Tag Archives: flood insurance

Disaster Relief for HOA Members? Ha!

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I’m linking to the CAI site only for the purpose of backing up a previous blog.

If you are living in a Homeowners Association which experiences a weather or earthquake disaster, don’t count on getting federal help of any kind. An HOA member hit by a flood is not considered a homeowner, but an investor in a corporation. When 20,000 homes were damaged in the Boulder flood two years ago, many homeowners discovered they were flat out of luck. Those inside HOAs found that FEMA wouldn’t help them and they couldn’t get federal loans. They couldn’t buy federal flood insurance either because they didn’t live inside recognized flood zones. Who knew Boulder Creek could ever launch that big a flood?

We learned recently that if HOA boards in California don’t buy earthquake insurance for the whole community, then individual homeowners can’t get coverage either.

CAI reports that a couple of Democratic Congress members have made some progress in getting the feds to help Homeowners Associations badly hit by Hurricane Sandy.

CAI’s press release is about as dishonest and disingenuous as they come. What they should really be talking about is not about federal exemptions, but about the fact that the very membership of an HOA in CAI is a red flag to the feds. You HOA members are investors, NOT HOMEOWNERS!!!

(link to CAI press release)

 

Insurance Nightmares: Of Interest To All Homeowners

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Feel free to send my web link to everyone you know. This story should go viral.

It’s hard to make long stories short, but I’ll try.

When my wife and I were out of state a number of years ago, a squirrel got into the house and did thousands of dollars worth of damage, chewing up the sofa, all the drapes, the carpets. I called State Farm and asked if I was covered. They said “no.” If an elk or a bear had gotten in your house you’d be covered because those are wild animals.

“Aren’t squirrels wild animals?”

“Nope, they’re rodents and there’s an exclusion in all home insurance policies for rodents.”

“What if a rabbit had gotten into the house?” I asked.

“They’re rodents and they’re excluded.” Wow, I thought I had them there because I knew that rabbits and hares aren’t rodents, they’re lagamorphs. Look it up. One way or another, I’m sure the insurance company would find a way to do its customary screw job.

I started studying the exclusions and discovered another few I didn’t know. (Yes, sometimes I’m deadly stupid). But flood damage is another tricky one. If a raindrop touches the ground before it enters your house it’s considered a flood and insurance companies have tricky ways to exclude flood damage. That also means if the corroded water line to your house breaks, the water hits the ground first, so you’re not covered. If the raindrop hits your house before coming inside, then the coverage is good.

BTW, so called Smart Meters are being installed in millions of homes across the country. They’ve exploded or melted, caused thousands of house fires in the U.S. and Canada and…you might have guessed it… Smart Meters aren’t UL listed, therefore insurance policies automatically exclude any fire damage that comes from a non-UL listed device. Smart meters have also blown out entire kitchens full of appliances. Again, no coverage.

While we’re speaking of damage and insurance companies, let me refer you to another interesting story that broke last week. I won’t try to prejudice you with my thoughts…. I’ll just send you to the link.

(insurance issues in Hurricane Sandy)