Home owners insurance

[popper]

Got a letter from USAA the other day. I get to pay a premium rate on my insurance if I can't prove my roof meets some 'impact resistance' ASTM tests. Last time they changed coverage from 100% to 80% of roof damage. Guess I have to go to my city to see what codes they had in place 14 yrs ago. They didn't state which qualifies for a 'discount'. Even USAA is getting to be a blood sucker. Flood coverage is required to get personal property coverage in case of broken pipes, etc. Doesn't cover the broken pipe damage - most of our water pipes are below slab or above ceiling in this area. State regs for a guaranteed profit of 10%.

[Alvarez Kelly]

Go back to the shingle manufacturer if you know for sure what specific shingles went on your roof. Most test their shingles to various standards.

[Handloader109]

City doesn't care, Kelly is right, go to mfg of shingles.......maybe you can get info....BTW, where are you? Never heard of this requirement. I've been using Liberty Mutual for about 10 yrs now. Couple of claims due to hail to my MS home, they paid fairly and quickly. Even covered a small playhouse and crappy aluminum storage building. Get a new quote...

[shooter93]

Insurance companies are collection agencies not insurance companies it seems. I read my whole policy once and found I was covered if my robotic servant causes any damage but not your typical water damages.....who thinks these things up?????? If I ever have a water leak maybe I should file telling them my robotic servant went nuts and knocked everything loose.....lol.

[Houndog]

Your profile doesn't say where you live but if there's a Farm Bureau Insurance agent in your area give them a whirl! I saved about 1/3 over State Farm AND NO GIMMICS!

[lightman]

I've been very happy with Farm Bureau over the years, but they are not the cheapest.

[runfiverun]

impact resistance?
like an airplane is supposed to bounce off your roof?
shingles wont deflect more than rain water.

[Charley]

Hail damage. I lost my discount last year, it happens when the roof/shingles get to a certain age. USAA paid for my last roof, minus the deductible, so I can't really complain. Hoping for a small hailstorm this year or the next so I can cut the cost of reroofing!

[Old Scribe]

I live in a "moderate" snow zone where the county building inspectors are concerned about snow load. I never had any inquiry from USAA about my roof, shingles or any of that.
In your case, must be a local thing.

[Goatwhiskers]

Just to show how insurance companies can get to you, many years ago when my dad was a young man he decided that he should have life insurance and bought a policy. Quite a few years later he decided to read the policy, found that it would only pay off if he was killed by bricks falling from a building being demolished. GW

[rancher1913]

sounds like your insurance company wants you to put a new roof on before the life expectancy runs out on your current one. by doing this they can avoid a claim. always herd usaa was a decent company, maybe not so much anymore.

[bangerjim]

Got a new roof 2 years ago due to severe hail/tornado (in AZ ?) damage. They drug their feet at first and wanted to replace ~150 shingles on a 25 year old roof. NO WAY. Kept on them and so did my contractor and finally the full replacement went thru.

You could see dime-sized divots all over the roof. Shingles were hard and almost glass-like.

Now I have a roof that will probably outlast me by ~10 years! Over-spec double-lapped felt and thick designer shingles. Only cost me $500 for upgraded drip edging.

bangerjim

[dakotashooter2]

I'm sure the impact rating is for the shingles. A few problems come to mind. The impact rating is likely on new shingles. As they age their impact resistance drops. A 14 year old shingle is probably not going to pass the impact test and if you find the info they want they will probably turn around and tell you that. Very few people keep records of their shingles. The insurance companies count on this so they can screw you on claims. In my opinion ASTM test don't mean ****..... I can tell you from experience that shingles rarely live up to the specs the manufacturers claim. Sorry but testing them to a years worth of abuse/weather in a short period of time may sound good in theory but does NOT get you the same results. Despite what the manufacturers claim a 30-35 year shingle in my neck of the woods will start curling and cracking (particularly southern exposure) in 10-15 years if it doesn't suffer significant hail damage before that time is up....... Threaten to go to another insurer and see what happens......

[gpidaho]

Insurance in all it's many forms seems to be a pocket for putting money in not taking it out. What other business could accept your custom and so steadfastly refuse to supply the "product" without fraud charges being filed. GP

[Charley]

Yeah, all them there insurance companies are just cheaters and liars, Oh yeah, I wonder who is paying for elk hunter's hotel and repair bills?
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?280455-we-re-homeless-as-of-last-MondaY

[popper]

Yes, it is just a rate increase method. That is understood. No it is NOT local to Texas or DFW, Kansas and a few other states are NOT required to send back proof. What really gripes me is the Texas Gov (like most states) regulates their PROFIT margin. So anything they can get out of the margin goes into their pocket. I did email my state rep. about it, doubt anything will come of it. Yea, I've had roofs replaced before, one was wood shingles - required by deed restrictions. That was expensive as they had to put underlayment on it. Mostly hail damage. Then they changed the law so roofs had to be fire resistant. Funny down here the regulator is the railroad commish - handles oil, gas, commerce rules. Elected position but it doesn't make much difference who is in office, same results. Been to many ASTM meetings, most are a coalition of venders trying to set the standards. Same with UL but that is insurance co. They DO really come up with some pretty good standards and tests, a lot copied from DoD.

[smokeywolf]

I'm sure they'll pay up with no problems on any claim... Assuming that all insurance companies are just as ethical and honest as a used car salesman. Oh wait; a politician. No wait a minute; your soon to be ex wife's divorce lawyer.

Ahh forget it. They'll never pay out what they actually owe on a claim.

[MaryB]

Should have heard my insurance company when I told them I wanted to insure solar panels... all kinds of objections etc until I showed them testing for 1" impact resistance. Rated better than the cheesy shingles that were on my house when I bought it. Roof needs replacing and I am going steel... if it dents I don't care, better wind resistance for the non-stop winds here that eat shingles(my yard is littered with torn off tabs, shingles are 30 years old).

[Beau Cassidy]

I just bought a new house a few months ago. Since I have USAA auto insurance I did the online thing for an estimate- $3200 a year. I thought that was kinda high so I called them the next day. By the time I got off the phone it was going to be $3800 a year. Screw that... just for kicks I called State Farm.... they wanted 5K a year. I called Farm Bureau and got a quote for $2300 a year. They also will cover anything over, I believe 10% of replacement cost which is way more than I paid for it. I think I done good. I need to check on my auto policy with Farm Bureau. USAA is pricing themselves a little too high.