Insurance policy cancelled due to exterior paint

[Emily Fraser]

I am a newbie and just made my first purchase of a triplex two months ago. I was surprised to receive a cancellation notice of my insurance policy after they inspected the exterior of the property. They said that 15% of the exterior paint is not up to standard. I would like to repair the problem and retain the policy, but November does not seem like an ideal time to repaint a house in Ohio. Unfortunately, they only gave me until Dec 21 to show that the necessary repairs have been done. This doesn't seem likely. 

Would you suggest repairing the problem if possible, or trying to get new coverage? When I reach out to new insurance companies, do I disclose that the previous policy was canceled? What if no one will insure it? I feel a bit frustrated and stressed that the company said they would insure me before I purchased and then canceled the policy right after I closed. 

Thank you in advance for the advice.

[Scott E.]

I had this happen to me a while back with a house our here in Arizona, but it was the roof that they required to be replaced. It's a bummer but what I realized at the time was "they're right" so I went ahead and replaced the roof.

It's your opinion that November wouldn't be a good time to repaint a house in Ohio. I'd talk to a painting contractor and have them confirm that. They will either tell you you're wrong, or maybe they will provide you a contract/letter stating that they will repaint for you when the weather improves. I would think the insurance company would make an exception to that Dec 21 date if they had something like this from an actual painter.