Posted on 09/03/2025 5:17:26 AM PDT by dennisw
'I think it's becoming very, very common,' Amy Bach, Executive Director at consumer advocacy group United Policyholders, told the outlet.
'People are getting dropped on basis of, "We see mold on your roof," or "We see damaged roof tiles," or "There's trees touching your house," risk factors that insurance companies are increasingly on the lookout for.'
Schueler found company to remove the branches in time, and so was able to keep her coverage.
'It ended up costing $1,200. I had no choice,' she told CBS.
Her policy was renewed for another year, but having her home monitored without her being notified has left a sour taste in her mouth.
A furious homeowner says her insurer used a drone to secretly photograph her house when she was out before threatening to cancel her insurance.
Lynne Schueler, from Massachusetts, said her insurer gave her weeks to trim back some trees on her property or it would end her policy, despite her being a customer with the company for more than a decade.
'It was very invasive, because they had taken a picture of my house without me knowing, which was really kind of crazy,' she told CBS News.
'I wasn't home because my car wasn't in the driveway.'
Schueler said she received an email with an aerial surveillance photo of her home and a message which said she had just six weeks to remove some tree branches hovering over her house.
She was reticent to cut branches off a 'beautiful tree' in her yard, and nervous about how much it might cost to remove them
But she was also concerned about how losing her insurance might impact her mortgage.
Schueler is by no means alone, and experts are warning that this surveillance practice is becoming increasingly common among insurers.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I don’t have a problem with insurance companies doing this.
If you don’t want to do what you’ve agreed to do to remain in compliance with the terms set forth in your policy, find another insurer.
I don’t have a problem with insurance companies doing this.
If you don’t want to do what you’ve agreed to do to remain in compliance with the terms set forth in your policy, find another insurer.
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Totally agree. It’s a contract, lady. If you don’t want to hold up your end of the agreement, no insurance for you.
I filed this under humor. This outraged homeowner thinks she owns the airspace above her home. Meaning that her home insurer must ask permission to fly over her home, to see if she is in compliance with her insurance policy.
Of course a smart insurance company will use drones to see what is going on.
Interesting that the Daily Fail isn’t having a kitten about councils doing the same thing to check to see if homeowners are cheating on their property taxes or construction/remodeling permits.
“Lynne Schueler, from Massachusetts...:
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I think I found the problem
“ But she was also concerned about how losing her insurance might impact her mortgage.”
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Things that make you go…”DUH!”.
Seriously, I don’t see anything wrong with insurance companies wanting their policyholders to mitigate risks. I don’t need an insurance company to tell me those things…. I have a wife who “reminds” me when I should do things such as trim encroaching tree limbs.
Or your fellow policy holders will be made to eat your loss.
I’m still stunned by the number of homeowners out in CA who live in wildfire country and refuse to have defensible space around their properties.
Fraud isn’t the only reason rates are so high.
The property appraiser of my Florida county uses aerial images of the county.
The postcards with offers to buy my house have a picture of my house on them.
“This outraged homeowner thinks she owns the airspace above her home.”
She actually does, to an extent: https://aviation.uslegal.com/ownership-of-airspace-over-property/
If a claims adjuster cannot visit or trespass without the homeowners permission (https://www.insure.com/home-insurance/insurance-company-inspection.html), then I don’t see why drones used for the same effect should get a pass.
I have a problem with it. Who annointed insurance companies king?
When there is a hurricane, the federal government will fly over areas where damage can be expected.
a claims adjuster needs permission to drive by your house
it was an inspection of the outside of the house
the drone was probably cheaper
Tree branches can really damage a roof.
“It’s a contract, lady.”
But IS the spying issue written in the contract? If not, then she’s totally justified in being pissed.
A lot of insurance companies use Google Maps as they can zoom in on your property. My insurance company decided that my roof needed replacing and used that as an excuse to double my insurance bill. You can’t really tell how bad a roof is by looking at a satellite picture. I had a guy come out and give me an estimate for a new roof and he said my roof had several more years. I still opted for a metal roof over. Needless to say I dropped that insurance company and went with another that didn’t even need to come out and inspect anything.
I have had insurance company inspectors come to my house when I renewed my insurance or changed insurance providers.
Just because the insurance companies are now using drones to do the inspections does not seem to be anything different than using a person.
If the insurance company isn’t allowed to use drones itself, the insurance company will require you to use an outside party to verify roof condition - expect to pay $50 to $100, every year.
Power trips can be costly.
The insurance companies have to monitor homes because so many ignore routine maintenance on their homes. And drones aren’t needed because google earth does the job just fine.
When my insurance company questioned some tree branches over my house I realized they were right and got them removed immediately, then sent them the pictures. I even removed one tree entirely. The insurance company is basically doing you a favor by reminding you to take care of the issue. If you can’t afford to maintain your home get an apartment.
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