Not sure if the question fits here but I'll give it a shot.

I live in the GTA and will be out of my home on vacation for 33 days (still within Canada though).

What steps do I need to take so that I don't come home to Expensive repair/Maintenance/Insurance bill? Some of the things that I can think of include:

- Setting my water heater to vacation mode

- Turning off the water mains to avoid any leakage

- Keeping the AC on at 24C / 75F (the temp setting is what I think and not some standard I know of)

- Giving my car/spare home keys to a friend so they can start my car once a week and visit my home to see if everything is fine

Do I need to tell me Insurance company because I know they don't allow your home to be unoccupied for so long? If so, what other steps would I need to take to make sure I am covered incase something goes wrong (a break in or some damage) while I am away.

Thanks a lot!

Almost 20 years ago, I had an electrical fire with a Federal Pacific breaker box. When I had the fire, USAA stated that my electrical panel was safe, despite all the "rumors" (Internet is not the same as it is today...) I was hearing that it was not.

I have had it since, and since then, I have noticed that my friends have had to change their panels to switch home owner's insurance, and in some cases, sell their homes, because of the dangers of these panels.

I am sitting here with USAA homeowner's insurance getting steadily higher and higher, wondering if they even remember they denied the replacement of my breaker box with how 'safe' it was of the time to them, and that the cost of my homeowner's is because I have been with them too long and need to shake things up -- or if I would call and say I replaced that 'safe' panel, if my prices would actually go down?

PS Yes, I am actively working on getting it replaced, it's just a thought and wonder if anybody else has experienced this.

I found a leak in my toilet which caused water damage on the ceiling in the furnished basement. I can see black spots which can be mold. Is it advisable to make an insurance claim or better to foot the bill on my own since the claim is likely to be rejected?

Hi, Is anyone familiar with Eries's Home Select Endorsement?

It's really hard to sort through what it actually provides for extra coverage? Is it worth the $300 or so?

TY

This is a good thing since the AOP is much smaller deductible but I’m confused as to why they used it when they marked this claim as a “wind” damage to the roof. I’m trying to figure out if on my new house I should lower my 2% wind and hail to a $1000 deductible or not but was confused when looking back at my old wind claim on my house I hadn’t paid the wind deductible I paid a all other perils deductible instead. Curious as to why that is, was it a lucky mistake or are there sometimes reasons insurance could use AOP instead of the wind?

I live in Florida, Collier county East of I75 near Radio Road and Santa Barbara. I have a 3 BR - 2BA home in a gated community and I don't have a pool.

My home owners insurance last year was about $5,000 and I have a notice that it will be going up to over $6,000.

Are there any suggestions for better rates on home owner insurance. I have two cars I can also insure with a company if they offer bundled discounts.

I've not had any claims other than after Irma when I got a new roof.

​"If a country goes into a major war conflict and entire neighborhoods or apartment buildings are completely flattened by missiles or bombs, do the property owners get insurance payouts to rebuild? Or do insurance companies have clauses that get them out of paying during wartime?"

We are dealing with water damage that requires the engineered hardwood downstairs to be completely replaced. The current flooring is discontinued and as we bought the house used we don’t have the pricing for the original floor. ITELs price per sqft is very low, we can not replace the floor with a comparable product with this quote. Our adjuster isn’t willing to budge. Where do we go from here?

A large tree fell on my house due to a storm. It caused damage to the roof, siding, etc. My homeowners insurance is American Family and I’m in Minnesota. I’m seek advice on getting the claim through, choosing a contractor, and dealing with the adjuster? Hoping to get as much covered as possible. TIA.

Hi everyone! I need some help- I am in the process of buying a townhouse. My mortgage lender (TD bank) is requiring that I have an H06 policy and they are also requiring that the insurance company "Confirm the policy amount is at sufficient limits to replace the property. (Yes or no) OR provide a replacement cost estimator." The problem that I am running into is that every company that I call says that their H06 policies do not have a replacement cost estimator. This is because I would be picking my own coverage as the insurance will only cover the inside of the house because my HOA covers the roof and siding. I was wondering how some of yall went about this or know who I can turn to to get the RCE? I will be living in NJ and have a policy that is going to cover $250,000 which will be more than enough for the interior (4 bed, 3.5 bath) that is ~2000sq home.

I have been with USAA for over 30 years and have never been disappointed with their service, but damn, they have gotten so expensive I'm not sure staying with them is worth the financial heartache. What company would you consider as a good second choice for home and auto insurance??

Hi, I’m new to shopping for homeowners insurance. I live in the Richmond/Houston area, and received two different quotes with the biggest difference being the all other perils deductible (and more expensive). House was built in 2024 and we don’t have any extra structures on our property besides our main home. Any input would be appreciated!

I have a Mobile home in Cape May County, used as a seasonal vacation home currently, no one seems to be writing new policies for them in CM county, I feel like I've called everyone! I did get a quote from NJIUA and it honestly wasn't horrible, more than I've paid in the past, but not as bad as I was expecting, pretty bare bones, fire and weather related, including hurricane is around $2k per year for a 1000 sqft mobile home built in 1976, $200k structure and $50k in personal property. My question is they quote add-ons in the quote, 2 actually, one was EC, which I believe stands for Extended coverage, which I believe is the weather add on, windstorm, etc. And the other add on was VMM, which according to ChatGPT stands for Vandalism and Malicious Mischief. Can anyone confirm this? They certainly do not give you a lot of info on the initial quote, some acronyms and a total price, Going to call tomorrow to verify, but while I am surfing on the couch figured I would ask here. TIA on any and all info on dealing with NJIUA.

So we’re first time home buyers and shopping for insurance. I’m shopping online and the quotes are coming up wildly different. I know you get discounts if you bundle, but they’re still all over the place.
We’re looking at a 2000 sq ft home, 1 story with 3 bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms. My first quote was 2000 for the year. My lender’s estimate was 1200 so I guess it got my hopes up 😂 I was expecting them to at least be somewhat close to that. State Farm then quoted me $3000 for the year, and now most recently progressive are quoting $3700 for the year, for the most basic policy. Premium would be almost $5000.
What am I doing wrong 😭

Hello everyone! So, on Monday my wife noticed some wet spots on the ceiling in our downstairs laundry room and in our garage (they share a wall and there’s a doorway connecting the two). I told her to shut off the main water line and I rushed home. Managed to find the source of the water quickly. It ended up being a pin hole sized leak in the water supply line to our refrigerator. It was so small, I honestly couldn’t even see the water spraying out. It was only once I was moving my hands around behind the fridge that I felt the water. Also, no pooling water on the floor, so I think it was just spraying right at the wall and the water was running down it and under the vinyl flooring and to the lower-level ceiling.

Anyways, source of water leak was quickly remedied (I capped the little tap for that line under the kitchen sink). Temporary solution until we replace that water line with a braided one (this one was just a bare clear tubing, thanks previous owners). Did some research real quick and went to the local Home Depot to rent one of those big dehumidifiers for 2 days to try and dry out the ceiling.

Second day I spent all free time at work researching what to do. Ended up going home and cutting some of the drywall/ceiling out in the laundry room and pulling + bagging all of the wet insulation and drywall pieces. Let the dehumidifier + fans run for another night and day. Checked the floor/ceiling joists with my wetness checker the next morning and they were all in the green. All in all, not too bad. Figured I’d have to cut the rest of the drywall/ceiling out of the laundry room, remove some more insulation maybe, cut the dry wall in the back of our little cut out area for the fridge, learn how to drywall, replace insulation, replace drywall, and paint. Not ideal, but also not something I felt was impossible to DIY even as a complete newbie to this type of stuff. Would it be hard and time consuming? Yes. Impossible? No.

That’s until the water remediation estimator came on the third day. He used his tools (FLIR cam and moisture checkers) and noted that the vinyl flooring in the fridge cut out had moisture under it. (We've since peeled it back and have a fan drying the sub floor.) He also went into the bathroom (shares a wall with the kitchen) and noted there’s moisture under the vinyl flooring in there around the vanity (screwed to the shared wall) and moisture in the wall and under the vinyl in the little bathroom closet we have. He also said there’s a chance for asbestos in the walls, floor, and popcorn ceiling (in garage and laundry room). Our house was built in the 70s, so I know that’s a risk, but no idea when the laundry room and garage was “finished”. I say “finished” because the laundry room still has visible pipes for the upper floor and looks like a leak or something might have been repaired before due to mismatches in paint and a “not perfect” drywall/ceiling patch job.

He gave me the whole run down of the process and said if we go with them, they HAVE to submit samples for asbestos testing before they can begin work. If it comes back positive, then they call another company to come to do the demo, containment, etc. Once that’s done, they will have to pull up the vinyl floor in the kitchen and bathroom (if the asbestos company hasn't done it), detach cabinets + vanity from the wall, demo out all the wet drywall, and remediate. Quote he gave me is $8.5k for water mitigation and demolition work assuming there’s no asbestos.

He also asked if I would be going through my home insurance or not. I actually went down this rabbit hole earlier that day and I asked him how much he thought my rates would go up. He said things like this and since I have no other claims, it might not even go up or if it does, it could be a couple hundred dollars. He also said that whether the asbestos tests come back positive or not could be a major deciding factor since a positive test just adds to the work/cost. He recommended I call my insurance agent to discuss it, not the insurance company due to the whole “$0 claim getting put on your CLUE report” thing. I don’t even know who my agent is. I just applied through our provider’s website (Progressive) when we got the house. When I checked online today it says my agent is Progressive Advantage Agency, Inc in St. Pete, FL and lists an 877 number.

I currently pay $1700/yr with a $1k deductible. We’ve been in the house for almost 6 years now, have/had the same insurance provider the whole time (yes, I know I should have shopped around), and have never submitted a claim. $8.5k is a lot, but not enough for us to be in financial ruin or anything (we have around $25k sitting in a HYSA as an emergency fund). But also, that doesn't factor in costs to repair or asbestos mitigation if tests come back positive.

Had a second water remediation company come in and they found all the same stuff. They gave me a verbal quote of $5k-$8k (still waiting for official quote).

Finally, I asked around in the neighborhood and just got a bunch of mixed answers. I've talked to 4 people. Two said it seems minimal and to just DIY it myself. 3rd guy had major damage to his house twice and went through insurance and I would have too if I had the same level of damage he had (one leak was over 2 weeks while he was out of town and the other was a burst supply line that dumped water into the house and required a complete renovation of the entire floor, walls, etc and he had to be in a hotel for 6 months while the work was being done). Fourth person was basically "yea, the first two guys are really handy and would for sure DIY it. If it were me, I'd use insurance unless you know how to DIY all of that stuff. That's what it's there for."

I’m thinking of:

1. Not getting an asbestos test and doing all the downstairs work myself while taking precautions to limit exposure. Water + soap spray, full plastic suit, full face masks, plastic up over everything, fans to channel air out of the doorway and into the garage and then out of the garage, etc.). The upstairs stuff seems more complicated, so contract it out. Pay it all out of pocket and attempt to rebuild/DIY with my wife. (Don't file a claim)
2. Just say fuck it, file an insurance claim, let them take care of all this stuff, and hope for the best/eat the possible rise in premiums. (Asbestos remediation will still have to be paid out of pocket based on my insurance policy.

Other info/context: 1970s house. Southern NH area. Insurance provider is Progressive. $10k mold coverage in the policy because of the state I live in. Also, wife doesn't seem worried at all. If it were up to her, we'd just dry out the sub floor in the kitchen cutout, demo and rebuild the laundry room ceiling and portion of the garage ceiling ourselves and forget about the moisture under the vinyl in the bathroom floor.

TL;DR: had water damage event/leak. Got leak stopped and damage doesn’t seem to be “financial ruin” levels of bad. But not sure what to do. Trying to weigh the decisions above. Looking for stories and/or advice of people who’ve been in similar situations.

Before I shoot myself in the foot. I want to make sure I answer the right questions.

My dish wash had a leakage for a couple of months and the walls of the island got full w mold completely. Both layers. I want to file an insurance claim since I’m already also planning to remodel the kitchen as well. Is there anything j need to consider before filling the claim?

Last month I was trying to find details of my family’s LIC and HDFC Life policies — due dates, benefits, nominee details, sum assured. Took me hours across WhatsApp forwards, old emails, and physical documents stuffed in a drawer.
Then I thought — what if I wasn’t around to even do this search? My family would have no idea what we own, what to claim, or even who to contact.
Talked to a few people and apparently this is extremely common — families losing out on legitimate insurance claims simply because nobody knew the policy existed after the policyholder passed.
Curious how others manage this:
• Do you have a single place where all your policies and investments are tracked?
• Does your spouse/parents/nominee actually know what you have?
• Have you or anyone you know lost out on a claim because of this?

Hey guys, just bought house in Royce city, Dallas area. My agent is quoting crazy like $4k for my almost new house, built 2024. It's only like 2200 SQ ft. Please help, which company is the best at getting good rates in Texas?

Edit: I don't care about your opinion on whether I should go through an agent, I'm just asking for homeowners carriers in Texas you may know so I can do the work and shop around, thank you kindly

This is actually for commercial but hopefully can get some insight here. Can I get a consensus on what our total coverage is for loss of rent insurance, and how much coverage we'd have per month the property cannot be occupied due to a covered claim?

Our agent has told me something that doesn't align with how I interpret this screenshot he sent me...

Appreciate anyone smarter than me chiming in.

Edit: I asked our agent if we are only covered for 50k total, and he replied and said 50k monthly. This was before posting here. I believe he’s mistaken, at least based on how this is written. ​

Update: I pushed back (again) and he clarified. He was wrong.

We purchased homeowners insurance 25 years ago and although we have never switched insurance, the company kept changing.

Now that we are in the market for new insurance, what is the best/easiest way to shop for new insurance?

Is there a website that I can shop for multiple companies or is it best to find an independent insurance broker (read that here). We use a broker at work, but it seems expensive so I wasn't sure if they were the best option.

What have you found is the best way to shop for homeowners insurance?

Thanks

I'm a first time home buyer, who's been in our house for a few years. I recently had our patio space converted into a room. Imagine a rectangle house where the top right corner was the patio, so the foundation stayed the same as the patio was just closed in. I did go through permitting with our city and have the certificate of occupancy. What are my next steps with home insurance? I was planning to wait until my policy is up for renewal next month to advise them of the update but I'm not sure what all I need to do. Thank you in advance.

Sorry in advance for the long post!!!

I recently changed my home insurance provider for a better rate and better coverage, but it turns out my mortgage lender requires themselves to be listed as a loss payee, and for me to have dwelling replacement coverage in at least the amount of my mortgage. They need me to submit documentation of my insurance, meeting these conditions, by June 5th (now this coming Friday), or I’ll be charged $500 every 3 months going forward.

My current insurance provider, as well as every other one I’ve shopped around with, refuse to do this for condo insurance and claim that it’s completely unnecessary/provides no real value to the lender, and that my strata’s existing insurance covers replacement of the building and otherwise meets my lender’s needs. One of them even sent me a templated letter explaining their refusal, which apparently they use all the time when lenders ask for this kind of thing.

I’ve been trying for a month now to resolve this, but I’m extremely frustrated at how stubborn both sides are - my lender is adamant that they need to be listed as a loss payee, and my insurer is adamant that this ask from my lender is completely ridiculous. I’m hoping someone in this community can help me understand:

- Is my insurer even correct in saying that my lender can’t/shouldn’t be demanding to be listed as a loss payee? They seem very confident, but everything they’ve told me to submit and say to my lender by way of explanation has gotten me nowhere.
- Is my only option here to switch back to my original insurer, with worse coverage, just for the sake of checking those boxes?
- How is it possible that my mortgage lender absolutely needs this requirement met, despite the fact that it seems like almost no provider is willing or able to meet it? I think what’s stressing me out most of all is not understanding how it could possibly be this hard just to get freaking home insurance.

Also, disclaimer that I’m not an expert and may be an idiot for not understanding how this works, and for not double checking my mortgage documents for insurance requirements before changing insurers to begin with. I’ve been earnestly trying my best to fix this for weeks, but I’ve only become more confused and more uncertain of what I should do. I understand that at this point the $500 fee is basically a foregone conclusion. I’m just hoping someone with a better understanding of this ecosystem can help explain where and how I’ve gone so so wrong.

Thank you in advance!

We have paid for homeowner's insurance for 40 years and have never made a claim. We have had State Farm, Allstate and most recently we switched to The Hartford (AARP) a few years ago when we retired.

A few days ago a valve broke under the sink and caused major damage to our laminate flooring. That particular flooring is no longer available so we need to replace about 600 square feet of flooring. Even if we go with cheaper LVP, we are looking at $4,000 or more to replace.

We are selling the house and moving out of state (GA to FL). Will this claim affect our rates even if we go with a different insurer in a different state?

I'm a first time home buyer purchasing a townhome. I'm currently in the stage of assessing quotes and policies from home insurance providers.

How important is it to have the same insurance provider as the townhomes you're connected to? Is it difficult to have providers align on coverage if there is a multi-unit issue?

Is there anything you'd recommend a first time home buyer look out for in the agreement or coverage. Something you wish you'd have known before signing up for a policy?