i have read my homeowners policy and there are no restrictions of coverage based on occupancy or lack thereof....gn

GN -- Check for things like 14 days or more of running water or leaks (no coverage) or something to the effect you must prove you were responsible or diligent when making a claim. Those are frequently the ways insurance companies get around it.

I know of one instance where a woman went on a 6-week cruise (she's a frog here). Sometime while she was gone a pipe burst and did some serious damage, including a lot of mold. Her insurance covered none of it because her home had been unoccupied and no one had checked it during her absence. Had the home been checked, the leak would have been caught sooner and a lot less damage. Therefore, she was not diligent and no coverage. The damage was well over $20K.

Sadly, insurance companies are happy to take your money and very, very reluctant to pay any out. Any excuse will work and, it seems, snowbirds are hit especially hard when something goes wrong.

Red:

A couple years ago when we returned from CA to TV our ice maker wouldn't work. I checked inside the freezer and behind to refrig - couldn't figure it out. Called GE appliance service, the guy came out looked it over, pulled the refrig out from the wall, turned the valve on the ice maker water back on (it is a plastic push/pull valve, gave me a bill for $175.

My brother from Chicago used the place for a week when we were gone and had turned the valve off and didn't tell us. Those push/pull valves are a piece of cr** you can never tell what position they are in - open or closed.

Sooo - to turn off the ice maker water, pull the refrig away from the wall and turn off the valve on the back side of the refrig - it's on a 3/8" clear plastic line going up the back of the refrig.


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Chuck, I'm going to pretend I didn't understand a word you said -- there are some things in life I really don't want to know. roflao (And pulling a fridge out to find a valve on the back is definitely on my list of things I don't want to do.)

I forgot to mention - thanks for the info on insurance coverage on snowbird houses.

(the ice maker valve is like the valve to the toilet water supply)

((leaving for TV Wednesday - maybe two weeks on the road with our travel trailer staying a few days here and there))

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Lawn
 

You'll have to get a lawn fertilizer and pest control company signed up, too. If you don't do the pest control, your lawn will become a salad for the bugs.

Again, thanks to all - I knew your collective wisdom would amaze me! :BigApplause:

thanks red, read policy again no exclusions for unoccupied dwelling....gn

gn, sounds like you have a good policy. Who's it through?

I highly recommend Redwitch, who posts on this board. She does housewatching and seems really thorough!

I spoke to State Farm,who is our insurer, about coverage on an unoccupied house. She said for one year it would be covered with a rider attachment at same price as we pay now. HOWEVER, after that one year there is NO way to insure it, under any circumstances. So, who are you guys insured with where you are covered for more then one year.

Hi golfnut- what insurance do you have that covers unoccupied houses? Thanks so much!

One should not totally reply on what one cannot specfically find in their policy. The policy might not be spelled out, at least not in plain English.

We have ASI Insurance through AAA and we processed our policy as "secondary coverage." We origionally wanted Allstate as we have all other coverages back in NY with them, but in FL they won't cover anything but "primary home" policies.

When I first saw the absence question come up, I double checked with the agent at AAA and she confirmed that "secondary home" coverage does not cancel or up the price if absent for any specific length of time as they would with "primary home coverage."

I think it would be wise for anyone to make that call to their agent, policy read or not, if they have any question about it.

don't forget the northern house either
 

My parents were snowbirds and as they had a place in New Hampshire closing it down for the winter was also an issue. They had a drain on the water line to back drain the lines and then would use a compressor to blow air through the lines so nothing would freeze and then put anitfreeze in the johns and sink drains so any remaining water in the traps wouldn't freeze. Moth balls to discourage the forest critters (Squirrels ). We were use to it as we had summer cabins we rented out which always had to be winterized, but it was a big deal as I recall. And they still had to pay for someone to check on it or the insurance was void, but I think that leaks were not covered even with a service which is why they always drained the water either that or my dad just didn't want to pay to heat the place when it was empty.