Our wood fence was destroyed during a storm last night. It obviously needs to be replaced. Is this an insurance claim or just on us? (DH and I aren’t sure and have opposite opinions). Anything we should consider in getting quotes for a replacement?
Post by dancingirl21 on Mar 10, 2023 15:08:23 GMT -5
Either way. We had a fence blow over in a storm and a few panels and posts needed to be replaced. We filed a claim with our insurance but should have just paid out of pocket. That claim lived under our names for 5 years and when we tried to switch to a new insurance company, got questioned pretty extensively about what that claim was. The repairs were “only” around $1000, though, so we should have just paid it.
My H has had several claims where damaged fences were covered in the insurance policy, but not every policy covers fences and/or outlying buildings.
I would suggest contacting your insurance agent before making a claim to go over what's specifically covered in your policy. If it is covered, you need to figure out if the cost of the repair will exceed your deductible, which would involve calling around for estimates.
Take lots of pictures to document the damage (I'm sure you know this, but it's surprising how many people don't 🙄).
Our fence is definitely covered by our insurance. Unless we had to replace the whole thing, I don’t think I’d make a claim for it though since it’s relatively inexpensive compared to our deductible + the risk of increased future rates.
We had a couple panels get ruined when a tree branch fell on them last weekend. We just paid out of pocket, our insurance would have covered it but for a few hundred dollars it wasn’t worth the hassle to file a claim.
I have a $1k deductible on my homeowners' policy so it would have to be pretty extensive fence damage for a claim to be worth it for me as a practical matter.
As a more theoretical matter, idk whether it would be covered, but I'm sure I could call my insurance agent and he could tell me really quickly and easily.
We have a $1k deductible. Online estimates are that it will be more than that, but we'll see once the quotes start rolling in. FWIW, I'm team "pay it out of pocket."
Susie, I'm terrible at adulting. I used to know who our broker is, but it's changed 3-4 times due to staff turnover and the company sold. I don't have any clue who the agent is. We've clearly never been in a position of needing to file a claim before.
Post by springchick32 on Mar 11, 2023 5:01:33 GMT -5
We had 1 vinyl panel damaged from a tree falling so I called our fence guy first for a quote to fix it and it was less than $1K which is our deductible so we didn’t go through insurance.
First quote is for $6800 - so our share is $3400. Deductible is $1000. Knowing that, would you file a claim?
I would not. Our experience when we needed a new roof was they raised the rate so much it basically paid for the roof. And once you file a claim, you can’t change companies for 3 years, I believe. I might be off on the number of years, but there’s a set time. It sucks.
First quote is for $6800 - so our share is $3400. Deductible is $1000. Knowing that, would you file a claim?
I would not. Our experience when we needed a new roof was they raised the rate so much it basically paid for the roof. And once you file a claim, you can’t change companies for 3 years, I believe. I might be off on the number of years, but there’s a set time. It sucks.
I don’t think I’d make an insurance claim unless it was over ~5k in damages. There’s no way to know how much your rates will go up until you make a claim and then there’s no taking it back.
And you should get more quotes. I know this is regional and inflation but six years ago we paid around $3500 for our entire 6’ horizontal slat wood fence on a 0.5 acre lot.
ETA: Also, if you’re splitting the cost with a neighbor, whether you make a claim might not matter if your neighbor claims it and vice versa. If one of you makes an insurance claim, that insurance company will probably try to get the other one involved and could even make a claim on the second policy itself so get on the same page with your neighbor. And beware that in making a claim, you might lose the discretion to decide whether you repair part of it or replace the whole thing.
First quote is for $6800 - so our share is $3400. Deductible is $1000. Knowing that, would you file a claim?
Have you ever made another claim? How long have you held insurance with this company?
Depending on those answers, my answer would change. We filed a claim for hail damage on our home a few years ago. We got over $20k towards new siding and roof repair and our deductible "only" went up about $1k for the year (basically doubled). We still looked to switch and did, saving that $1k with another company, so it was worth it for us. Obviously YMMV.
If you can easily swing it and you don't want to worry about your deductible increasing, I'd just pay it. But I don't think you'd be SOL if you did file a claim.
First quote is for $6800 - so our share is $3400. Deductible is $1000. Knowing that, would you file a claim?
I would not. Our experience when we needed a new roof was they raised the rate so much it basically paid for the roof. And once you file a claim, you can’t change companies for 3 years, I believe. I might be off on the number of years, but there’s a set time. It sucks.
Sorry to be off-topic, but this infuriates me about insurance, home-owners in particular. I mean, home-owners pay a LOT of money every year to insure their homes, and it's not like you can just choose not to or anything. And then something happens that is out of your control, and you think you are covered because you've been paying into this policy for years with no previous claims, but then things are barely covered, it's a hassle, AND THEN YOU'RE PENALIZED for using the policy for what it's there for in the first place by having to pay more! And I swear sometimes you're penalized for even ASKING if something would be covered! It should not be like this.
So the neighbor got the first quote. The one we got today is $1600 to repair, $4300 to replace. We have one more to call for another quote. Waiting to hear which route the neighbors want to take, but from their texts yesterday, I think they’ll want to replace.
Of course any cost savings will now be spent on replacing a different fence that’s ready to fall. That neighbor has been wanting to replacing it for a while anyways. And a new gate… got to love project scope creep.
I am guessing we will skip insurance and just pay OOP, which was my initial inclination.
I would not. Our experience when we needed a new roof was they raised the rate so much it basically paid for the roof. And once you file a claim, you can’t change companies for 3 years, I believe. I might be off on the number of years, but there’s a set time. It sucks.
Sorry to be off-topic, but this infuriates me about insurance, home-owners in particular. I mean, home-owners pay a LOT of money every year to insure their homes, and it's not like you can just choose not to or anything. And then something happens that is out of your control, and you think you are covered because you've been paying into this policy for years with no previous claims, but then things are barely covered, it's a hassle, AND THEN YOU'RE PENALIZED for using the policy for what it's there for in the first place by having to pay more! And I swear sometimes you're penalized for even ASKING if something would be covered! It should not be like this.
Its almost like our government is a profit driven market with legal predatory practices designed to maximize profit margins that benefit rich corporations instead of sensible consumer protections driven and protected by a representative government of the people.
First quote is for $6800 - so our share is $3400. Deductible is $1000. Knowing that, would you file a claim?
Whoa that seems crazy high! I’d do a claim for $3k. But I’d talk to your agent first to see if it will impact your rates and what the steps would be to go through them.
ETA. With the updated quote (seems much more reasonable) I wouldn’t submit a claim.
k3am It may be worth noting that a “shared” fence often still falls on one property line or the other. It may be worth knowing if it’s on your property or theirs and who will actually own it.
k3am It may be worth noting that a “shared” fence often still falls on one property line or the other. It may be worth knowing if it’s on your property or theirs and who will actually own it.
I think in CA, they’re all shared and both homeowners are responsible. Even if it’s not, we have great relationships with both sets of neighbors, so I’m sure we’ll be able to agree on a path that feels fair for everyone.
Yeah... that first quote is bonkers (and makes me think the contractor who gave that quote thinks they can push the insurance company to cover it). Be aware that insurance doesn't care what contractors quote you. If a repair is possible, that's what insurance will cover. If the contractors replace the whole fence anyway, you're responsible for the additional expense. Insurance is only there to restore you to your previous/current state. So many people try to get upgrades covered and it ends up being frustrating and stressful for everyone.
So I hope the neighbors aren't pushing for an entire brand new fence because that's not likely to happen.
My initial thought is yes, but what do you mean your share would be half the estimate? Is a neighbor or HOA involved?
Also, this must be a really nice (or very long) fence!
Lumber prices are ridiculous right now. We had to fix a portion of our fence, 14 panels, and it was $5k. Just simple wood fence with a gate.
wut? Standard fence panel is 6x8, right? In my area (HCL) the price is about $70 per panel which works out to about $1000 for 14 panels. I don't know what state you're in or how much labor was involved, but $5000 is high 😕 (the material would make a difference too. I looked up prices for treated pine.)
Guys -- contractors are not your friends. The insurance company isn't either, but they are at least legally required to restore your property to its previous state. That's it.