Fussy insurance companies

Does anybody know of a homeowner's insurance company that iss coal/wood stove friendly? My current company--Penn National is OK with my stove, but they say they won't renew my policy unless I fix the cracks and unevenness in my sidewalk. So I got a quote on re-doing it and they said almost $6,000--which is nuts. Needless to say, I started shopping other insurance companies. I got a good quote from Erie, but when the agent came to the house he noticed a couple of wood piles and said-Do you burn coal or wood? I told him coal, but sometimes wood. Then he said he would have to take pictures of the stove to underwrite it. A few days later they said no way, no how will they insure me--only if I had a stove that burned only coal.

So now I have to find another insurance company. Any ideas?

We have State Farm and they didn't care that we had a wood/coal stove, only that the install was permitted, inspected and approved by the AHJ.

No problems with Allstate either, just have it inspected by the code enforcement and pay an extra $58 a year

Sidewalk??? I can't picture it. Walkway leading to your house??? Tear the bitch out & put gravel/ crusher run in & roll the tears out of it. Any side walks in our Towns/ Cities are the responsibility of said Town/City???? titleist, what is a AHJ????

Authority Having Jurisdiction = AHJ.

Thanks IOF, I would have had to think about that for a while.

No problem. I deal with AHJ's daily doing inspections.

Just dropped Allstate because my policy went up $1000/year. I had a claim last year when a neighbors tree fell on my garden and chicken coop. Liberty Mutual just gave me a decent price which is only a little more than what i was paying for the last 6 years before my claim.

How dare you file a claim against an Ins. Co., you should know better than that insurance is a one way street, you pay- they don't. If you force the issue they either drop you or jack the rate so high you can't afford it, just free enterprise doing what it does best.

Here's a wonderful story of free enterprise

George Jacob "G.J." Mecherle [1] (pronounced "Ma-herl") (June 7, 1877 - March 10, 1951) was the founder of State Farm Insurance, headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois. Mecherle, a farmer who became an insurance agent also, founded State Farm after becoming dissatisfied with the insurance rates charged to farmers, as those rates included the risks of city drives as well.

Mr. Mecherle was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1985

You know the wonderful thing about free enterprise IF You don't like something YOU can build something better. Or you can just b@#$h about it.

Is it any wonder insurance companies in MA are in bed with our state government. That tells you all you need to know about the companies available here.

Deval Patrick - our "fine" governor, might as well just work for the UN & George Soros. http://michaelgraham.com/archives/deval ... zophrenic/

The insurance companies here tell you which products you can, or cannot own. FOr example, the state, in it's uber-liberal left-wing nutbag way of thinking, just banned all kids under age 12 from OWNING and RIDING any off road vehicles - be it an ATV or Dirt Bike. Now, your homeowners will drop you if the agent sees any "kids bikes" in your garage during the mandatory inspection.

Every day is closer to full blown communism ...

Scottsman wrote:I got a good quote from Erie, but when the agent came to the house he noticed a couple of wood piles and said-Do you burn coal or wood? I told him coal, but sometimes wood. Then he said he would have to take pictures of the stove to underwrite it. A few days later they said no way, no how will they insure me--only if I had a stove that burned only coal.

Is your stove UL listed? That is usually the hang-up with insurance companies. My home is insured with Erie, and they had no problem at all with the wood boiler installed in the house.

They stove is an older one (maybe mid-80's), but it was UL tested--has the tag and all. I have steel wall protection on 1" pipes and everything, but they still fussed. Whatever--they have a right to pick and choose their risks. But it's funny because my next door neighbor has an older wood and coal stove in his basement and is insured with them with no problems. Maybe they light his better because it is in the basement. Or maybe his agent wrote it up different.

Scottsman wrote:They stove is an older one (maybe mid-80's), but it was UL tested--has the tag and all. I have steel wall protection on 1" pipes and everything, but they still fussed. Whatever--they have a right to pick and choose their risks. But it's funny because my next door neighbor has an older wood and coal stove in his basement and is insured with them with no problems. Maybe they light his better because it is in the basement. Or maybe his agent wrote it up different.

I would have just told them ok then I'll only burn coal. A couple of times they came over my place for an inspection in the summer and I always made sure to have a big vase of flower on the cookstove and it always got a compliment and a smile but never an ask if it actually worked! I have a new oil boiler in the basement that has run for one single 5 day week last winter when I was away. Guess they figure thats the main heater?

Like Samhill said, How dare you actually file a claim! Sheesh, these guys slay me. I've never had a claim in 20 some years here in this house. One time I had some raccoon damage on the soffetts and in the eves but that wasn't covered, but you'll be happy to know sir, that if a volcano ever erupts and causes damage, I'm covered for that! Lovely and makes perfect insurance sense (wink wink) since there are none around here.

I have never had an insurance co. send anyone to inspect my home. I hope it stays that way.