Home Insurance Company said they would cancel policy b/c we had chickens..Anyone else have this happ

[mrswolf02]

oh bloody heck... the farm bureau lady emailed and said once things got to underwriting, it does not meet their guidelines....WHAT??? so now she forwarded my information to someone else....Oy vey I want to scream and cry and punch someone in the face! Now I feel like putting my house up for sale and say screw it and just be a renter or go buy a few acres in the middle of nowhere and put a camper and a shed on it we struggled for a few years to be able to purchase our home and have our little "homestead" and it's getting all screwed up and threatened What would happen if we can't get anyone to cover us? The people we bought the home from is the "bank" and is financing....Would we be forced to move??? I know that part is a little off topic of chickens but I am starting to freak the eff out now

 

[farmchickutah]

Ridiculous! Are they afraid the chickens are going to peck someone to death? I have chickens , horses and dogs on my property and I have never had anyone from my insurance company come take a look, but then I don't live in FL. I am so sorry for you. Hope things work out.

 

[mrswolf02]

phew, found a comany that will cover us...but without chickens and $500 more expensive

. still going to shop around but this is so nerve wracking!

I have also decided I don't want to be a grown up anymore, this is not what I signed up for!

 

[res]

How is anyone in FL able to have a mortgage if there are no insurance companies to cover the property? There has to be SOME company that insures all of FL? It's not possible to have a mortgage without insurance.... And there are LOTS of properties in FL that have livestock, horses, chickens, etc.

Maybe call some local banks, credit unions, or title companies (if FL has title co's) and ask them what insurance companies they are familiar with working with. *Somebody* has to know!

As for USAA and farms/horses - it must depend on independent adjustors or maybe?? active duty status? (which would make no sense at all, but...). We've had horse barns and houses rebuilt, horse trailers and tack replaced... As have multiple other active duty friends who were hit by the same tornados.

 

[lazy gardener]

Is there any way this may relate to how much available space you have in your yard??

 

[SunnySkies]

Are there any stables in your area? If so, go ask them who their insurance carrier is. Ridiculous that you can't get insurance coverage because of some chickens.

As far as USAA, my friend was deployed at the time. Who knows. I would never ever ever trust any insurance company to not pitch a fit if I only had a homeowner's policy. Adding animals, and even some breeds of dogs, can change everything. If you have a home based business, that can change things too.

 

[Trefoil]

Have you tried excluding the chickens from your coverage? That would give them no excuse and basically what risk would chickens cause that you need insurance against. Aside from that I agree with others. Insurance isn't a gift, if they don't want your business f them.The insurance industry has gotten such a hold over this country they have forgotten who is the boss.

 

[mrswolf02]

lazy gardener, I don't think so, we had our coop a good distance from the house and we have a pretty good sized back yard, it's not a whole acre by any means but where I live I am the only house on my quarter of the block,and only 7 houses on the half mail stretch of road. woods surround our home and from stop sign to stop sign, might as well be considered " country".


SunnySkies, about 5 miles away starts the "agriculture" zone, in my neighborhood there's no stables or barns, but people def. have chickens and ducks ( you can hear them through out the subdivision, not just my little area) I'm sure the farm bureau would cover those areas. still no clue what excluded us from them being able to cover us. I don't know anyone who lives in that area that owns a home

Trefoil, I'm not sure if that would be suitable. So far everyone I have talked to said they don't cover property with chickens/farm animals/exotics of any kind for any reason. The inspector people with the company who cancelled us stated to our agent at the farm bureau that they once they found any farm animals they would not reverse cancellation even if animals were removed. So I don't think that they would adjust any policies they have im sure they would have a concern the coop could be picked up and thrown into the house if there was a hurricane, really bad storm, or tornado and damage the home, which they wouldnt cover im sure.

I am so discouraged in finding coverage without the birds, and now it is startin to look like I cant ever have any every again while we live where we do

 

[lazy gardener]

Would you be allowed to have a storage shed on your property? If so, the whole flying coop thing here doesn't make sense. (Insert wizard of oz music here where chickens and cows... and the witch go flying by the window!) Now, if you were in Kansas, this might make sense!!!

Please forgive my sick humor!

Your story could be in a documentary about how big government and industry is standing in the way of the average citizen being self supporting and meeting their needs through small agriculture.

 

[savnnah07]

I am in Florida and just bought a house in February. I went with Tower Hill Insurance and have no issues with chickens. My property is zoned Village Rural Residential and my insurance people have been out to my house numerous times having to look at repairs that were done (when I bought the house it was in a major state of disrepair and had to be done to their liking). I got a quote from Farm Bureau and it was $800 more than Tower Hill. I don't know if they are available where you are or if you have already looked and they won't work, but if not give them a shot! I hope everything works out for you!!