Keep an eye out for this one folks… Maybe just an isolated incident, or the start of a new trend…
Standing on the porch of his newly-purchased two-story house on Old Wheat Street, Jason White pulls from his mailbox a long, white envelope. It’s a bill from Allstate–$11 for a canceled homeowner’s insurance policy.
“They came out and they said they were reducing the policy premium a little bit,” White said of his initial experience with the insurance company. “Then I got a letter, actually my mortgage company got the letter first, saying my insurance was canceled. I was like, I haven’t heard anything,'” he said.
The Allstate letter references two reasons for the cancellation. One, a small amount of dry rot on the home’s siding–something White says is small and easily fixed. The second reason given is the abandoned, decaying house next door.
“The front yard is completely overgrown,” White says as he walks around his yard, pointing at the house next door. “The weeds are five feet, six feet high.”
If it was possible to reach the neighboring house’s front door, one would see a sign condemning the structure. The place is a mess. The porch has remnants of old furniture, garbage, even a blank cassette tape. A padlocked fence separates the house from the sidewalk. White admits it’s a hazard, but says he doesn’t understand why Allstate would cancel his policy because of someone else’s negligence.
“Nobody called to talk about the situation, make any suggestions,” he said, adding that he simply received a letter saying his insurance was canceled.
Allstate spokeswoman Nancy Lemke says the insurer manages risk and controls costs by considering not only an individual’s home, but also the area around it. “In some instances, adjacent exposures–like vacant or abandoned buildings–can be indicative of a higher-risk environment,” Lemke said.
For more see here…
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after 20 years allstate did not renew my homeowners policy. i was notified my steps were 7 inches too low and considered a hazard. i was sent the notice to repair or my policy would be cancelled maybe 3 to 5 days before i received the cancellation notice. scam and crooks. i am terrified at the thought of having to shop for new insurance. my fear is all insurance companies will treat me that way. i have no insurance and still have a mortgage.
Another little tidbit of information. We recently completed a repair to a home where the rain water gutter located at the fascia on the rear of the house had clogged. This caused water to collect in that area, and water when it sits always finds a way in; over time the rotted out the roof rafters. The home owner filed a claim with her home owner’s insurance company (State Farm). State Farm refused the claim on the basis that the cause was a lack of maintenance. Well this lady was over eighty years old. She certainly was not going to get on a ladder to clean her rain water gutter…no matter.
If you fail to maintain, chances are your claim will be denied.
In following up on the Foreclosure Fraud Resources “Produce the Note California Style” I was lead to the author S B D’Anna who wrote as a member of NATIONALALLIANCE OF HOMEOWNERS FOR JUSTICE. That web site has several articles helping people with home insurance problems, and I’m sure they would delight in helping Jason White. Also–EVERYONE WITH CALIFORNIA PROPERTY, or connections should know about this article on foreclosure-NOD’s and the NOTE. Great work, Grampa Jack
I suggest Jason White see about acquiring control of that next door property. If he doesn’t have tne $$$ or the knowledge he should review the web site landtrust.net as Bill Gatton has 5000 members all over the Country and surely some members in the Atlanta area would be happy to investigate this circumstance for investing. Grampa Jack