Technical Home owner’s insurance and old cars

My insurance guy conned me into adding my car policy to the house policy (they were from separate companies) because it would "save me money."
Then they sent out a fix it list for things on the house (paint the trim around the windows?) The fix it list cost nearly $600 to complete. They came out to inspect it to be sure I'd completed everything on the list. After the fix it list, the actual bill was considerably higher then their pre-fix it list estimate. The big bargain they told me I was getting saved me about $30 a year over what I had before, instead of the nearly $200 the pre estimate was.

They didn't raise the rate at this year's renewal (covid time), but when they do, they will loose it all. I remind my agent how they screwed me over that fix it list every time I speak with him. I'll be looking for insurance this fall. Gene

 

I just had a question , my Daughter bought a house and the policy says contents covered for x number of $$$. I call and ask define contents . The agent says “ well it’s what you own .” I say ok “ she has a 47 Kunclehead Harley in the ba*****t , no licensed in pieces . Is it covered ? “ Agent says “ no way ! “ I requested a complete declaration of the policy . Sure enough “ not current licensed vehicles are covered , once the deductible is met . “ I ask the agent what she thinks now . Her answer was “ well we just never had that type of claim “ It’s the same as unlicensed garden or farm equipment . Just because the agent says something does not correctly state what the policy covers . Request a complete policy declaration to define what is and is not covered .

 

I told the insurance company I was going to get a state bond and insure myself, they shut up and went home

 

UMMM yeah, house insurance.....crooks. My house has huge windows along the front, deep into a very cold snap, one of them cracked, $600 to replace. $500 deductible, 40 years with Wawanesa, somewhere around 50 grand paid to them in premiums, no claims, ask them about claiming the window, $500 deductible....they inform me, sure, but insurance will go up 30% over a three year period. WHAT???
I explain to the very nice woman that they've made a killing from us, they'd have to shell out $100, and penalise me huge for it? I politely told her that the next morning they would no longer insure me, and they never will again. My gl*** friend sold me a policy with a $200 deductible, fixed the window under that policy, and to top it off, I got a better house policy, cheaper.

 

Something to consider is that it can sometimes make more sense to not buy house insurance. The real estate market is pretty hot on a lot of the west coast, such that a city lot without a house (i.e. if your house burns down) is worth just as much as, or more than with the house.

And after one looks at all the limitations and exclusions in a policy, you have to wonder what you are paying all those premiums for.

 

My motto has always been if you want me to get pissed off quick just have me call an insurance company or a bank! Both have stupid rules and a bunch of stupid people that don't even know what they are looking at and yet they decide the rule applies. My house has a pellet stove, brand new at the time and certified. The woman that looked at it was from Hawaii and had never seen one before so she reported I had a unsafe fireplace insert to the company. After much arguing they sent someone out that approved it, but I had to fight to get him out. Stupid!

 

That only works if you dont have a mortgage.

 

Insurance company like to take your money not give back to you.Had the same problem years ago with 1 piece of trim on my house built in 1823.Try to tell them hard to find but the little so called expert that came out was a real jerk.Dropped them and go a new company

 

My dad was a vice president of a national insurance company an one day came home and had turned in his 'retirement' papers because of the unethical behavior he had put up with for years. He couldn't take it and would at that time be out of a job than put up with the goal of screw the insured customers

 

Old cars sitting around is considered a risk, heck I had a insurance company cancel my insurance because I bought my kids a trampoline. HRP

 

Kids on a trampoline is a far bigger risk than cars in the backyard. Even in snake country.

 

So, it seems they will insure for risks that are not really that much of a risk, but things that are a 'real' risk are excluded. We should all shop around and avoid the shonky, money hungry companies. They rely on their customer's complacency. They hope you won't put in some of your own time and effort to find the best coverage deal.

 

My company comes by every year to check on our property (5 acres) that it remains clean and tidy, for the sake of fire prevention. Don't lie, worst case would be that by not disclosing something to your insurer, your entire policy could be dropped or voided when they find out about it.

 

This is not about home owners insurance but about car insurance. Bear with me as this will effect everyone as we are all getting older. When my darling wife of 38 years p***ed away a couple years ago I called my car insurance company to have her name removed from the policy. The agent was kind and offered sincere condolences. But that is where the nice ended. I became listed as a single male and my car insurance rates went up $30 per month. Here I am in my early 70's and as a single male I am a risk. Had I known I would have just left her name on the policy and went on with my life. Some things are just better off left alone.

 

The easiest way to picture what are contents versus structure, is if you could take your house and turn it upside down,
everything that falls to the ground would be covered under contents; everything that stays in your hand would be
covered under structure.

 

What you said is a sad fact! And it's true, single males have higher rates than married males. We always tried to delay
updating the policy as long as we could hold off, but times changed and they started firing agents if they knew
of the change of risk and intentionally delayed updating the policy Even though it presents less risk due to
fewer operators, the insurance company looks at it as you are harming the company by not charging the
higher premium. Very sad and unfortunate.

 

Hello,

Having owned two 1940 Ford sedan deliveries at two different stages in growing up, we had different insurance each time. In the teenage years, the Flathead Ford Sedan Delivery was part of the 3 car family cars. So, my brother and dad had spotless driving records and I was just added to the family policy as a family car with access to everyone.

In reality, that is how it was registered, but, I was the only one driving the sedan delivery. we did not claim anything other than it being stock and what it was worth. It was insured for replacement value. At the time, most sedan deliveries were pretty low in cost, compared to other family vehicles.

As we were a four person family, everyone had access to all cars. 3 cars for 4 people was fine with the insurance company for a family policy. When my mom got her own car years later, now each teenage car had to have their own insurance as they knew who drove what. 4 cars for 4 people. My dad’s car was a daily driver and he was the only person to drive, etc. the insurance cost went up as there were two sections for being insured. 2 family cars and two teenager’s cars.

None of our cars were stolen or damaged in any accidents, so the insurance was pretty standard for the times. The least expensive cars were my brother’s VW van and my 40 Ford Sedan Delivery. If my brother had purchased a truck instead of a van, then it would have been less expensive for being a teenager. A single two wheel drive truck has always been the lowest cost for insurance for a teen. But, no custom stuff was listed as that instantly gets tagged with “theft related” possibilities and the insurance goes up.

Jnaki

Many years later after we got married, my wife and I had two cars for two people and the cost was rather low. But, when we added another 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery with a 327 SBC motor, the insurance company was a different one and they wanted to know more about the 3rd car for the family. Despite being a hot rod with a different motor, we did not fall into the category of listing every specialty item on the sedan delivery. as far as the insurance company was concerned, it was a standard Ford Sedan Delivery with a SBC motor. In reality, it was.

The cost of the 327 sedan delivery was new and we had a 3rd car for two people. The extra insurance was nothing compared to the miles of cool driving experience we got from it. My wife was even a single person driver on many days of errands and sometimes to family visits.

Again, luckily, nothing ever happened for us to make a claim on the sedan delivery. So, the cost of extra insurance was worth the enjoyment we both got while driving a cool hot rod, all over So Cal. Because it was in a two car garage, it was still a part of the homeowner’s insurance coverage, too.

 

Have you asked your agent for specific details about why they’re making this request?

 

i also remember I’ve had a similar issue when I changed my homeowner’s insurance a few years ago. They sent someone out to inspect the property, and they made a big deal about some old cars I had on the property too.

The reasoning they gave was about the potential safety hazards and the risk of fire or vandalism. It didn’t seem fair, especially since my property is well-fenced and off the beaten path. In the end, I reached out to Tulsa Bad Faith Insurance Attorneys for some advice, and they helped me understand my rights and options.

You might want to ask your agent to clarify the reasoning, but if they push too hard, legal advice could help protect your interests.

 

From experience I'd say that the people who make the decision on policies are very sheltered and sitting in a cubical in a big office building and probably live in an apartment complex or HOA development.

My mom got her undies in a knot over something with the insurance on this place when she controlled it and changed insurance and some dude came out and took photos and some gal back east called and told her that my 21 ft sailboat sitting on a trailer back out of the way was a big issue because "children might climb on it and fall off it and get hurt". Mom wasn't thinking and didn't tell her that that boat sat 500 feet off the highway and there were no small children within a quarter mile and those were not allowed out of their 6 ft chain link fenced yard except to get on the school bus.
I talked to the people later and asked where they thought that these "children" might come from who would allegedly climb an 8 ft ladder to get on my boat and got a serius Duh factor answer as the guy evidently did not tell her that my house is 4oo ft off the highway in the middle of a 70 acre hay field.
They are two miles from town and I am 2.3 miles from town. Those kids are older now but have never once shown up at my place even to ask if I wanted to buy someting for sale on their school fundraiser.

At that time I didn't have a bunch of project or donor cars sitting around so that wasn't an issue as all the parts were back in the sheds. There would probably be hell to pay right now as I have some serous getting rid of to do as soon as I harvest some parts and get rid of the donor rigs.

 

Let's keep this simple.
When you want to sign up, they are going to be getting money from you, but also try to limit exposure. This is the part where they are nice. They will gloss over things and get that sale.
If you file a claim, they have to pay you money. This is when they are not nice. They will drag it out, low ball you and renegotiate the contract or end it.
If they are not nice in the beginning, you should expect any claim to be ten times worse. Also read the paperwork and get clarification before signing! More than 4 pocket knifes on the property? That's a collection and requires an addendum! Most of us have ac***ulated a bunch of stuff that is not normal "household" items. It's better to find out before than after.

 

I know this is an old thread that was dug up, but I just learned the term, “material misrepresentation” due to an issue a friend is having that got hit by an insured driver that was subsequently dropped by her provider. It basically means you lied to the insurance company about some detail that could have affected their risk or their rate.

There is a lot of fine print in the policy and it is your responsibility to make sure that you are using reasonable judgement to comply with those requirements. Many brokers will neglect these details, so you might not even know the requirements if you haven’t read the policy… I read stories online of drivers being dropped by their insurance company because they did not include/exclude a 97 year old unlicensed and disabled relative on their policy. Or a relative that receives mail at the address but does not physically live there. It’s in the policy, and although your agent should ask these questions they don’t always. The auditor at the insurance company will definitely be thorough whether your agent was or not.

Don’t try to ******** the insurance company and please do your due diligence, because they would like nothing more than to take your money every month and then drop you once you file a claim. Then, you could get flagged and your insurance premiums will be higher as if you are a “scammer” even if you were not fully aware.

Especially considering the dollar amounts involved in a homeowner’s insurance policy, I would be very careful with this.

 

I had one insurance company that insured both of my OT cars. After I sold one of them, I notified the insurance company that I no longer own that vehicle and cancel the coverage on it. Three weeks later I get a letter from the state threatening me if I didn't get insurance coverage on my vehicle. A quick call revealed that the idiot I spoke with to cancel coverage on the sold vehicle canceled coverage on BOTH vehicles, and here I was running around with no coverage (including a road trip to Georgia) for three weeks! I went to their office and reamed him out for his stupidity and made him reinstate the coverage. After I got everything squared away, I switched to another provider.

 

As far as the topic on the cars in your yard. In CA some insurance companies are suing satellite or even drove images to check your back yards, a buddy was threatened to get coverage dropped if he didn't clean up his model A mess,
I told him to get car covers and build a shed.
That was enough for them.

 

When the insurance companies come after “old” cars here in Taxifornia that’s exactly what I’m going to do. They haven’t tried yet but I’m sure all the cl***ic car companies like Haggerty and the rest will be them like stink on s**t… They aren’t going to want to loose a cash cow like Taxifornia because some political hack wants them gone !

 

I insure my spare parts and parts cars. as "contents of the building" $1,000,000 coverage was $800 a year, over the normal building insurance, a lot depends on the local agent and the person at the insurance company office.

 

My previous homeowner's insurance agent called and said I had to trim my "trees"; the "trees" they were referring to, they sent me pictures, were my neighbor's trees across the street. I told them, after 30+ years with them, I was going somewhere else. The damn mental midgets..

Larry

 

45 years of homeowner insurance here, and not a single claim, ever. Means nothing to them.

 

This is true, and it’s insane to me because you have been as close to free money as it ever gets. In general, companies seem to have gone from implicitly to outright hostile to customers/consumers in the past 10 years or so… but that is a topic for another thread.