Submitted by Yogurtsamples t3_10b76ua in RhodeIsland
Lived and in my house over four years (125 years old if that matters) and I just got a call from an inspector that the insurance company needs it inspected. I asked why and he said they do this every 2-3 years. Is this normal or for real?
I looked up the number and it’s the insurance company’s number, but seeing as they called at nearly 5 on Friday before a long weekend, I won’t get an answer from them for a while
Spoofing a phone number is incredibly easy and caller ID shouldn't be a form of verification. Call the main 800 number for your insurance company. Ask them if it's legit.
Owned a few houses and they sent someone to look inside the newest one but my old house they looked outside and that was it. Definitely sounds a bit suspect.
Allstate did one after having them for 20 years, even during construction of the house. Inspector said they were cutting down on "older homes" in their portfolio. Sure enough they cancelled me.
Yikes! Okay, thanks
Were you able to secure new coverage?
Went with Amica. No problem. Never filed a claim with either insurer. Allstate said they dropped me because I needed a new roof. Told them I was already waiting for 2 estimates to come back. They didn't care.
Luckily I’ve got a roofer coming out to put on a new roof before the inspector.
Is it a multi-family?
Nope. Single family.
I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’m a general contractor and I have heard of this happening to people who own multi-family buildings pretty often due to the wild fluctuations in property values over the past few years. Unless you have any structural issues or major water leaks that can cause mold issues, you don’t have anything to worry about. If you have any evidence of leaks in your ceiling, discoloration or bubbling, I would delay the inspection until you patch the areas with joint compound, primer, and paint. If you have any loose facia boards(the front facing boards behind your gutters) they may give you shit about that.
Edit: this happening to single family homeowners is far less common but not unheard of. Just be sure to confirm any inspectors credentials and if anyone tells you “Hey you need to pay this amount of $ or ins company B will drop you” it’s probably a scam
Thank you. This is reassuring and helpful
No problem, if you do have any issues feel free to DM. I can let you know what your dealing with and give you an estimate.
Ugh, we had this happen. Move the grill away from the house and God forbid you have a trampoline. We never let them in the house.
I’ve followed up with an email to the insurance company, but he said he needed to check (and listed) certain things on the first floor inside. Ugh
In my years of home ownership have never had a inspection, so make sure that this is legit.. looks "scammy" to me..
Definitely sounds questionable, I think a lot of insurance companies close at 8pm EST so try to give them a call. I know that several cities are also doing a value assessment but haven't heard of insurance doing insurance re-assessments.
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Wow that's really early. I guess you'll have to wait until Tuesday sadly unless you can get a hold of others with the same insurance company and ask them.
I guess so. That’s why I’m on here looking for an info.
Have had my house for decades. Same insurer since I bought it. Never had a "reinspection"
Never had a call from Our company. My neighbor did when he was shopping around for a new carrier and they (new carrier) did an inspection and told him he had to upgrade his electric (all k and t) or lose his insurance in a month. But otherwise never heard of that. We’ve even had claims folks come out when we had to actually use the insurance and they didn’t “redo” an inspection.
But hey there’s always a first time. Maybe the company is getting bought out and they are doing this as part of that? Or it’s a scam.
Yeah, it’s the same insurance company. That’s rough for your neighbor
Yeah. But even in that case he initiated it by looking for a cheaper company - and ended up having to spend 40K to upgrade. His old company didn’t initiate it. Keep us updated?
Woof
Mine inspection consisted of me taking pictures of different parts of my house they asked for.
So you took pics inside of what they wanted to see? What company was this?
Yes they sent me a website with certain pictures I had to take that I uploaded.
Union Mutual is the company. They were the cheapest and best insurance agent found me. I work with Carey Richmond and Viking out of EP.
Thank you. I have to find a company to insure with. Didn’t know they almost all came out to do an inspection.
This never has happened to me...owned my house 25 years.
I had Traveler's stop by without asking and they discovered I had a five year old German Shepherd by looking in the windows. They cancelled me.
I’m an inspector and I never understand the “it’s a scam” thing. A scam, by definition has to have a part where the scammer gets something from the act. An insurance inspection is someone taking photos and looking at your electric panel, furnace, and hot water heater. Where does the scam come in?
Most people who own houses realize insurance companies inspect their homes. Even if you never had one before, you will eventually get a call. The carrier wants info and photos in the file in case there is a claim. It also protects the homeowner if there is a claim, since there will be photographic proof of what the home looked like before the fire, flood, or whatever.
If you have doubts, call your agent. And if you refuse, you will get a letter telling you to comply or get dropped.
I guess it’s why didn’t the insurance company notify me first. When someone calls me out of the blue and says they want to enter my home, it’s suspect.
I have no problem complying. My issue, I guess, is transparency and communication with the insurance company.
I’ve done thousands of inspections in RI and now in Florida. Some carriers send a letter letting you know someone will be calling, some don’t. As I said, call your agent to confirm. That’s what I always tell anyone who seems hesitant. Also the inspector will have credentials and paperwork showing you carrier, agent, and info on home. A “scammer” won’t have all that, lol.
They came out once for me. Told me the garage needed a new roof. I told them no it did not. Never heard anything else. Was just an exterior inspection.
I’m in a new house (4yrs) and never thought about an inspection. But we put in an in ground pool and gas fireplace since and have wondered about informing them. The actual agent left me a voicemail around the beginning of the month that got me a little worried. When I called back, an assistant answered and said he probably called to make sure everything was ok, that they usually do that once a year around renewal time.
I had insurance come out about a year after having and they did an exterior inspection and informed I needed a roof. It was crazy but insurance companies are just bullies so what do u expectn
Weird. I did work to my house so called my insurance to adjust the value. They just asked me a few questions on what I did and what else is on my property like deck, patio, shed
My insurance co did an inspection when we moved in. It didn't take long and was really just to confirm things, etc.
Yeah they did one when I moved in four years ago, but they want to do another
arrow_of_apollo t1_j48japd wrote
Insurance did an outside inspection when I bought my house, but never after. If you didn't change companies I would call your insurance company to confirm it's legit, then ask them to confirm the inspectors name. Could easily be a scam or something.