

Here are the major defects that cause my home inspection clients here in Chicago to have problems when they attempt to obtain or renew property insurance:   A Visual Guide to Identifying Potential Homeowner's Insurance Problems - - Paragon Home Inspections Evanston / Chicago / Skokie / Wilmette / Morton Grove / Glenview / Northbrook / Illinois

 I’m paid to be suspicious…









 http://paragoninspects.com/homeowners-insurance-problems-home-inspection-evanston-chicago.html


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## SPS-1

The other possibility is that the "inspector" is a dumb kid, who simply is going to try to sell you more insurance.


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## MJW

Believe it or not, this is a good thing. You don't want them coming back later after a problem and saying, "we aren't covering this". It is their job to come out and see what they are insuring. They have no idea what some people do to their homes, especially now with all the DIYers and homeowners who go for the lowest bid. Contractors are to blame also, not all do good work. It's good to see an insurance company actually doing their job.

I just got new insurance and increased everything (put on addition 1/3 size of the house last year, new windows, new siding, new roof, new AC, new doors, new furnace, finished pole barn, retaining walls, cement patios, almost everything........Of course my insurance increased, but my coverage increased more than the premiums.

Don't look at it as a scam. You can change insurance anytime you want to. I switched just because the company I had was paying horrible prices on insurance work we do.


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## DUDE!

when we bought this house, agent, (new agent for me) said that the insurance company would be sending someone out to look. Never did get a date and time. About 9 months later, company sent a letter, new roof or no new renewal, they had someone drive by. Of course put on a new roof.
side note, at the time of sale, had a home inspection, need new roof, agent said it looks fine from the picture on the web, sold me the policy. Seems a big thing with the ins. companys today is what kind of dog you have.


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## Knucklez

wow, thanks for all the feedback. 

i hear you about the knob and tube.. that is a significant risk. so much so, that the insurance company required an electrical inspection _at time of home purchase _to ensure it was not installed.

but anything else? sheesh... its no more or less than any other house. but only I get inspected? F-that. totally unfair.

as for trees and questionnaire? i would say "sorry, i am not an arborist, i can not answer any legally binding questions about trees. you may hire at YOUR OWN EXPENSE if you want more answers.. but i won't let you/them on my property" 

MJW - good point. i think that is a good reason to allow an inspection. but at the same time, the companies insure LOTS of other people without asking for inspections.. so its still unfair practice. still, you have swayed my opinion a bit. so maybe i'll wait until it is convenient for me and allow them in. .... if i get results i don't like _then _i can switch insurance companies. they *might* inspect too, but it can't be any worse.

Knucklez


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## Termite

I got a similar notice from State Farm several months ago. They wanted to do an inspection of my home, but only the exterior. In a call to my agent is was explained to me that a "random" selection process drew my policy for review and that special attention would be paid to my roof. I was not happy and explained to my agent that the roof was a 15 year old cedar shake piece of junk and they didn't need to make a trip out to tell me that. I also reminded him that they knew that when we wrote the policy and that they would lose my business immediately if changes were made to the terms and conditions of the policy or my deductibles or coverage amounts. Sure enough, they came out and climbed around on my roof and looked the exterior of the house over. I made sure I closed the blinds in every window to prevent them from seeing inside. My rates didn't increase and I never heard a word from them. :huh:

If they wanted to come inside and look things over I think I'd let them know that they could find another guy to insure.


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## Scuba_Dave

See now I'd tell them that they couldn't walk on my roof as they might damage it
And if they fell I wasn't sure my homeowners policy would cover it :laughing:

Seriously, you want to look at my roof its either a big bucket truck or a helicopter
No climbing allowed


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## MJW

You guys are missing the point. Wouldn't you like to see what you are insuring if you were them? Hiding things from your insurance company can only lead to trouble.

What would you have to hide anyhow?

Like I said, you are better off letting them see everything now, rather than when you need them to cover something and they say :nope we don;t cover that.

I had a potential client who was denied a roof hail claim because of the shingles used. I blamed the insurance company for not checking it out before they insured it. If the homeowner didn't allow them to come out, then it's the homeowners fault. Don't be "that guy" who was trying to hide things to save a few bucks, and then get denied a multi-thousand dollar claim because of it.

They can't sell you insurance on your word. If they did, they would be even farther in debt than they are now.


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## Scuba_Dave

I'm not trying to hide anything, but they aren't walking on my roof
And if they want to schedule a time to view my house that's fine too
Time is $$ & I'll charge $400 for the day since I won't be able to work :yes:
They can just give me a credit on my insurance :laughing:
Oh wait, we pay in advance
CASH 1st


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## MJW

Well, good luck with that. You do know that Ins. companies pretty much run the world...... If they want to go on your roof, I'm sure they will, and they aren't paying you anything.

Talk big all you want on the net. Won't do you any good when they show up.

As far as not being fair.....well, life isn't fair. We all have to get used to that.


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## Scuba_Dave

And without my permission they will be arrested for tresspassing


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## MJW

BTW, if they want to look, they will. If you won't let them, they _could_ go to the mortgage company (who really owns your house) and get it done that way. It's really nothing to mess with.

I wasn't home one day when the inspector came here. He couldn't get in my shop to see the heat source. he had to write up that there was no fire insurance on the shop because he didn't inspect the heat source. I let him in on another day and everything was fine.


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## MJW

Scuba_Dave said:


> And without my permission they will be arrested for tresspassing


 Again, that's all talk. That just wouldn't happen. The mortgage company will give them permission.

This is insurance.......if they have just a slight thought you are hiding something, it probably will be used against you when you need it most.


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## Scuba_Dave

They can look anytime they want, which part of that do you not understand?
But they ARE NOT walking on my roof & possibly damaging it
They can come inside, provided they re-imburse me for lost time/wages

And in my neighborhood strange people walking around a house ARE reported & arrested by the police until its straightened out


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## concretemasonry

You can always refuse and risk cancellation since you signed the contract with the provision the last time you renewed. You can always look for a new carrier at that time and hope you can find one suitable. The company is not required to sell you insurance and you have the right to look elsewhere for better rates and conditions. It probably does not address the codes (the worst way to be build and be still be legal) since old installations are grandfathered in unless they are modified.

Since the request was quite specific about the subjects they were interested, it may have come from problems in the same area (city, zip code or state) that have had experienced losses in. If you are O.K., you should be alright except for the K&T plumbing changes since the last inspection. Make sure you have coffee and donuts available for the inspection instead of a gun.The inspectors needs confidence and the insurance company could care less about an argumentative customer that may be hiding something.

As in all business cases, the good buyer is also a good salesman. Make sure you get an appointment to minimize the time (yours and his).

I worked for 5 months after Katrina investigating losses so the owner could get a low interest loan to cover the insurance short-fall. In almost all cases, I saw modifications and alterations that contributed to future losses. Down there the excuse was no codes, inspections and permits for doing amateur work on critical systems.

Some of the people that complained about lack of code enforcement ended up ny "fixing" up the home by spraying the moldy, saturated studs and plates and reinstalling the old wet insulation and did not bother to re-nail with corrosion resistant fasteners.

The free inspection can be a free benfit from an outside independant observer.

Apparently the colonial "live free or die" slogan has spread to adjoining states.

Dick


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## MJW

Scuba_Dave said:


> They can look anytime they want, which part of that do you not understand?
> But they ARE NOT walking on my roof & possibly damaging it
> They can come inside, provided they re-imburse me for lost time/wages


Let me know when that happens. I guarantee the two things you state would NEVER happen.

If you won't let them on the roof, they could just say you have no coverage on your roof. Simple as that. Or they'll just cancel you.

Trying to charge for wages....come on, get real.:no:

If they damage your roof, they are the ones insuring it. They are probably the first people on your roof with an actual insurance policy.


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## spark plug

*speculating on motive for req. by Ins. Co. for home insp.*

Just enhancing the advice of KB Sparky (Poster #6). One other possible motive for the desired Home inspection by the Insurance Co. Some property owners fail to maintain their property (which is slightly different than having unknown, potential fire hazards. Especially on a new purchase). Once the Insurance Co. is impressed that you DO take good care of the property, they will not pressure you to do expensive upgrades in a short time. I'm speaking of personal experience. On a property that I once managed. In the beginning the Rep. came by every few days and seemed to be nitpicking. When I asked about the reasoning behind the frequent visits, he told me so himself. Once he was convinced that the property is well maintained, the unannounced and frequent stop-by's ceased immediately!(Now more than ever):yes::no::drinkon't Drink and Drive!!!


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## Scuba_Dave

They won't go on my roof ...period...they can rent a bucket truck to look all they want
I already cancelled one insurance company
Buncha idiots
They didn't want to insure the house I bought until after I owned for 6 months
Then they didn't want to insure a 2nd property I purchased
I asked them if they wanted to be my insurance company
Yes
Then insure the house
We'll check
They called back the next day & said they couldn't insure it "right now"
I told them they would receive a call from my new insurance company within the hour to cancel all of my insurance
3 properties, 2 cars, MC, boat
I recd a call from the Supervisor, said they could look into it more
Too late


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## Knucklez

its not a war between home owner & insurance company .. or is it? 

i'll let them in when it is _convenient to me_. that may be in a couple of months on a sunday afternoon. if they don't like that, then bye-bye. i'm not trying to be a pain in the a$$ but neither am i willing to be walked on and kicked (atleast while i am aware of it!).

i have nothing to hide and am confident that the house is in MUCH better shape than they think, its why we bought it in the first place!. but i'm sure they will find something, or a few things; a statement that is likely true about ALL homes including brand new.

so based on their response will decide how to go from there. if they inspect and i get a monster to-do list that seems ridiculous, then bye-bye. if my rates go up without good reason that i can believe in, then bye-bye. if the inspector gives me a hard time about anything, then bye-bye. 

if i'm in a bad mood that day, then bye-bye :scooter:

Knucklez


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## VelvetFoot

All this fuss and it's not even the tax man! :laughing:


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## RippySkippy

I just got new HO insurance and as a standard practice they inspect every new policy unlike the OP only from the exterior. They were checking the general safety of the house, roof, decks skylights etc. which I can understand. They actually increased the coverage just a titch and applied a discount that was missed when the policy was written.

On the flip side, a co-worker had the same insurance company write a policy for their house. I don't know if they intentionally omitted it during the policy interview or it was never specifically asked, but they neglected to disclose the second story deck off the master bedroom that did not have a railing! The inspection made note of this and in her words "they were dropped like a hot potato." No 30 day to comply which sounded odd to me...but nevertheless, they found a different company and are now insured. I'm guessing if they were to have an accident, they would have some serious 'splain' to do.

The bottom line -- I don't have any problems with the inspections IF everyone is inspected and it helps keep the rates low.


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## Michael Thomas

The problem with playing hardball with insurance company as regards inspections is that at least as long as you have a mortgage, insurance is a product you _must_ buy, but it is not a product that the insurance company must _allow_ you to buy.


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## Scuba_Dave

Wow, no railing........was it under construction?
So far every house I have bought they have said they will drive by for an external visual inspection

I transposed 2 figures when writing my last payment on a policy once
$65 was due, I paid $56 by mistake
They cancelled my Policy & issued a refund on the remaining policy of maybe $200
I called to find out WTH happened (did not know I transposed). They found the error & apologized & said they would re-instate me. Sorry, I already have new insurance

I've never had a claim on any house, I'm not in a high risk area (wind water etc). The last claim on my truck was from a girl hitting me - her insurance paid. I actually would think a Home Inspection shortly after/before policy is written should almost be required. We have to have our vehicles inspected by Insurance Co here once we have a policy. Renewals does not trigger it. They take pics, of Vin & 4 sides of the car

My last house I had a branch com down & hit the edge of the house, damaged soffit area & some of the roof decking. I needed a new roof anyway, so I never bothered with a claim - less then $500 in damage too.

This house the electric panel had water coming in - I could have claimed that. Instead I had a new panel installed & SE buried

I've never had a problem getting Insurance, even the companies I have cancelled send me info to try to get me back as a customer. Almost 2 decades of payments without a claim? Yeah - they want me


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## RippySkippy

Scuba_Dave said:


> I've never had a problem getting Insurance, even the companies I have cancelled send me info to try to get me back as a customer. Almost 2 decades of payments without a claim? Yeah - they want me


I was the same way...until for what ever reason St. Farm decided a 30% increase in one year was a great pricing strategy! I even called them before switching, telling them they were pricing themselves out of a market.

I dropped'em, then the phone calls came...we REALLY want you back...ummmm no you had your chance....don' t call me again....ever. They lost it all...


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## MJW

Hate to tell ya, but State Farm is one of the best insurers out there. Those of you who have been lucky or just reluctant to make a claim may never know until something happens. 

With some of the pics I've seen in the "showcase", I can understand why some of you don't want an insurance inspector looking around.


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## RippySkippy

That may be...BUT when you can "walk across the street" and get the EXACT same coverage for 50% less, something is just wrong. After being a non-claims customer for 25 years (I'd let anyone inspect any time for any reason, I have NOTHING to hide)....that's the thanks you get? The only hands they had were in my pockets....WAY too deep. I'm willing to take a chance with another company if it will save me several thousands of dollars down the road.

They're not family and they don't love me, they're just another business looking for subscribers. The bottom line is when looking for insurance, it pays to shop and shop and shop.


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## MJW

Just make sure you know what you are buying......I have seen exclusions for new things lately on certain policies. An example is, you get a hail storm or wind storm....only half the house is ruined. The insurance now only pays for the half that got the damage whether it matches the other half or not.

We deal with insurance claims quite often. Just make sure you know what you are buying. Insurance is *NOT* the same if it is 1/3 of the price as another.

In reality your insurance should _increase_ in premiums and coverage. Your value and the things in your home should be going in the plus direction. Hopefully you are not devaluing your home and it's contents. Just the cost of shingles has risen by over 100% in the last few years. Siding increased 50%. When insurance companies have to cover for replacement cost, they will have to charge you more.


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## Scuba_Dave

Contents of a house (personal belongings) usually decrease in value
Interior work (cost to rebuild) can increase
I've seen asphalt go up
But windows & other building materials have gone down
Copper went back up a little
New NEC 2008 regs on outlets have caused those to go up

We called to make sure the addition, new windows, sunroom etc would all be covered & that cost to rebuild was updated


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## MJW

Ya, personal belongings do decrease in value, but if you have a wife like I do, New things are brought into the house everyday. 

Why do you think everyone always needs more storage space. Every time you buy something as a personal belonging it is added to the overall amount you have insured.


It really doesn't matter anyways, because they insure for replacement cost on most things. Doesn't matter much about the current value.


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## brokenknee

MJW said:


> Just make sure you know what you are buying......I have seen exclusions for new things lately on certain policies. An example is, you get a hail storm or wind storm....only half the house is ruined. The insurance now only pays for the half that got the damage whether it matches the other half or not.





MJW said:


> We deal with insurance claims quite often. Just make sure you know what you are buying. Insurance is *NOT* the same if it is 1/3 of the price as another.
> 
> In reality your insurance should _increase_ in premiums and coverage. Your value and the things in your home should be going in the plus direction. Hopefully you are not devaluing your home and it's contents. Just the cost of shingles has risen by over 100% in the last few years. Siding increased 50%. When insurance companies have to cover for replacement cost, they will have to charge you more.


 
You must not have watched the news at all in the last three years. :whistling2:


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## MJW

Don't look at value, look at replacement cost. 

It costs more to build a house than it is to buy one on the market right now.


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## brokenknee

MJW said:


> Don't look at value, look at replacement cost.
> 
> It costs more to build a house than it is to buy one on the market right now.


That is true, that has always been the case. Even new home prices are down 20%.


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## Scuba_Dave

brokenknee said:


> That is true, but even new home prices are down 20%.


Not everywhere
Some places are looking up
Our value went up & taxes



> Here’s a few from the top, and the bottom, of the 34 metro areas First American tracks.
> 
> Rank City % change
> 
> 1 Fort Myers, Fla. -29.8%
> 2 Miami, Fla. -29.7%
> 3 Riverside, Calif. -28.5%
> 4 Las Vegas, Nev. -28.3%
> 5 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. -27.7%
> 
> 14 St. Louis, Mo. -11.3%
> U.S. Average -7.8%
> 
> 30 Denver, Colo. -2.3%
> 31 San Antonio, Tex. 5.2%
> 32 Austin, Tex. 1.0%
> 33 Dallas, Tex. 1.7%
> 34 Houston, Tex. 3.2%


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## MJW

Dave, what timeline was given for those figures?

Everyone's taxes went up, even if your value went down. Horrible, isn't it.


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## brokenknee

My taxes still went up even though the value of my home was dropping.


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## Scuba_Dave

That was ending in June

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/bu...louis-home-prices-now-falling-faster-than-us/

Our value went up
Kind of hard not to as the sq footage is going from 1650 as purchased to close to 3000 sq ft once (if :laughing: ) I finish 
Plus a 24x36 garage, 3 season porch, greenhouse, addition to pool cabana, 3 new decks, pond area......


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## MJW

Well, of course it went up with additions to the property. Mine increased 100K last year because of an addition. The year before my value fell slightly, but the taxes still increased.


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## What have I done

so how did this work out? its been a couple months have they come out to inspect?

Im with AMERICAN Family and the GOLD package I have had for the past 11 years is going up 70%. well almost. From $1050 to $1705 per year.
Fricken crazy. Ironically I can get the Silver package wich is "ALMOST" the same policy for only $125 more than I am currently paying. WHAT A SCAM. 

I got some quotes from other companies and found I was probably paying too much the last 11 years.

Does anyone in here have hartford insurance? It is the company I am thinking to switch to. House, cars the whole shibang. Im sure American Family will be wondering why! Especially after offering me such a good deal on a policy thats isnt quite as good as I currently have for only $125 more than I am currently paying.


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## Knucklez

well, i have calmed down since then. but it really stressed me out at the time, was really concerned.

i called them back and left a message.. and since then i just ignored them. i decided that nobody comes in my house unless i invite them - except for my cat who doesn't seem to care what i think. if policy holders don't like it, well there are lots of other vendors out there. 

so nothing ever came of it. i suspect that they called everyone on their list of old home owners and the suckers who responded to their cold calling are now regretting it. insurance rep made their quota and didn't bother following up with the rest of their clientele (perhaps until next year). 

Knucklez


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## concretemasonry

No insurance company has to sell you insurance. They can look at the property (modifications, maintenance, etc.) to give you a quotation based on their rate guidelines for the value, area and conditions. My mother had insurance with a company for years, but she installed a complying wood stove, but they refused to cover her because they had too much risk for homes in the area based on the recent claims.

She went and got other quotes from different companies for a little more and was satisfied with the cost (a little higher).

In some hurricane areas (especially the severe zones in Florida) rates have gone up because of the results of the damage from coastal storms where the land was changed, decreased or lost), rates have gone up for a policy based on historical code-complying homes), but offer much lower rates (sometimes 40% lower) that can off set the difference in additional construction new or addition costs if certain standards are met. these usually exceed code or may be more area-specific.

The local building code is just the worst way you can build legally and is not necessarily the best way to build. If you do not do it right the future value could be lower or your children will have to face the future problems.


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## homegreeny

*Depends on the company*



Knucklez said:


> is this strange?
> 
> our house is ALREADY insured for more than enough, including the material inside material (tv, couch etc.). i think they're just out to get more money. they called in the past about life insurance and all these questions about our car insurance to "see if we have enough coverage". we declined everything. sheesh..
> 
> but now they want to know about our house insurance.
> 
> we've lived in our house for 5 years. its an older house. home insurance company has requested an inspection to check "the roof, wiring and plumbing".
> 
> but i can supply receipts showing new roof. we had an electrician certify safe wiring when we moved in (a requirement of the same insurance companY!) and the plumbing can be proven modern through our own home inspection report which we had done when we moved in.
> 
> but they still want to inspect...
> 
> this can only go one of two ways:
> *1)* rates go up because house has "nice" stuff that needs more coverage. for example, large wooden moldings, plaster crown molding.
> 
> *2)* they find something they don't like and give "30 days to comply". like i need a longer to-do list!
> 
> it is written in the policy that they can inspect the house any time. i'm thinking of getting a new insurance company instead. one that doesn't harass me.
> 
> what do you think?
> 
> Knucklez


I have to say it just totally depends on who you are insuring with. I've been with companies that were very trusting in that they allowed me to give them rough estimates without wanting more details. of course they recommended doing the usual such as taking videos and pictures. Found them here when I was searching for home insurance quotes about a year ago. I've definitely been with companies before that wanted to inspect the home themselves and got very detailed with the contents list. Very annoying but then I put myself in their shoes and understand. However, that being said I'm more private about my belongings and like a more trusting a relaxed approach from my insurance company.


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## linuxrunner

We had to beg for the insurance to send somebody out to inspect the interior of our house when we bought it. 

We were denied by 6 different companies when it came time to close on our house, 2 other companies said they could insure but both had yearly rates over $6,000. As our hose is built with exterior stone walls (all the way through if you take off the drywall you see stone) and has lots of large decorative lead glass windows most insurance companies would not touch it with a 10 foot pole, one said that the replacement cost they estimated was $650,000 to replace and rebuild all the stone (apparently good stone masons don’t come cheap) and this was on a house that was <$190,000 and only 2100 sq feet. Needless to say it was tense trying to find somebody to insure in time to close. (we got our agent to figure out which company was insuring it for the previous owners and after many calls and talking to many managers they agreed to give us only a slightly higher price than the previous owner.)

The previous owner had said that the stone was a veneer and no matter how many times we told them it was not every time I looked at the details of the policy it was switched back to stone veneer. They simply would not believe us that the stone was the actual wall. Finally convinced a insurance inspector to come in and take a look… since they did not have a category for stone wall our policy now says brick which is crossed out and stone is written over top (with signatures from us and the insurance company). 

CRAZY!!


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## Jim F

Michael Thomas said:


> Here are the major defects that cause my home inspection clients here in Chicago to have problems when they attempt to obtain or renew property insurance: A Visual Guide to Identifying Potential Homeowner's Insurance Problems - - Paragon Home Inspections Evanston / Chicago / Skokie / Wilmette / Morton Grove / Glenview / Northbrook / Illinois
> 
> I’m paid to be suspicious…


The door to nowhere was good for a laugh.


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## rusty baker

We changed house insurance a few months back. They walked around and took pictures of the outside. When he asked about going in, I told him no. I don't allow strangers inside my house. They left without argument.


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## Wildie

When I bought my present home and applied for insurance, they sent an inspector around. Photos were taken of all the rooms, the plumbing, furnace and the electrical panel.

Now, if I make any changes and a permit hasn't been issued, they could refuse my coverage in case of a claim.


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## rusty baker

Wildie said:


> When I bought my present home and applied for insurance, they sent an inspector around. Photos were taken of all the rooms, the plumbing, furnace and the electrical panel.
> 
> Now, if I make any changes and a permit hasn't been issued, they could refuse my coverage in case of a claim.


Permits aren't required here, so I don't know what they would do.


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## tpolk

dog species and houses built on piers, non continuous foundation, are big problems here to get insurance


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## Wildie

rusty baker said:


> Permits aren't required here, so I don't know what they would do.


 Maybe if they don't like what they see, they will refuse to cover you!


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## rossfingal

Damed if you do -damed if you don't - dam those damed dams!
(Hope the dams hold!)
RF


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## Knucklez

eventually.. they did call again. i told them to get lost and i just canceled my policy and started a new one with someone else that doesn't harass me. the new policy covers more and costs less! ha.. should have shopped around years ago.


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## Ron6519

Flip10 said:


> Hi , I have not experienced it but i know these words commonly and heard that the insurance company has to visit the home , Is it trying to make you confuse or some objections and then benefits for them.


What are you trying to say here?
Ron


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## businessman

*businessman*

I just got the same phone call. I have a contract with an insurance company -- they insure, I pay them for insurance---period. I have never filed a claim, and never intend to unless there would be a complete disaster. I informed them that if they would like to hire an independent inspector to inspect my house after we have a contract, I would allow it if they allow me to be an independent business man and inspect there financials. They said they would get back with me. Think the whole thing is BS. We'll see what happens.


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## CoconutPete

businessman said:


> I just got the same phone call. I have a contract with an insurance company -- they insure, I pay them for insurance---period. I have never filed a claim, and never intend to unless there would be a complete disaster. I informed them that if they would like to hire an independent inspector to inspect my house after we have a contract, I would allow it if they allow me to be an independent business man and inspect there financials. They said they would get back with me. Think the whole thing is BS. We'll see what happens.


Since this thread is 4 years old, you could always ask OP what he did - I'm sure he has figured it out by now.


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## Knucklez

like i said, i went with a different provider. easy. been with them ever since and they insure more for less and have good reputation. it is group insurance though, so maybe that has something to do with it?

if i were looking for new insurance provider now (which i am not) i would just say my house is 100+ years old, here is a description of it. i took pictures of my contents and video of my house, but you can not have these because it is private. will you require an inspection yes or no? if yes, then come on over but if you intend to give me a long list of repairs don't bother wasting your time. if no, what are you insuring me for and how much will it cost me? that's it. there's no reason it needs to be more complicated than that for simple situation.


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## kbsparky

Taking pictures and video of your house and contents is always a good idea for insurance purposes.

Be sure to keep copies of them off premises in the event your house is completely destroyed by fire. 

Then you can prove the existence of your personal effects and other things for insurance reimbursement.


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## operagost

Didn't mean to perpetuate zombie thread, but there is no delete button.


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## digitalplumber

kbsparky said:


> Taking pictures and video of your house and contents is always a good idea for insurance purposes.
> 
> Be sure to keep copies of them off premises in the event your house is completely destroyed by fire.
> 
> Then you can prove the existence of your personal effects and other things for insurance reimbursement.


 
Not necessarily, this just proves those items were in the house when the video was shot.


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