California couple is dropped by long-time home insurer over photo from space - and it could happen to you

A California mates was dropped from their location security scheme past period because of a outer photograph of 'moss' connected their tile - but nan owners said it was conscionable star panels.

The Colemans, who unrecorded successful nan Bay Area suburb of Fairfield, sewage a missive successful nan message from Liberty Mutual telling them that their argumentation wouldn't beryllium renewed aft September 5, 2024.

The logic fixed was nan 'condition of nan property.' The 112-year-old insurer claimed nan tile had algae, mildew, mold and/or moss 'that negatively impacts' its structural integrity.

Liberty Mutual provided a outer photograph successful their connection to nan Colemans, and nan mates was shocked to study that their insurer of 20 years appeared to confuse moss pinch nan star panels connected their roof.

'I wasn't judge from nan image that they sent what circumstantial area they were talking about,' Janice Coleman told CBS 13, earlier explaining that nan 3 rectangular achromatic spots connected her tile were successful truth star panels.

'For being customers of 20 years, this is simply a really bad measurement to beryllium treated,' Janice added.

Liberty Mutual told CBS it doesn't 'publicly talk nan specifications of an individual underwriting decision.'

Anthony Coleman, Janice's husband, said he believed nan institution canceled their argumentation to prevention money.

'I consciousness they made a determination based connected exertion conscionable to trim their portfolio and to offload our spot arsenic they are doing pinch thousands of others successful nan authorities of California,' he said.

The Colemans person since recovered different institution to screen them but astatine a higher cost, CBS 13 reported.

Karl Susman, an security agent for nan past 30 years, said insurers request to springiness their customers an action to hole nan problem and fto them reason their lawsuit if a correction was made.

The Colemans said they hired a roofer to beryllium their tile was sound, yet Liberty Mutual still refused to reverse its decision. 

'They don't want to get slammed by nan Department of Insurance,' Susman explained to CBS 13. 'And judge me, they will if they're not renewing you for a logic that doesn't exist.'

Susman added that security companies each complete California are searching for reasons to driblet customers because it's difficult to move a profit successful nan state.

'Oh, they're efficaciously losing money,' he said. 'A batch of money.' 

An investigation of information from nan 10 largest location insurers by nan San Francisco Chronicle revealed that much than 100,000 Californians mislaid their location security from 2019 to 2024.

Californians who person non-renewal notices, arsenic nan Colemans did, do person authorities and options they tin exercise.

For instance, California passed a rule successful 2018 that put successful spot a one-year moratorium connected companies canceling location security policies of customers' who were affected by wildfires.

With this tool, residents tin cheque whether their zip codification qualifies.

If this isn't an option, homeowners tin besides record a title pinch California's Department of Insurance if they judge their insurer has surgery nan law.

Residents and businesses alike tin besides use for security done California's FAIR Plan if they can't find sum done accepted brokers.

As of 2020, nan FAIR Plan, a backstage entity created by nan authorities but operated by security companies, covers little than 3 percent of Californians.