I have a fifty acre property in the Sierra Foothills with three houses, a barn, and chicken coop on it. I have had homeowners insurance for the houses only with USAA since 1995. I have spoken to them multiple times over the years as to whether or not I had adequate insurance. They are well aware of what they are insuring. Last year I filed a claim with them, because Calaveras County refused to pay for damages done to my roof, when a tree with its root ball clearly under the roadway, fell and the top of it hit my roof breaking tiles, tearing down a portion of the gutter, and causing a crack on the inside main room. They denied my claim "by order of law" and then refused to tell me what that meant (really). I called USAA and explained the situation to them and they said it was no problem, that they would pay the claim, and go after the county themselves if they decided to. USAA paid for the repairs. About two months later two ladies with clipboards showed up and said they were from USAA and wanted to survey the property. I assumed it was to see whether or not I had adequate insurance as that was always the only question they had, should I buy more. Last week I received a letter from USAA saying they would not renew my policy in August because there was too much foliage around the buildings. The ladies were here in early spring, just before land owners here begin to clear away grass, brush, overgrown trees, and debris to make their properties as fire safe as possible. I also have cement siding on two of the houses, two tin and one tile roof, and one fake wood, fire retardant deck. One deck and the smallest of the houses (a cottage) are wood. Before I got the notice, I'd begun spending, literally thousands of dollars to have the brush cleared, firebreaks made, grass cut and cleared and trees cut down, on my own for the safety of my property. USAA didn't see that nor did they send me a letter requesting that I make changes to, clear, or improve my property. I filed a complaint with the Insurance Commissioners office of the State of California, and the woman who called me was abrasive, rude, said she'd worked for a large insurance company before her current job, and that her company never would have insured this place. She said there are no state laws regulating homeowners insurance and cancellation policies and that any homeowners insurance company could cancel me any time they wanted to, for any reason. She refused to consider that me filing a claim with them on my homeowners policy last year had anything to do with the letter terminating my policy in August when it comes up for renewal. She finally said I could fax her the letter and that she could send a letter to USAA asking them to reconsider. She added that I have to get farm owners insurance (there are no animals here except my poodle and two barn cats). I will do that but, as I told her, after all of these years with USAA and that they carry all of my insurance, the least I would have expected from them was a letter requesting clearing and foliage removal and then for them to take another look if, after all of this time and one insurance claim, they were really concerned about foliage. If so, they should never have sent anyone out in early spring which is when we get ready to begin the yearly process of clearing. Or they could have contacted me and explained that, after 13 years, they had suddenly decided to look at my property and realized they don't want to insure it but that they would be happy to give me recommendations of companies I could see insurance from and acquire insurance. Once again, it is the consumer who just has to take it, with no recourse, and I am left with that helplessness that comes when the person who is supposed to be representing the consumer was hired after working for a large insurance company and is highly defensive of the insurance companies position with no regard whatsoever for my position. I am a single, sixty-two year old woman, self employed who is facing this type of dilemma everywhere I turn. Getting health insurance took two years and now this.
Mj
Wilseyville, California
U.S.A.
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