My insurance company, American Family, has decided that my house is in too bad of shape to be worth insuring. They listed three main problems with the house. Two of which were taken care of months before we recieved the notification. The third, no railing on our small back porch, had been that way since before we owned the house.
There may be two reasons for their decision.
1) Our agent is no longer working. Perhaps they are just now sifting through his files files and finding out about us.
or
2) We've had three claims of various size, one new roof, one tree fell on van, and a second hail/roof problem now being fixed. Perhaps we are just too unlucky for their numbers.
Either way I want to call on some good insurance company to take over covering our house. So many of them have a bad reputation from Katrina, I'm trying to figure out whom to avoid.
Any ideas or recommendations out there?
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
I worked for an unnamed company managing revaluation inspection projects for many unnamed carriers.
Underwriting hazards are typically their main concern, followed by the cost of replacing the home in cases where it is destroyed. You stated that three underwriting issues were raised, of which two have been remedied. The last item (no rail on back porch) disqualifies may people from insurance, and it's possible that you will have the same issue with any new carrier. Either way, you might want to dispute the cancellation of your policy.
If you are determined not to pursue a dispute with your carrier over the cancellation, then I would advise contacting Allstate, Farmers, or MetLife.
Also, check with your states insurance board to determine whether AmFam neglected any processes or procedures that are required by law prior to your cancellation.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
I'm an agent myself. 3 claims in 3 years is going to be tough to find insurance elsewhere. Your going to be stuck with a high risk company until the record cleans up.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
How long would it take for his record to clean up, assuming no further claims?
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
3-5 years after the most recent claim, depending on the state. My company, Allstate, in Maryland will take someone with 1 claim in 3 years.
I love Allstate for catastrophic losses. Tornadoes, Fire, and so forth. Tornadoes came through Maryland a few years back and claim adjusters just handed them checks for the full coverage amount, and said to call them if they needed more. Smaller stuff they have issues on. If your tv is stolen, you might not get the quickest service.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Its more like 3 claims in 8 years, 4 if you count some lost merchandise while on vacation (cameras and such).
I am reminded of "The Importance of Being Ernest." Pardon the misquote, "Well, having one unavoidable accident claim is understandable. But having two--that smacks of carelessness."