Broker Cancelled all my Policies

Broker Cancelled all my Policies

Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2016 · 73 posts · 55 votes

Hello all,

I'm curious how you would handle a situation, or if it has happened to you, how did it play out?

I've got 7 properties (4 traditional SFR rentals, 3 room-to-room rentals), all insured with one local broker. One tenant who subleases/manages two of the properties from me got in touch with them to obtain auto/umbrella policy. In the course of discussion, the tenant brought up that there are elderly people living in the home and someone who cooks, cleans, does laundry, etc.

To make a long story short, the broker called the insurer, asked if it were legal to operate a 'commercial' operation on the current DWF policy we had. With that mis-information, the insurer said no, and they agreed to throw a blanket over all 7 of my policies as 'commercial' and cancel them, the earliest being in 30 days. 

All of this without as much as a phone call to ask. I don't think there is anything wrong with this. It's no different than insuring a room-to-room rental, AirBNB, college rental, etc, simply because the folks are elderly.

Should I try to work it out with them by addressing the facts? Find someone else? Have they crossed so many red lines here that I should be pulling my hairs (the little I have left) out?

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Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
8y

i would get with a good insurance agent and go over EXACTLY what your doing.. if your not properly insured and you had a loss they could deny coverage

@Darrin Gross  insures a few hundred of our properties and i have been with him for 20 plus years.. give him a shout he is an expert at rentals and has his own and maybe even some a little like you describe.

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  • Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    8y

    As far as I know, most insurance carriers would also cancel you, if they found out that you're doing airbnb. 

    So, are you sort of running a nursing/retirement home?

  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    8y

    i would get with a good insurance agent and go over EXACTLY what your doing.. if your not properly insured and you had a loss they could deny coverage

    @Darrin Gross  insures a few hundred of our properties and i have been with him for 20 plus years.. give him a shout he is an expert at rentals and has his own and maybe even some a little like you describe.

  • Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2016 · 73 posts · 55 votes
    8y

    @Michaela G. I'm sorry, that may have been a bit of a  stretch. This is by no means a short term rental situation.

    @Jay Hinrichs Thank you for the recommendation. But I'm having a hard time seeing why a commercial line is necessary for these two homes. Does a collegiate rental home with 4, 6 or 8 students living together need a commercial policy? Does a room to room rental home need a commercial policy? Do three folks in their golden years, with no health concerns, not live in a home together without it needing a commercial policy? Would I be able to work out the other policies, that are standard SFR rentals on one year leases with one family living in them, or were they in the right to cancel them all since one policy was questionable?

  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Andrew M.:

    @Michaela G. I'm sorry, that may have been a bit of a  stretch. This is by no means a short term rental situation.

    @Jay Hinrichs Thank you for the recommendation. But I'm having a hard time seeing why a commercial line is necessary for these two homes. Does a collegiate rental home with 4, 6 or 8 students living together need a commercial policy? Does a room to room rental home need a commercial policy? Do three folks in their golden years, with no health concerns, not live in a home together without it needing a commercial policy? Would I be able to work out the other policies, that are standard SFR rentals on one year leases with one family living in them, or were they in the right to cancel them all since one policy was questionable?

    I have NO IDEA  ask Darrin its his job for the last 25 years.. anyone who is not an insurance professional cant answer this you will just get 15 different opinions but those folks are not writing your policies.. Darrin does all sorts of insurance.. I both commercial and resi with him  ergo my suggestion to talk with him if have a minute.  Or at least some other insurance broker.  

  • Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2016 · 73 posts · 55 votes
    8y

    @Jay Hinrichs Haha, fair enough! Thanks!

  • Kevin HoagPro Member
    Insurance Agent · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2013 · 206 posts · 98 votes
    8y

    Hey @Andrew M. I would definitely try to save any hair you have left by finding another agent. Your agent has fiduciary responsibilities and should not be speaking about your insure needs with another client. Even worse they should never make a change to your policy with out your authorization in writing. If you were to have a claim and be denied because of the change they made that you did not approve you would be going after their E&O coverage and be bald by the time is was over.

    That being said lets break some of this down for you. I would put each policy on a separate plan. The SFR can each be placed on your normal landlord policy. @Michaela G. AirBnB is considered a short term rental property just like any vacation home and easy to insure with a policy very similar to a landlord policy. 

    Student housing is a major issue with insurance carriers and is an exclusion on most landlord policies. Renting out a property room to room is going to fall under that same exclusion. This exclusion include foster homes, assisted living, nursing, sororities and fraternities as well as housing or boarding. The insurance provider definitely should have not cancelled all of your policies unless it was one package policy and not 7 separate policies.

    I suggest looking into a commercial package for the room to room homes and keep the other properties separate.

    Best of luck

  • Real Estate Agent · Cupertino, CA · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    8y

    Same with owners claim to lease to long term tenants. Most companies will cancel it with no advance notice when they find out students are occupying them. 

  • Insurance Agent · Lake Oswego, OR · Member since 2015 · 50 posts · 20 votes
    8y

    @Andrew M. as for the reason the carrier would cancel the policy, my assumption is the risk materially changed.  They assumed it was a traditional long term rental.  When they learned that  there is a care business in the home, providing care to unrelated residents, for whom they are paid to care for, the risk no longer fit the profile the carrier intended to cover.  Two entirely different liability exposures.  

    Long term vs short term rentals are different as well.  A long term single family rental rented for a residence when owned by an individual can be written on a personal Dwelling Fire policy.  If the same property is operated as a short term rental, many carriers will require that it be written as a commercial property.   

    Like @Jay Hinrichs suggested, have an honest conversation with an insurance broker, and you will get the coverage you need.  It will likely cost more than you have been paying, but you will be covered. 

    If you need help, let me know.

  • Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2016 · 73 posts · 55 votes
    8y

    @Kevin Hoag Thanks for breaking that down. They were indeed on individual policies. I called yesterday to have the traditional SFRs that were cancelled as well switched back to their active status. Once they are active, broker research begins...

    @Sam Shueh Oh the things we learn....

    @Darrin Gross I sent a message to your business. Let's get together for a few minutes and have that open conversation.

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