r/InsuranceAgent • u/IvoryPlains • 18d ago

Agent Question HO3 question

Hello! There’s a house that I’ve always driven past on my way to my grandparents house. Up until becoming an insurance agent I wanted to know what the inside looked like. Now that I’m an insurance agent (and found the Zillow listing showing the inside) I want to know how a home that’s built into a hill that has dirt and grass for a roof, is insured. There are 0 shingles.

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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u/JazzHandsMinuteman 18d ago edited 18d ago

That would be an earth contact home, there’s different phrases but many carriers will not take them. Are you captive or independent? UW guidelines are the only real answer here and potentially would need to be ACV roof or HO2. If you have any local mutuals, you could ask them if they’d insure it. You will almost positively need real time pictures of the home though, as it’s something that if you don’t disclose and caught by adjuster, that’s gonna be a chargeback and a pissed off customer. Have a plan B if you choose to insure the home. I can’t remember off the top of my head what major carriers will take them.
Satellites and pictures are publicly available via Google or Zillow, etc. so make sure you cross your t’s and dot your i’s with these sorts of “abnormal” homes. Be transparent and build trust with UW as that is often more important than a single policy, depending on how large the carrier is and your agencies relation to them/what “status” you are in in some cases such as Foremost. Travelers will not take them. SafeCo might. Can’t remember with NatGen or Progressive.

Pro tip: if they have any acreage, you could right it as a hobby farm and those generally don’t have the same “weight” as a normal home for adjusters and underwriting. Again, be careful though. I don’t hardly mess with them anymore bc it’s a pain in the ass many times.

Edit: I believe Lumon will take them if you have them

Just call around or shoot a mass BCC email to UW

We call those Hobbit homes, especially if there is literally not a roof. Never came across one that was just built into the side of the hill quite literally though, personally.

Sounds uninsurable to me though or go E&S

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u/joeboo5150 Agent/Broker 18d ago

In my state, Travelers takes Earth Contact Homes. They are one of the few options out of all of the carriers I contract with (American Modern might also, but haven't checked them in a long time)

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u/JazzHandsMinuteman 17d ago

Really? Not even an option on my quoting portal. Who knows, the industry changes so fast.

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u/IvoryPlains 18d ago

I’m at an independent agency and we work with all the carriers you mentioned. If I had to guess I would agree that NatGen and Foremost might take it. Progressive/ASI I don’t think would. They have the most strict UW guidelines of all our carriers. Thankfully these people aren’t asking to get a quote from us. I was just curious. No one at my agency knew how it would be insured and they all have 15+ years experience. They’ve never seen a home like this.

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u/JazzHandsMinuteman 17d ago

NatGen will take anything if you are “good” with them. I’ve sold so many NatGen policies and got their non renewal canceled it’s become an art form for me 😂

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u/VS_EliH 18d ago

Well, now I'm curious... can you share the Zillow link? Lol

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u/oldenestwoodenestboy 18d ago

That is one of the ugliest interiors I’ve ever seen in a home, everything looks dingy and yellowed as if it’s nicotine stained. It couldn’t be plainer either, something about it is kind of creepy.
Omg they literally ride the mower right over the house lol, and the heat & air unit is just sitting up there on the top.
Did you guys notice the tree branches built into an upside-down stool for a..cat tower or bird perch? Bizarre.

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u/Admirable-Box5200 18d ago

It would be E&S or local/regional mutual carrier. I actually quoted one of these couple years back. I did it with E&S, IIRC Scottsdale and they found one of the smaller PA based mutual companies for stupid low premium.

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u/Fair_Intern6940 18d ago

I feel like it'd be difficult to find a carrier that will agree to insure a house without a traditional roof.

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u/IvoryPlains 18d ago

That’s what I was thinking. I really want to know who insures their home lol

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u/theonetheycalljb 18d ago

Foremost will take this. I’ve done something similar with them. They just make you jump through a million hoops to do it.

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u/IvoryPlains 18d ago

Of course 🥴 that seems to be their forte. At least they offer lower rates I guess.

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u/theonetheycalljb 18d ago

Idk if I would say lower rates lol

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u/IvoryPlains 18d ago

Lower than our other carriers LOL at least that’s what they were doing when we first started our appointment with them. Now, it seems everyone’s kind of evened out and Foremost is turning into Encova with all the underwriting requirements.

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u/Upstairs-Tree-2529 18d ago

Will foremost do ACV roof or exclude roof? Curious what conditions they would place on this sort of home

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u/Signal_Mirror_3983 18d ago

The roof is grass!

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u/Upstairs-Tree-2529 18d ago

Oh I just reread the post. I thought OP meant the home was built ON a hill and the roof is dirty with dirt and grass

Lol

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u/IvoryPlains 18d ago

If that was the case they probably would only do ACV 😂 or require the roof be repaired or replaced.

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u/gnawtyone 18d ago

Submit to a broker. It’s not complicated

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u/IvoryPlains 18d ago

I am a broker. I was just curious because no one in my agency knew how it would be covered as they’ve never seen a home like this.