Insurance Agent Took a Photo of Our Kitchen! (55, community, state)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We recently moved to our retirement home in a small 55+ community. When we changed our homeowner's policy to reflect the new house, our insurance agent came over and took photos. He took one of the outside and then asked to come in and take one of our kitchen (which my DH agreed to allow). We have been with this company for 30 years and have changed houses a number of times but never had a request for any photo of the inside of the house. It seems strange to me. Anyone else have this experience??
That is an odd one, you should ask them why, I want to know.
The only request we had was for a picture uploaded to the insurance company as evidence that our tree branches were trimmed and not overhanging the eaves from when the house was inspected. A normal request but I was surprised they trusted us to do it.
A coupe of years ago I switched from Company A to Company B. Had been with "A" for about 15 years.
Company B came and took pictures inside and out.
The agent said they had been doing it for quite some time - seems when a house burned, people were claiming they had a deluxe this and a deluxe that.
I'ts just a good idea to have a complete set of pictures of all your belongings. I have about 70 photos of inside and outside our home including the garage contents, closet contents, jewelry, cameras, etc.
Many years ago we had a major home fire with 100% replacement coverage and we also had a good agent that helped us out. We did not have photos but she advised us to take photos for any possible future claims.
The insurance co. is not going to pay you to replace expensive items unless you have proof. Photos are proof.
The kitchen is a good indicator of the finish level in the house which would have everything to do with replacement value in case of a loss. Do you live in an area at high risk for a catastrophic/total loss?
I agree that it's unusual, but it does make sense that, if an agent is to get photos to represent the overall condition and finish level/value of the house, he could simply snap one of the exterior and another of the kitchen and have a pretty good overview.
I practice law and most of my work involves making insurance claims and/or pursuing lawsuits where insurance will be paying for injuries and loss.
Its my experience that insurance companies are demanding more and more information these days. Statements involving accidents are now taking 20 or 30 minutes instead of 10 or 15 minutes. Some companies will demand disclosure of a five year medical history as a prerequisite to paying an injury claim. Applying for car insurance involves a very long interview with most companies that includes incredibly minute details about every aspect of one's life and generally a credit check as well.
I think insurance agents are feeling pressure from above as well. The companies want and expect them to do more to justify their commissions.
The way things are going, I think it may be a requirement to photograph every room of your home--as well as the exterior--before a company, in the future, will write a homeowner's policy at all. Its a sign of the times.
The way things are going, I think it may be a requirement to photograph every room of your home--as well as the exterior--before a company, in the future, will write a homeowner's policy at all. Its a sign of the times.
That would be fine with us, as long as it's the insurance company doing the work, and not us.
I've always wondered, way back when I first got renters' insurance (many long years ago) why the insurance company didn't take comprehensive photos, or ask to see the inside of the property. It only makes sense to me to do so.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.