Does anyone know anything about insurance?

Plainoldme, it's been a while since I have seen you post here. I am so sorry to hear about your situation. I think ehBeth and hamburger know insurance, but just remember, honey, that insurance companies don't like to pay. It's the only business that I know of that doesn't have a product.

If a house isn't properly painted all hell can break loose. Water will begin to rot the wood, causing structural damage to the house. The rail is a common safety precaution and in some areas is actually required by law.

If I was in your area I would paint your house for you. For free.

and I really believe you would, Gus.

POM, I gave hamburger a link to this thread. Let's hope he will be over to advise. He helped me once after hurricane Frances.

Re: Does anyone know anything about insurance?


If your porch is 30" or higher from grade the state requires (780 CMR 3603.14) that there be a guardrail (at least 36" tall) and the steps must have a handrail on at least one side.

Painting could be an indicator that the house isn't being maintained and possibly becoming a safety hazard.

I'm not saying that these are good excuses but if they are looking for a reason to terminate you they found enough to satisfy the state should you try to sue or file a complaint against them with the insurance commission.

plainoldme : sorry to hear about your trouble .
i'm not sure if i can be of much help to you, but i'll try my best .
if your house has been vandalized repeatedly , insurance companies will be reluctant to carry the risk , because they'll assume that there will be further problems .
if you can somehow make your house somewhat more safe against intruders - whether you have insurance or not - , that should be a step in the right direction . if your house has already been vandalized repeatedly , some crazy character might even want to set fire to it . do you have a neighbourhood watch system ? usually police departments are quite willing to help in setting up such system. we started one in our neighbourhood some years ago (after we had a breakin !) and it has certainly helped . i imagine that you'll find a monitored alarm system too expensive , but you could have one in your house that would set off a siren to alert your neighbours .
you should also contact some other insurance companies/agents to find out if they'd be willing to insure you - perhaps with a higher deductible .
keep in mind that house insurance is not that much different from car insurance; if you have too many accidents , your premium goes up and you may eventually become a risk that insurance companies don't want to touch .
i'd certainly suggest you try to secure your property as well as you can .
also keep in mind that if your property is not maintained up-to-standards - missing handrail - and someone has an accident on your property , you could be held liable .
unfortunately , i don't think this sounds very encouraging , but i really don't have any better advice.
if you can give us some more details, perhaps we can come up with some helpful suggestions . hope this helps at least a little bit. hbg

What hamburger said, plus maybe install deadbolts on all of the doors. That will show that you are serious about home security and they are not that expensive and you do not need an expert to install them.

Contact your local Habitat For Humanity about the house repairs. Based on your income they might be able to help you. You will have to contribute to the work, but they can find you a few volunteers with tools and the paint.

I agree about the good locks. Also get some thick curtains, a thief is more likely to break in if he can see something worth stealing. Forget about reporting stolen stuff, it's cheaper to replace it in the long run.

Personally, I have little use for insurance agencies and I have never put in a claim. I feel they play this little game where they cancel my insurance periodically for some reason (I have a business on the property, I have a fireplace, I have a dog over 30lbs etc) and then I have to go a find new insurance - always at a higher rate, of course. I now carry good liability insurance. The money I save(d) is in a special account and would easily buy a new car or make a major repair to the house (no mortgage, so I don't need their stinkin' insurance for bank reasons). We recently had storm problems around here and I don't know a single person who has seen an insurance check for even close to the damage amounts (most are getting 1/10th of estimate) and all have been notifed their rates are going up or they are being cancelled. I had some roof damage, called the roofer, got a deal for paying cash and not a peep from my insurance co. I know this would not work for everyone, but so far it's been my best solution.

In addition to Habitat for Humanity, check with your local governmental housing authority. They often have programs through HUD to assist homeowners with financing for necessary home repairs/remodeling.

Hi,

I haven't had much time to reply because Arlington High School where I teach/substitute has changed its computer system and no one can access forums like this one from any computer -- not even from the dedicated teachers' computers.

Complicating things further is the fact that the library actually closed for three days.

Hi, Letty,

Things are fairly unchanging as far as my circumstances are concerned.
So, you got help after Hurricane Frances.

Talked with a friend of a friend last night and she told me that her mother (now 91) has been living in a house that has been living in the same house for more than 50 years. The house itself has been owned by some member of the family for about 100 years. Originally, it was part of a small farm but the land was gradually sold off. All that remained of its past as a farm was a small chicken coop.

About five years ago, the insurance company suddenly inspected the house and told her that the chicken coop had to come down and the branches of the trees had to be trimmed so that they no longer overhung the roof.

A younger member of the family tore down the coop and everyone pitched in for the tree service. Her mother then wrote the insurance company, telling them things were done but never heard from them again.

letty 2 -- You are right about insurance companies not having a product. My sons tell me that more than 90% of the money taken in stays with the company.

Gustav -- Thanks for the offer to paint. Actually, my son and his friends were going to paint the house last summer. They began the season working with a painting company but soon discovered they were not going to be paid and so they quit.

The house really does have serious problems that need addressing before it can be painted and should be gutted -- at the very least. My son was assaulted on our street (this is so ridiculous: he was then dating the former girlfriend of a former friend and the other boy's mother's live-in boyfriend told him if he didn't beat up my son, then this self-styled step dad was going stop paying his car insurance.) and the whole business really upset his equilibrium.

fishin -- Thanks for the citation. My own lot is basically level: it does slope slightly from the back to the front, but it slopes across the width of the property. As the lot is only 5000 sq ft, it is basically level.

What really bothers me is that about 35% of the houses on the street are without rails, including the new construction (ranch house converted to very large colonial) kiddy corner from me across the street. The lot itself is like mine with a level front yard and steps at the front.

My house may have built in 1928. Whether the stairs are original or not, I do not know but the stairs that are there now have never had a rail. They are five feet wide and have a more shallow than usual rise to each step, which I feel makes them very safe.

hamburger -- My house was vandalized over a six week period a few years back. There is something about my son -- who is actually a rather passive, couch potato type -- that attracts enmity. The boy who was his best friend from 6th through 10th grade turned on him and vandalized the house every Saturday while my son and I were both at work. That insurance company paid out $7,000 for what was actually about $20,000 in damages, then dropped us.

So, it was an event that had duration but stopped. The kids used my son's own swords to slash furniture and walls and broke the cellar door.

I should say that this was inspired by a girlfriend! I hope this kid has a decent relationship . . . soon!

Tico and Greenwitch -- I went through all the housing stuff a year ago. I'm not eligible for anything and I did this with the help of someone from Senator Kerry's office, so we probably covered all bases.

I was insured under Liberty Mutual, the company my former husband selected until I used a coupon from the previous year to make an extra payment in order to allow me to balance my budget. They cancelled me for that!

Then I was covered by another company out of Pennslyvania. I have to say the local agent here in Winchester seems to not know much. They cancelled me a full year after paying out for the vandalism as I wrote above.

With the history of the assault and the vandalism, my son and I would love to leave this neighborhood and this town and move a little further west, a few towns, to be in a more rural setting.

After I leave the library, I'm going home to write some letters about this situation.

The insurance company -- The Massachusetts/Rhode Island Fair Plan -- is the insurance of last resort as far as I can ascertain. They agreed to insure the house in the fall of 2004; inspected it in November of that year; informed us of the inspection results in February, 2005; cancelled us then; responded to my inquiries about why painting and rail were needed with a statement that I had "maliciously destroyed" my own property according to their "investigation." They never told me what this investigation consisted of.

They billed me this fall at a higher rate because of the new construction -- my son and I devoted our energies to his assault case and to talking to lawyers about increasing my child support and possibly getting my former husband to help with house repairs (his name is still on the mortgage) -- then wrote to me in December, saying they had inspected the house in April and were dropping me because the work had not been done.

This is insane.

My teaching contract was only for $12,000. I worked in retail and temping (horrible job passing out flyers for an internet provider) this summer and paid a lot of attention to my son, who is in the process of transferring colleges.

I clearly need legal representation in this matter. It looks like one of those instances in which the insurance company will not talk to the insured but the insured's lawyer.

The problem is that I need some re-adjustment of my divorce agreement. I have heard four different versions from lawyers as to what is possible (I think it is how much work they are willing to do) and have been asked for retainers ranging from $2,000 - 15,000. I can just imagine what the retainer would be to take on an insurance co.

Have you contacted Legal Aid? It sounds like, given your income, that you qualify. They should be able to handle the divorce stuff, possibly the insurance.

jespah -- I have too high an income for legal aid and none of the local law schools' legal aid programs are currently doing domestic work. It seems no one wants to do it. Not surprised. You have to be really indigent to qualify for help.

The local bar association or Legal Aid often have "reduced fee" programs.

Yes, the local bar association does offer reduced fee programs. For the Boston Bar, that's $7,500 rather than $15,000. I did talk to two attys after an introduction through an internet service called LegalMatch.com. One asked for $2,500 but would only have the part of the divorce agreement pertaining to my son changed. The other one offered a different solution to the problem of my son but he would lose his temper easily and I was uncomfortable around him.

I saw two attys last winter when my former husband refused to pay son's college tuition. Those two (each asking $7,500) said I could get alimony re-instated, while the two I saw recently said I could not.

It's funny how the law is so malleable.

Welcome to the World of the Working Poor. I have seen similar situations with some of my literacy students. They all work, but when they need a little professional help they just don't qualify for anything. I can only suggest you contact your local religious institutions. I had one student who was having a nightmare problem with her landlord, but since she made $15,000 (raising two kids on it) she did not qualify for legal aid. Her local church found her a lawyer who either worked pro bono or for a small fee (can't remember which). Basically this country has decided to operate with medieval solutions and those in need will have to go to the churches for help. Maybe one day we will learn that by helping others we are actually investing in ourselves.

Good luck Plainoldme, you are up against a cold cruel society that thinks if you can't pull youself up by your own bootstraps you are better off trampled upon.

(By the way, as a former Habitat for Humanity volunteer - I still think you should give them a call. They can be very flexible.)

Thnaks, greenwitch, I think I will call H for H.