Wood insert insurance question. Anyone have experience with State Farm.

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Brian26

Minister of Fire
Sep 20, 2013
693
Branford, CT
My prior homeowners insurance was through my progressive car insurance. They raised my rates almost $389 dollars this year so I started shopping around. Went to a state farm agent near my work and got a very reasonable quote. Was actually cheaper than my old carrier before the rate raise.

When he asked if I have a wood or pellet stove I said fireplace insert. He said those don't matter only free standing stoves or pellets. Something like they consider them a fireplace or someting. My old insurance company wanted my invoice for the professional insert install and it was listed on my policy as wood burning appliance or something.

New policy has no wood burning appliance listed. Did the agent maybe lie just to sell the policy? I asked him like 3 or 4 times you are sure you dont need to list it. I said I can provide the documentation that it was installed by a licensed professional.

He also said that someone was going to come out and take pictures of the front and back of my house. I have like 3 cords of wood stacked a few feet off the back of the house and under my deck. Do you think this is going to be an issue? Old company never came out to look at anything in the 3 years I had them.
 
Ours was a fireplace in sep when we bought it, oct i called statefarm and said we installed an insert in existing fireplace, they said ok no problem. Id have to look to see what they have listed, but prolly still a fireplace.
 
If it bugs you, you could ask to go over you concerns with a supervisor to confirm that you are good to go.
 
Our Insurance (Allstate at the time, Merrimack at the moment) didn't care about the Insert being it was going into an existing Fireplace.....freestanding may be a different subject.....they didn't even require it pass code, as neither did our town, but I did have the Building Inspector sign off on it just in case
 
I had, and still have State Farm in PA. 15 years ago they didn't care about the stove. I don't know if it's listed on the paperwork. Is a fire place normally listed? As far as I know they never came to see the new house. But I guess they could have.
 
I have State Farm. I called them as soon as I had my insert installed in 2011. At first I used the term "wood stove" on the phone and they said someone would come look at it. Later in the call I said "insert" and they said "oh, if it's an insert then we don't need to see it."
 
I have State Farm. I called them as soon as I had my insert installed in 2011. At first I used the term "wood stove" on the phone and they said someone would come look at it. Later in the call I said "insert" and they said "oh, if it's an insert then we don't need to see it."

I called and I guess if its a insert in an existing fireplace nothing needs to be done. My prior insurance company was completely different. So those with inserts in an existing fireplace State Farm doesn't care and requires nothing.

They called me yesterday saying someones coming out today to take pictures and look around the property. Wonder what they are going to say about the 3 cords of wood stacked behind the house.
 
I called and I guess if its a insert in an existing fireplace nothing needs to be done. My prior insurance company was completely different. So those with inserts in an existing fireplace State Farm doesn't care and requires nothing.

They called me yesterday saying someones coming out today to take pictures and look around the property. Wonder what they are going to say about the 3 cords of wood stacked behind the house.

Worst that can happen is the say it should be further from the house and then you get more free exercise.
 
Been with State Farm five years, and thru five stoves. Never an issue here. Agent did come to our house and photo everything before we moved in, and has asked me for a photo of each new stove install, to update their files.

That said, I've never had to make a claim, so I can't say how they are on that end of things...
 
We installed a stove in our weekend house two years ago. I checked first with our State Farm agent before hand and they wanted it installed professionally. After the install our agent came out and took several pictures of the stove and that was it. No rate increase at all.

Rich
 
I have State Farm, but I don't recall exactly how they factored our insert into the rates. I think they asked what other heat sources the house had, and since they automatically consider a heat pump primary without considering how much the wood burner gets used, I'm pretty sure there was no rate penalty for having the insert.
 
I spoke to my State Farm agent last year, and she said putting inserts in existing fireplaces was fine...but freestanding stoves would have to be checked out.
 
I spoke to my State Farm agent last year, and she said putting inserts in existing fireplaces was fine...but freestanding stoves would have to be checked out.


Same here. I called their 800 number and talked to a few people just to be sure. Wood inserts in an existing fireplace are fine and need nothing listed on the policy. I think their mindset is on my public property information they know I have a fireplace listed on the property card and know that a insert is less of a risk and perhaps safer?..

This was the complete opposite of my last carrier where they wanted documentation it was installed by a licensed professional and then tacked on like $75 a year extra.

So those with inserts State farm doesn't care the least bit if you install an insert in an existing fireplace.
 
Two stoves installed in existing fireplaces the size of small rooms. State Farm simply wanted a photo of each. No impact on premium.


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We have had State Farm since we were married...21 years now(and #stayingmarried) and when we installed our insert, I think all they wanted was a picture also. We also had no increase in our rates.
 
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These types of questions are hard sorta to answer because insurance premiums, install requirements, and follow up requirements are all over the map.

What an insurer might require of a homeowner in the Midwest for an woodstove could ( and probably is) entirely different than what the same insurer will require in the east, or west for that matter.

The underwriting guidelines are determined by losses and statistical risk for a loss. Has nothing to do with the fact you may do everything correctly with your wood burning experience. If your area has a high loss ratio due to wood stoves your requirements to get insurance will probably be more difficult, expensive, more crap to deal with, etc. So a guy with say Allstate might have different requirements living in North Dakota than a guy with Allstate living in New Jersey. Sometimes it changes just based on your zip code.

Do you have neighbors that have a wood stove? I'd try asking them. Or if you see someone burning near your house ask them. Couldn't hurt.
 
Farm Bureau Insurance is good for wood stove home owners

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Free Standing Stove.
State Farm wanted checklist. Sent pics, sent pics of install. Sent pics of county inspector checklist. No extra cost.Below is what State Farm sent me.Plus second page of diagram of install.

upload_2016-8-29_8-2-37.png
 
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