Marion County and Sink Hole Coverage

[TednRobin]

We just got home owners quote from TV insurance, no sink hole coverage in Marion County. Does anyone have other insurer that does cover in Marion Co?

[GatorFan]

You should be able to order an inspection through the insurance company. There is no guarantee you will be approved but worth the one time fee to find out.

[rjm1cc]

We just got home owners quote from TV insurance, no sink hole coverage in Marion County. Does anyone have other insurer that does cover in Marion Co?A new broker I went too said you can order an inspection for $144 but the insurance company normally turns down the insurance - Marion County

[chuckinca]

We have AIS insurance from AAA in TV that covers our Marion County home for sinkholes with 10% of home value deductible - just got the annual renewal (we have had this insurance since '05).


.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Contact Rita Canty with Brightway Insurance out of Jacksonville - (904) 646-1850. They represent a vast majority of the insurance companies that write HO insurance in FL.

We got our homeowners insurance through Rita a couple of years ago when we bought and were able to get sinkhole coverage (with an inspection required). Our place is in Sumter County but it would be worth a call to her to see if they can help you in Marion.

Bill :)

[GatorFan]

Buy local. The local agencies represent the same companies. These are some of the things that are looked at during inspections. Any cracking in driveway, garage, foundation, window sills, etc. Any reported sinkholes within a mile of your home.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Buy local. The local agencies represent the same companies. ........

GatorFan, I agree. But sometimes, especially given that the O.P. is having trouble finding sinkhole coverage, you have to make exceptions. I called a number of local agencies when we were looking for our HO insurance a few years back and was having a tough time. It was actually one of the local agencies that referred me to Brightway! :D

I don't think you'll be able to find any single local agency that represents as many carriers as Brightway does:

Brightway Insurance (http://www.brightwayinsurance.com/locations/nef-jax-intra-coastal-west-homeowners-insurance.html)

Disclaimer - I have zero connection or affiliation with Brightway. Just a satisfied customer.

Bill :)

[skyguy79]

We have AIS insurance from AAA in TV that covers our Marion County home for sinkholes with 10% of home value deductible - just got the annual renewal (we have had this insurance since '05).
I also have AIS, but your coverage may not actually cover as much as you think it does if at all. I'm no expert in this area by any means, but you might want to read a recent article about sinkhole insurance at the following website, then if necessary, or in doubt, consider discussing your coverage with your agent:

Second sinkhole appears. Does your insurance cover sinkholes? - CSMonitor.com (http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2013/0305/Second-sinkhole-appears.-Does-your-insurance-cover-sinkholes)

[gpirate]

We just got home owners quote from TV insurance, no sink hole coverage in Marion County. Does anyone have other insurer that does cover in Marion Co?

Are sinkholes a big problem in Sumter County? Certain areas more problems than others?

[Mack184]

We have AIS insurance from AAA in TV that covers our Marion County home for sinkholes with 10% of home value deductible - just got the annual renewal (we have had this insurance since '05).


.
There is the difference. You've already got a policy. If you are a NEW resident buying a NEW policy in FL you've got as much chance of getting sinkhole insurance as you've got of finding a unicorn. We too went through the inspection..which is done by an independent company..NOT the insurance company. The inspector then sends the report to the insurance company which then decides if they will issue the policy or not. The bottom line is...if it's a NEW policy they are NOT going to issue you a sinkhole rider.

[batman911]

There is the difference. You've already got a policy. If you are a NEW resident buying a NEW policy in FL you've got as much chance of getting sinkhole insurance as you've got of finding a unicorn. We too went through the inspection..which is done by an independent company..NOT the insurance company. The inspector then sends the report to the insurance company which then decides if they will issue the policy or not. The bottom line is...if it's a NEW policy they are NOT going to issue you a sinkhole rider.

We were able to get sink hole coverage for our new home (south of 466A) with no problem. USAA will provide it through AIS and The Villages Insurance offers it through Ark Royal.

[Mack184]

We were able to get sink hole coverage for our new home (south of 466A) with no problem. USAA will provide it through AIS and The Villages Insurance offers it through Ark Royal.
Please notice that this thread is about M-A-R-I-O-N county, not south of 466. Yes..I too, have Villages Insurance and I know all about how you can get sinkhole coverage in a BRAND NEW TV home (only) with no problem from Ark Royal. Which I have mentioned in other threads. But this thread is not about brand new TV homes in Sumter county. It's about homes in M-A-R-I-O-N county, and what I say stands coming directly from our agent at Villages Insurance.

[justjim]

There is the difference. You've already got a policy. If you are a NEW resident buying a NEW policy in FL you've got as much chance of getting sinkhole insurance as you've got of finding a unicorn. We too went through the inspection..which is done by an independent company..NOT the insurance company. The inspector then sends the report to the insurance company which then decides if they will issue the policy or not. The bottom line is...if it's a NEW policy they are NOT going to issue you a sinkhole rider.

Sounds like we need some "political help"----time to contact your State Senator/State Representative for a change in laws to require coverage if you sell insurance in Florida. Citizens (State's coverage) insures Against Hurricanes and sounds like they might be the last resort for sinkhole coverage. We had no problem getting sinkhole coverage for our new home in Sumter County. 10% of house value as a deductible. That's a bit of an "ouch" but it is coverage. :boxing2:

[TednRobin]

Thanks for all your responses, guess we will hope for the best.

[justjim]

OP just wonder if you contacted your State Legislators regarding this issue and if you got any response?

[janmcn]

Sounds like we need some "political help"----time to contact your State Senator/State Representative for a change in laws to require coverage if you sell insurance in Florida. Citizens (State's coverage) insures Against Hurricanes and sounds like they might be the last resort for sinkhole coverage. We had no problem getting sinkhole coverage for our new home in Sumter County. 10% of house value as a deductible. That's a bit of an "ouch" but it is coverage. :boxing2:

As luck would have it, the Florida Legislature just started their annual session on Tuesday, and they promise to act on property insurance in the next 60 days. Unfortunately, everytime they make changes, the consumer seems to lose.

Keep an eye on The Daily Sun for up to date coverage on what changes they are proposing. It might be time to charter The Villages buses and march on Tallahassee.

[Mack184]

Sounds like we need some "political help"----time to contact your State Senator/State Representative for a change in laws to require coverage if you sell insurance in Florida. Citizens (State's coverage) insures Against Hurricanes and sounds like they might be the last resort for sinkhole coverage. We had no problem getting sinkhole coverage for our new home in Sumter County. 10% of house value as a deductible. That's a bit of an "ouch" but it is coverage. :boxing2:
Actually it was our vaunted FL state representatives who allowed this in the first place. In a "reform" bill that was passed by both houses & signed by the governor in 2011, FL "reformed" the law to create "competition" between insurance companies regarding sinkhole coverage. The new law took effect 1/1/2012. It had the effect that all the insurance agents said would happen..since FL insurance companies were no longer required to provide sinkhole coverage almost none of them will now, and the few that do either have serious stipulations and/or high deductibles for coverage.

[NJblue]

I think there are some misconceptions here about sink hole insurance. If your concern is coverage for situations like just occured near Tampa where a hole suddenly opened up and tragically swallowed a man, you are already covered if you have any homeowner policy. Florida law mandates that ALL homeowner policies carry catastrophic sink hole coverage. This means that if a sinkhole suddenly appears and damages your house to the point of it not being safe to inhabit, your insurance will cover it - whether you have the additional rider or not.

What the additional rider covers are situations where the damage is not catastrophic. In this case your coverage starts after you paying the first 10% of your home's value as a deductible. One may argue with that type of deductible, the additional cost of that rider is not worth it.

What I don't know about the nature of sink holes is how often are they sudden/catastrophic versus over a period of time and, for the slow-to-evolve types, how much damage they do versus the catastrophic types. In other words, will the repairs generally be less than the deductible, hence making the insurance rider mostly worthless. Can anyone shed any light on this with a link?

[Mack184]

I have no link to offer but a contractor who has done some work for us told me that they had worked on a house locally that had been damaged by the non-catastrophic type of sinkhole activity. The repairs on the $200,000 house were going to run upward of $350,000!! Essentially they were having to re-build the house, plus do the underground concrete injections to shore up the land. Yeek!

[batman911]

Please notice that this thread is about M-A-R-I-O-N county, not south of 466. Yes..I too, have Villages Insurance and I know all about how you can get sinkhole coverage in a BRAND NEW TV home (only) with no problem from Ark Royal. Which I have mentioned in other threads. But this thread is not about brand new TV homes in Sumter county. It's about homes in M-A-R-I-O-N county, and what I say stands coming directly from our agent at Villages Insurance.

Another good reason not to by a resale. You will need the sink hole coverage unless the house is condemed. That means if you have damage to your home, a large hole on your property, or even if it swallows the drive way, you will not be covered unless the house is condemed or you have sink hole insurance.

[janmcn]

WFLA.com Videos - Tampa Bay News, Weather, and Sports | WFLA (http://www.wfla.com/video?clipId=8577587&autostart=true)


Sometimes having sinkhole insurance means nothing. Watch this short video about a couple from Weeki-Wachee who have been living with a sinkhole under their bedroom since Aug 2011, and they have sinkhole insurance.

Their lawyer could not discuss their case because it is in litigation, but he said there are 800 pending cases such as theirs before the courts in Florida.

Here's another link to the same story.


http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_citrus_hernando/hernando-family-has-sinkhole-under-their-bedroom