My wife and I have had AAA insurance for almost 40 years. We've insured everything with them; our homes, our cars, umbrella policies, etc. Not once have I made a single claim with them except for the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake claim on our Los Gatos home - 30 years ago. They had to do some drywall and stucco repair, nothing major.
About a month ago I got a call from AAA telling me that they wanted to inspect our primary residence prior to renewing the home owners insurance (we insure a second home with them as well). With all the fires in Cali I wasn't surprised.
Well, I just got a call from them telling me that they are not going to renew our home owners policy because they say it's a fire risk. I find this laughable because we live in the suburbs on a large parcel of 1 acre plus lots of California ranch style homes in California's Central Coast Wine Country. We are not tucked away up in the mountains, accessible only by a twisty, single lane road. We are just 1 mile as the crow flies from the local hospital and associated medical offices, dozens of them. There is a fire hydrant directly across the street from our house (!), and many others at regular locations throughout our tract of California "ranchers". The streets are wide enough for two vehicles to easily pass by each other. Most of the surrounding areas are vineyards, not tall trees or dense underbrush. The winds here are always mild and we don't have mountainous ravines that accelerate them. At night we regularly cool down with a "marine layer" - we are only 11 miles from the ocean.
Regardless, they consider our home high risk (it's immaculate inside and out).
What does this mean for AAA? They will lose all my business, and I will not wait for renewal time. AAA will be sending me refund checks because I always pay my policies in full when payments are due.
What does this mean for you? Whether you live in parts of California, areas on the Eastern Seaboard, Florida, the Mississippi River Valley, a tree lined street of 100 year old Victorians, etc., kiss it off - your home owners insurance may not be renewed. Is this another part of the "new normal"?
Funny thing is, when I told the agent that there is a fire hydrant directly across the street from us, his reply was "We don't take that into consideration". That's an exact quote. What a joke.
Pictures of our uninsurable home are attached.
Scott
About a month ago I got a call from AAA telling me that they wanted to inspect our primary residence prior to renewing the home owners insurance (we insure a second home with them as well). With all the fires in Cali I wasn't surprised.
Well, I just got a call from them telling me that they are not going to renew our home owners policy because they say it's a fire risk. I find this laughable because we live in the suburbs on a large parcel of 1 acre plus lots of California ranch style homes in California's Central Coast Wine Country. We are not tucked away up in the mountains, accessible only by a twisty, single lane road. We are just 1 mile as the crow flies from the local hospital and associated medical offices, dozens of them. There is a fire hydrant directly across the street from our house (!), and many others at regular locations throughout our tract of California "ranchers". The streets are wide enough for two vehicles to easily pass by each other. Most of the surrounding areas are vineyards, not tall trees or dense underbrush. The winds here are always mild and we don't have mountainous ravines that accelerate them. At night we regularly cool down with a "marine layer" - we are only 11 miles from the ocean.
Regardless, they consider our home high risk (it's immaculate inside and out).
What does this mean for AAA? They will lose all my business, and I will not wait for renewal time. AAA will be sending me refund checks because I always pay my policies in full when payments are due.
What does this mean for you? Whether you live in parts of California, areas on the Eastern Seaboard, Florida, the Mississippi River Valley, a tree lined street of 100 year old Victorians, etc., kiss it off - your home owners insurance may not be renewed. Is this another part of the "new normal"?
Funny thing is, when I told the agent that there is a fire hydrant directly across the street from us, his reply was "We don't take that into consideration". That's an exact quote. What a joke.
Pictures of our uninsurable home are attached.
Scott