Homeowner's insurance

[Whitenuckler]

Well the cancellation notice arrived yesterday for a brand new policy. Reason….

Liability for multiple wood burning appliances in living space. This was the only carrier that my preferred independent agent could find for us. And we were paying a lot for coverage.

I’m pissed…… Pretty soon anyone within 10 miles of the coast will be forced use the government insurers of last resort and that has the be a super high risk pool. The rates reflect that.

Data point.

My taxes and insurance have gone up $850 per month from 15 years ago.

Keep fighting the good fight.

That's not good. They should have given you some options and let you submit new WETT inspections. Are you in a difference insurance zone there near the coast? I sure get the feeling underwriters are wanting to put an end to wood burning. The inflation over the last few years is unreal. I think it stated to get really bad after 2008.

 

[EbS-P]

That's not good. They should have given you some options and let you submit new WETT inspections. Are you in a difference insurance zone there near the coast? I sure get the feeling underwriters are wanting to put an end to wood burning. The inflation over the last few years is unreal. I think it stated to get really bad after 2008.

US doesn’t have anything like WETT. It would not matter much in my case as the underwriter doesn’t even care that the installs meet code.

Yes we are seen as high risk.

 

[bogieb]

That sucks! I just submitted a WETT Inspection report and 48 hours later I received a phone call from my insurance company stating that they have reinstated my wood burning stove to my policy, cost was an additional $10. I haven’t seen any paperwork yet due to Canada Post being on strike.

I wonder if a Canadian insurance company would sell insurance to an American homeowner…probably some rule against that.

What about insurance companies that are located and deal with homeowners in the northern states?

I always get my paperwork thru the carrier's website. I have't gotten a paper copy since 2013 and I've changed insurance a couple of times.

 

[blades]

just go on line and find a carrier that is lic. to do biz in your state. screw the agents as 25% or more of a policy is commission fees. that doesn't mean that you will find anything. mostly because of the coastal location. Ins co have taken a real bath between storms and fires over last few years and so are sticking it to the consumer ,not just specific areas, universal ( whats new ?) I've had my issues with my biz name over the years and under writers - pure pasture patties. ( biz is almost 90 years old). All kinds of poppy cock excuses. no employees either. One year my ins went up 100 % right after an article ran in the local rag that my shop was in a elevated crime area. insurance= legalized extortion.

 

[sixer]

... insurance= legalized extortion.

And in many cases, mandated legal extortion!

 

[bogieb]

Interestingly, my HO insurance is going down by several hundred dollars for renewal in November. This is after they jacked the house insurance up last year for no known reason (no claims or anything). I have my auto insurance bundled wit it, and it has gone down by $100 also - again, no known reason.

 

[Whitenuckler]

Interestingly, my HO insurance is going down by several hundred dollars for renewal in November. This is after they jacked the house insurance up last year for no known reason (no claims or anything). I have my auto insurance bundled wit it, and it has gone down by $100 also - again, no known reason.

I am with CAA here. CAA are also the underwriter. They made sure I de-commissioned the wood fireplace, and I asked about getting a wood burning system right from the beginning. They said Yes, but it would need to be WETT certified. I got my pellet stove last Feb and my bill went up 10% at the time. Still about $1400 CAD with lots of extra riders. I am happy with that. My biggest bill is taxes.

 

[Murray01]

My biggest bill is taxes

It’s a Canadian thing

 

[Whitenuckler]

It’s a Canadian thing

Well it seems we know know how to play baseball too. How they learned to play in the snow and ice I have no idea.
When I said taxes I was really talking about the tax bill for the house. With my income I have no worries about income tax.

 

[sixer]

Interestingly, my HO insurance is going down by several hundred dollars for renewal in November. This is after they jacked the house insurance up last year for no known reason (no claims or anything). I have my auto insurance bundled wit it, and it has gone down by $100 also - again, no known reason.

Just verify that your coverages didn't change and accept the gift!

 

[Stelcom66]

I guess insurance companies think a wood stove isn't as safe as an open fire in a fireplace. I don't have a chimney liner (yet) for my wood stove, but don't want to invest in one if the insurance company won't allow the stove even it passes the town inspection.

I do wonder why lately it seems the trend is for insurance companies not to insure wood stoves?

 

[Whitenuckler]

I guess insurance companies think a wood stove isn't as safe as an open fire in a fireplace. I don't have a chimney liner (yet) for my wood stove, but don't want to invest in one if the insurance company won't allow the stove even it passes the town inspection.

I do wonder why lately it seems the trend is for insurance companies not to insure wood stoves?

Maybe they don't want people to heat their homes with wood due to fire risk. An open masonry fireplace would not be used to heat a home. Even here I couldn't run that type of fireplace without a WETT inspection so it' shutdown.

 

[EbS-P]

I do wonder why lately it seems the trend is for insurance companies not to insure wood stoves?

They are becoming more risk adverse about the risks that are controllable. An open fireplace that does not meet code like mine (does not have 2” clearance to combustibles) certainly IS risky than a one with a stove/insert with a fully insulated liner. How many hours of burning wet firewood does it take to create enough creosote to start a chimney fire when someone decides to burn all the Christmas wrapping paper in the fireplace?

 

[EbS-P]

Sage Sure would not budge on the code compliant wood burners in full masonry fireplaces. So I now have all my insurance home owners and wind and hail. (Wind and hail is separate policy) with NCJUA. Basically it’s the costal insurance pool and insurer of last resort.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Just keep checking around. You may be able to have a stipulation that leaves the roof out if needed. Just a thought. We have had only wood heat for many years, and they never said a word. Not sure what they would say now, since nobody has asked any questions in over 15 years.

Who do you have for home insurance?

 

[Burnin Since 1991]

We finally bought a house here in Pennsylvania (we've been renting), and I was told by my long-time insurance broker that pellet heat is not an "acceptable" primary method of heating a home. He said it needs to be thermostat controlled and have a supply for at least several days. I told him I was buying a pellet boiler with a 14 bushel hopper, and he said that's not good enough. I finally told him I would leave the oil hot air furnace in, but I hate hot air don't want that thing taking up space in my basement.

Erie won't insure the house because it has 3 tab shingles (new rule).

I've also read that some companies won't allow a biomass boiler and fuel to be stored inside the house because of fire risk.

Does anyone have an insurance company that I should try?

Check this out, what Progressive Insurance Company has to say about all of this... Not my insurance company but I think this article sums it up well. This is about fireplaces, woodstove, gas, pellets etc. Didn't check for the shingles issue.

How Do Fireplaces and Wood Stoves Impact Insurance?

Understand the implications and insurance requirements for fireplaces and wood burning stoves.

www.progressive.com

 

[EbS-P]

Well I’m fully insured again. Some thoughts for those that live in costal or fire prone areas or anyone burning wood. You need to know if your state has an insurer or last resort. Who are they? What type of entity are they. I am now encouraging everyone in my area to skip the for profit market are use the state sanctioned insurer of last resort. Here near the coast everybody has to use them for wind and hail but you can go to the for PE market for other perils. I’m encouraging everyone in my area to use the insurer of last resort for all their coverage. My reason is if as more and more underwriters leave high risk areas we will need to broaden the risk pool for these insurers of last resort. One bad hurricane could break the NCJUA. But not if the entire state uses them.

 

[EbS-P]

And now I’m not fully insured. I have a basic perils policy called a DT1. So even the insurer of last resort won’t fully cover wood stoves. I’m covered against all the majors hazards but no theft or liability.

So to be clear if these were open fireplaces. Built in the 1960s. Not to code. I would be fine. But because I have installed wood burning appliances that meet code, full insulated stainless liners they won’t cover me.

We need a regional list of underwriters that will cover wood stoves. (And ones that won’t).

 

[EbS-P]

And a two calls later I have insurance from Allstate. The local agent did not mention any inspections. The independent agent did. I’m insured With liability for two wood stoves.

It’s gonna get cold Sunday night! It will be a two stove night. I don’t recall any in December before.

 

[Burnin Since 1991]

And a two calls later I have insurance from Allstate. The local agent did not mention any inspections. The independent agent did. I’m insured With liability for two wood stoves.

It’s gonna get cold Sunday night! It will be a two stove night. I don’t recall any in December before.

What's the difference between a local agent and a independent agent? Because if my HO insurance ever gives me any crud, I'm going to Allstate too

 

[djlew]

I went to Allstate as well, they were the only ones to insure my wood shed without making me do major construction to fix it or tear it down and have to replace the fence that it acts as. As far as local vs. independent agents, I know that independent agents have a lot of experience typically with different insurance companies and different policies/situations. Local agents for specific companies will usually just try to sell their product or tell you to pound sand, lol.

 

[EbS-P]

I went to Allstate as well, they were the only ones to insure my wood shed without making me do major construction to fix it or tear it down and have to replace the fence that it acts as. As far as local vs. independent agents, I know that independent agents have a lot of experience typically with different insurance companies and different policies/situations. Local agents for specific companies will usually just try to sell their product or tell you to pound sand, lol.

I didn’t get a good sense that my local independent agents really knew the product/underwriters they were selling. Once you get beyond their preferred underwriter, all they do is type the square footage and take down some basic information and send it out. The Allstate agent was able to confirm very quickly what they needed and by quickly it was less than 20 minutes.

 

[Burnin Since 1991]

thanks! Got it!

 

[Sono]

Insurance companies...Wooooooo
I bought my Ranch house 2021 and the insurance went from $1200 a year to $2400 a year and autos were bumping $30 more every 6 months, yup time to shop around. I went with my insurance company I left back in 2005 that were reasonable in a way, Homeowners is $1200 again but auto is sitting where it was originally but with more coverages. So it balances out in a way.

Now here is a little story in my insurance hunt. I used a company geared to Farmers/Agricultural since we are in the sticks and have land. My house is wood and stone. The wood exterior was stained a hunter green color ( I hated the color ) but was faded from years of lack of maintenance of the previous owner but still in excellent shape. Well I called this company and they have you send pictures in for the underwriters which I did. The agent called back a few hours later and said the underwriters wanted the wood siding replaced or painted???WTF??? I was like, what, The wood is in great shape and the stain is just faded from sunlight... they didnt care and wanted one or the other done, so I opted to paint it as it was the cheaper of the 2 options and I was running out of time with renewal. Next day the house was painted a beautiful tan to accent the stones, sent pics of everything...waited for a response. Next day they called and flat out Denied to cover me? No reason, no excuses, just said they werent going to cover the property? I was livid, Poor lady got the scolding of her life after I spent the money and did all the work that they told me to do so they would cover it. I dont get anymore calls from them either as I told them to never call me again ( as they do with previous customers occasionally ) But now Im back with a company I once used before in the past and theyve been great throughout the years.

We have a fireplace, never been inspected. Ive lit a few small fires but nothing big just in case... dont really like fireplaces as they pull more heat out of the house than it heats. not a single insurance company asked or looked at it other than asking if theres one in the house for the coverage..... Just a target for them to jack up the fees

 

[djlew]

Mine basically did the same thing. I didn't oblige to the work they wanted me to do because it was really stupid. Takes a bit of frustration and running around but eventually there is something out there.

Something I (probably stupidly) didn't even realize is make sure you tell your insurance company if you do any replacements/upgrades etc. since it might lower your premium even mid-term. I got my roof done and totally forgot to have them reflect that in my policy. Same thing with HVAC. I don't know if they really care about HVAC. Lowered my yearly premium over $100 USD. Not to be a pessimist, but I have to imagine homeowner's is designed to be "out of sight, out of mind" until you need it, like most insurance lol. Especially homeowner's though if you escrow.