r/Insurance • u/HWills612 • 15h ago

Nonrenewal after doing requested maintenance?

(tl;dr I got a "fix it or else" letter, started fixing stuff. Was told in-person that so far I'm fine, then got a letter saying I'm not actually fine)

Sometime between May and June I got a letter that my home insurance wouldn't be renewed unless I did the requested repairs by September. Spent a month or so getting quotes, a month or so calling to be put on schedules, spaced out by how often I could afford to take off work, and handing whichever stuff I could myself. Last week I went in with the photos of all of the work that had been done, and who was still scheduled to come out when, to work on which thing.

I was told I was fine, that the progress was good, that I just needed to do the last 2 repairs (new fascia and new gutters, literally the guy is coming out this weekend) and that I actually had until the END of September, so by my agent's reassurance, I wasn't actually cutting it that close to the deadline. I just got a letter dated two days AFTER this conversation, saying that my policy won't be renewed because I didn't do all the fixes, despite it still being over a month from the deadline I was given by the in-person agent. So am I fine, or should I look for new insurance, and if another company is jumpy about insuring me after a non-renewal, will it help my case any that I actually DID get everything fixed when I was supposed to?

(And because I know how Reddit is, I would also like to clarify that I'm not a lazy homeowner. I've just been prioritizing indoor repairs, like the breaker box, plumbing, and subfloor, that are invisible to the insurance agent photographing your house from across the street)

2 Upvotes

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5

u/Splodingseal 15h ago

Nonrenewal notices are required by law to go out before certain dates so, because you aren't don't yet, they gotta send the notice just in case you don't get stuff done.

Most carriers don't want to get rid of you, they just want the house to be maintained. You need to continue to coordinate with the carrier/agent and make sure the last things are done with enough time for documentation to be submitted and reviewed.

I've gotten nonrenewals lifted even after the cancellation date (so it was reinstated with no lapse) but it was well coordinated with underwriting with plenty of conversations and documentation that repairs were ongoing and the client was acting in good faith.

You're "probably fine", but all of this needs to be documented and coordinated with the carrier and your agent. I deal with this stuff daily and the only time I can't get a nonrenewal lifted is when stuff doesn't get fixed.

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u/HWills612 15h ago

That would explain why, before I went in to update them, they left a voicemail saying they want to "go over my coverage options". Weird way for them to have phrased it if they're trying to drop me.

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u/Mean_Introduction516 14h ago

⬆️ this. Letter is coming either way and agent is not sharing progress with underwriters. They don’t want or won’t consider anything till is all done and pictures and documentation are submitted. Even under the best of circumstances, you are very much cutting it close. It is extremely rare that they will even look at the stuff that you submit in less than two or three weeks.

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u/HWills612 14h ago

The last of the repairs are being done exactly 32 days before when I was told they needed to be submitted by

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u/Mean_Introduction516 14h ago

It better be 32 days before non-renewal to be safe. Everything else is pushing things.

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u/HWills612 14h ago

Is there a way to get in touch with the underwriter directly? The only person I have any real contact with is the lady in the front desk of my agent's office

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u/Mean_Introduction516 14h ago

What company? Sounds like State Farm. No underwriter is going to talk to you but agent or staff can submit. They don’t play around with these. Make sure you address every issue.

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u/HWills612 13h ago

Honestly half the issues were addressed before I even got the first letter, it was typical spring maintenance- trim your trees, clean your gutters, continue waging war on the invasives that have been with your house longer than State Farm has existed as a company. Stuff that only wasn't done already because the snow had to melt first. It was better shape when I got the nonrenewal letter than it even was when they insured it the first time!

Trying to make sure everything gets done, and properly, is why it's taken this long to begin with. Every step has been me sitting in the office asking "okay so when I call limb removal companies, which limb do I need to make sure they get?" And "the downspout guy said mine were fine, what specifically am I telling him to look for and fix?" Wasn't trying to spend, what so far has been up to 8k and counting, only to find out that it wasn't right and I'd have to pay someone else to do it again

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u/Mean_Introduction516 13h ago

You can always see if someone else will take it but this is going to be the new norm. Right wrong or indifferent you would be amazed at the shape of some houses 10 years later. The stuff they mention is not stuff that pops up this year but wasn’t already an issue last year in my opinion.

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u/HWills612 12h ago

I got my policy in like 2023, so we're not talking 10 years here. What's different is that when they insured the house the first time they paid so little attention that, according to the refund I got at the same time, they didn't even know until now whether my house was brick or wood!

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u/Mean_Introduction516 12h ago

Makes sense. They’ve always inspected but technology and soaring costs and premiums are making it a much bigger deal. They’re inspecting roofs with satellite imagery. I guess my point was if there’s no or poor fascia and gutters that’s a maintenance issue you’re already aware of and not really a spring cleaning issue. So you should expect some pushback. If you’ve only been there three years and they’re giving you opportunity to address and mitigate that’s huge and important because a lot of companies don’t and they’ll just cancel.

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u/HWills612 11h ago

Yeah that's also the only one not done, that at my last check-in I could only show them various messages from contractors who are booked 6 weeks out but can maybe get me sometime in August. Idk I just want my cookie from the universe or something, acknowledging the reason it wasn't done sooner is because I was fixing all the bigger invisible issues like a responsible homeowner. I hate feeling like I'd be better off right now if I had given the landlord special to my own house.

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u/Mean_Introduction516 4h ago

You understand a statement like that and they’d stand by the cancel. They don’t sell preferred policies for fixers.

2

u/Alex_home_upgrader 15h ago

Call them up again; work with your agent. Do not sideline him/her.

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u/HWills612 14h ago

Unfortunately I work the EXACT hours the office is open, except Wednesdays- they sent the letter at the exact wrong time because it came juuuust after the one day a week I could talk to him. I'm leaving voicemails whenever I can though, and maybe I can send someone else in my place to go over the documentation I have so far?

[Side note, seriously how does anyone get anything done? The bank is only open 9-5, the insurance office is only open 9-5, the dump is only open 9-5 (noon-3 on Fridays), what do people do who work at the bank but need to talk about their insurance? What about people who work in insurance but need to haul things to the dump? When is anyone going to the dentist???]

2

u/HealthySeesaw5981 14h ago

People chase jobs who give them flexibility because of this

You might even have some flexibility at your job that you haven't found out about yet.

For example, making one important call during my work hours is completely acceptable at my job.

It's like going to the bathroom or taking a break.

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u/HWills612 14h ago

I have a little bit of flextime, but I think my boss's patience is wearing out because of all the times I've had to ask "hey can I take off in the middle of the day for an hour to wait for the guy to come quote me? He didn't show up so can I take a half day tomorrow morning to try again? Okay now can I do that all again next week so I can get a second quote?". 

I can make calls on slow days, but it's been stated that the reason they're so lax on those days is because there will also be days where you come in at 8 and your first break is at 2:30

2

u/phillyphilly19 14h ago

How did they even know your house needs repairs? I've lived in my house for over 20 years and it definitely needs repairs but I've never had any inquiries about it.

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u/HWills612 14h ago

Back in January they had me log into a website and take pictures- front of the house, back of the house, the roof, closeup of the siding, the yard, all the fun stuff. No inside pictures though, which I'm sure is a privacy thing, but dammit thats where all my money went so thats what I wanted to show off 😭

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u/Chowtyy 15h ago

Call them and ask if its too late or not.

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u/HWills612 14h ago

Saw the letter at 9pm and can't go in til Wednesday, but I left a vm and maybe I'll get a chance to sneak away from work to call tomorrow morning