Question regarding home inspection

[petestan]

I have had my homeowners insurance with the same company for a number of years and I do not remember when an inspection was done. My insurance was due this month and I paid it in full last week.

Today, I just received a message stating that an inspector wants to come in, inspect, take some pictures and it wouldn't take long.

Questions

Do I have to let him in?
I have not made any improvements on the house. Will my insurance go up after the inspection, if I have to let him in?
Can't they just look at the outside and do the inspection without coming in?

Looking for feedback.

Thanks

 

[97guns]

Never heard of them having to see the inside, they will do a drive by in every case I’ve seen

 

[97guns]

Not sure about having to let them in

 

[pb4uski]

No you don't have to let him ... but the insurance company doesn't have to insure you either.

Your insurance probably won't change.

No, they need to see inside too.

An organization that I am treasurer of had an inspection recently... they just recommended us adding a fire extinguisher... we agree that it was a good idea and have done it. Easy.

 

[Jerry1]

I've never had that happen. In terms of "do you have to let him in" or cooperate in general, it's not like a governmental inspector. You don't have to let him in but they don't need to sell you insurance.

Maybe this is a new thing. Kind of like the monitor they plug into cars. Privacy is dead. However, this could be a good thing. Once they document the condition of your house, they can't say that your issue was not from the event. For example, I'm sure in a flooded kitchen, they could say that the floor was already damaged and try not to pay for it. At least with the inspection, they cannot do that. Of course they're doing it to make sure you have properly taken care of your home and to prevent you from claiming "disrepair" as an insurance matter.

 

[Amethyst]

We just went through this with our insurance company. It is not like a home inspection for sale. They want pictures of your interior finishes (so they know what replacement value to assign) and of the exterior (so they know the condition of your roof, type of shingles etc.) They want to know how many bathrooms you have and what type of heating, water system, etc.

You certainly have the right to refuse entry to your home, but the company has the right to drop you as a customer if you don't comply. Insurance companies are tough suckers and they mean business.

It could end up costing you more, or saving you money. For example, we get a discount b/c our roof is newer and uses upgraded shingles. At some point, that discount will age off.

Nobody told us we needed to do anything to our house. That may be because we keep it in good shape.

I have had my homeowners insurance with the same company for a number of years and I do not remember when an inspection was done. My insurance was due this month and I paid it in full last week.

Today, I just received a message stating that an inspector wants to come in, inspect, take some pictures and it wouldn't take long.

Questions

Do I have to let him in?
I have not made any improvements on the house. Will my insurance go up after the inspection, if I have to let him in?
Can't they just look at the outside and do the inspection without coming in?

Looking for feedback.

Thanks

 

[spncity]

We also had never heard of these pop-up inspections. Last summer at FIL’s house a third party hired by the insurance company showed up, took photos (outside) and sent a list of things that needed to be repaired and some stuff sitting around the barns that the wanted moved. My DH spent a week completing the list and some things beyond the list and spoke to the third party to report in. Then they asked for photos to be sent to them of a different area of the outside yard. Photos were sent. They made noises like they still weren’t satisfied, but by this time we were on a trip and couldn’t revisit to do anything further, so FIL went down the street to a different insurer with identical coverages and saved some money in the process.

 

[JoeWras]

I switched to Amica 3 years ago. They didn't personally inspect. They used pictures from google earth and street view, along with the real estate records, and of course the answers to many questions.

I got a friend at work to switch, and they sent out someone to inspect his house at new policy issuance time. The inspection consisted of a quick walk around outside, and a tiny fast peek inside, 2 minutes worth.

I don't know why the difference, except perhaps the difference in general price in the neighborhoods? Or maybe his answers to his questions.

 

[Sunset]

We switched ins companies for the house, and they did an outside inspection, gave me a short list of things to fix (like add a railing on deck), and then send photos to show it was done.

They never asked for inside view, but it's not like we have upscale stuff like granite countertops, or leather walls, etc.

 

[Car-Guy]

Multiple homes and have never had an insurance company even ask to come inside. Not going to happen!

 

[Scrapr]

They never asked for inside view, but it's not like we have upscale stuff like granite countertops, or leather walls, etc.

Leather walls? Tell me more! Is it fine Corinthian leather?

 

[Dash man]

USAA sent someone to inspect our home a few years ago. They called ahead to make an appointment and it only took a few minutes. The rebuild cost of our home did go up and our policy did have a small increase. They didn’t tell us we needed to do anything since we do keep it in good shape.

 

[indiajust]

One of the rooms in the castle in Asheville NC has leather wall treatments.

 

[HadEnuff]

I once removed a rotting railing from a small porch that had a 3 1/2 foot drop off of it. Once the railing was gone, I decided I liked the view much better without it.
Very soon after that I got a call from the INSCO, saying I needed to replace the railing, soon, and to call them once I did.
They must have spotted it on a drive-by inspection. They hadn't told me they were coming by, they just must do this every once in a while.
I didn't even know I was being watched.

 

[Cobra9777]

My premium went down recently after an outside inspection. I wasn't there and didn't even know they were coming. When I originally got the policy, I reported the exterior as masonry. Evidently, the inspector "downgraded" it to 50% masonry veneer. The second level siding is cedar board and batten. Reduction wasn't much, but I'll take it. Many years ago, we had an insurance inspector request that we trim tree branches near the chimney.

We've never had an inspector request to come inside. A lot of houses on sites like Zillow now have interior photos from a prior sale. This will give a good idea if the kitchen is custom or builder's grade, etc. We bought a rental house a few years ago and I called our insurance company to initiate coverage. While we were on the phone, the agent pulled up the listing photos on realtor.com and helped me answer all the questions. He also asked about the home inspection and if the seller made repairs or concessions as a result. They never sent an inspector that I'm aware of.

 

[Bamaman]

When I moved into a new to us house last year, our insurance company did a drive by inspection to (1) make sure it was not a dump and (2) to look at the condition of our roof and gutters. I assume they wanted to also verify if any trees or limbs were touching the house.

I have since realized they are obsessed with doors after getting hit with so many hail claims. They sent another letter saying another inspector may be coming out and verified how much they would pay if our roof had comprehensive claims made.

I ha e nothing to hide. Bring them on.