Insurance Nightmares: Of Interest To All Homeowners
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)
