Homeowners Lose Insurance Discounts in Florida

[hausdok]

According to this Sun Sentinel.com article, thousands of Florida homeowners recently saw their homeowners insurance increase after inspections conducted by their insurers determined that discounts they'd received for hurricane upgrades weren't justified.

Worse, some of the inspectors working for the insurance companies are the same inspectors that had been hired by homeowners to confirm upgrades had been completely and properly done in the first place.

Sounds pretty screwed up, doesn't it? To read more, Click Here.

[Marc]

It seems there's no grandfathering in Florida on wind mitigation requirements. That makes compliance a moving target.

In Louisiana, vendors of homeowner's insurance make their own individual compliance inspection forms, drafted from a vague state description of the requirement. Since these people are in the insurance business and not construction, the forms include some outrageously ambiguous questions and others that are downright wrong, with the effect that most houses can either pass or fail, depending on how the particular inspector interprets the question.

Marc

[kurt]

Interesting.

Although, it sounds like an average day in Florida real estate shenanigans.

All those folks that don't pay state tax, maybe they ought to pay into a fund for hurricane problems.

[Jim Baird]

In my blighted worldview insurers are a couple of circles deeper in Hades than realtors, who are really way down there.

[Mike Stanley]

Thanks for bringing this matter up. As inspectors we need to maintain high standards and recognize when our industry fails. There are some fantastic inspectors out there, and regrettably some less than great. There are a number of reasons for this situation, and certainly the Florida OIR plays a part. I think it incumbent on us as a community though to maintain high standards and really think long-term about the work we do and the impact we have. I would rather that we be active in judging ourselves than wait until some embarrassing deficiency rears its ugly head. Kudos to those of us who maintain a high standard and let's try to raise those who would like to do better, but lack the tools or support. For those that lack the integrity to do the right thing, the sooner we confront them the better.

[Jim Katen]

Thanks for bringing this matter up. As inspectors we need to maintain high standards and recognize when our industry fails. There are some fantastic inspectors out there, and regrettably some less than great. There are a number of reasons for this situation, and certainly the Florida OIR plays a part. I think it incumbent on us as a community though to maintain high standards and really think long-term about the work we do and the impact we have. I would rather that we be active in judging ourselves than wait until some embarrassing deficiency rears its ugly head. Kudos to those of us who maintain a high standard and let's try to raise those who would like to do better, but lack the tools or support. For those that lack the integrity to do the right thing, the sooner we confront them the better.

Wow! 144 words to say absolutely nothing. You have a future in politics.

[Marc]

It's a typical state-run program. No quality control. Compare it to the Fortified for Existing Homes program that's just getting started in Louisiana. The inspector takes photos and completes an extensive checklist, up-links it to the engineers at IBHS (Institute for Business and Home Safety) who generate the report, Emailing a copy to both the homeowner and the inspector. The WMS (wind mitigation surveyor) that the insurance company sends out later is shown the certificate that accompanies the IBHS report and checks off the box on the WMS report form that allows the discount.

You have to be more than stupid to mislead them. You have to be deliberate.

Marc