The ruthless insurance companies using DRONES to stiff homeowners: ‘Get the moss off your roof and trim your trees back’
- Homeowners across the U.S. have reported the sudden elimination of policies
- They claim that unannounced drones have captured debris and moss growing on roofs
Home insurance companies can fly drones over customers’ homes unannounced to spot any defects and refuse to renew policies.
Across the country, homeowners have reported sudden cancellations of policies after insurers took aerial photos with drones and spotted problems.
Insurance expert Karl Susman told CBS8 that the tactic is “nothing new” but can feel invasive, “clumsy and a bit weird” to “not know when it’s happening.”
Homeowners claim that unannounced drones have captured debris, draining puddles or moss growing on roofs, all of which have led to the policy being scrapped.
Malden resident John D’Entremont shared Boston 25 News he was ‘caught off guard’ by his insurer who suddenly demanded he make expensive repairs and then told him his policy had been cancelled.
Malden resident John D’Entremont told Boston 25 News he was ‘blindsided’ by his insurer suddenly demanding he make expensive repairs
D’Entremont has owned his home in Malden for more than 40 years and has had the same insurance policy all that time without any problems.
Then last August, he said he received a letter from his insurer detailing the expensive repairs he needed to make.
He said they told him, “Get the moss off the roof, cut back the tree where the branches hung over the house, and get some, in their case, they said, some shingles.”
He had the tree work done and started making estimates for the rest of the work, which quickly added up.
But then in November he said, “I’m getting notice that they’ve decided to cancel my homeowners policy.”
His daughter suspects the company used a drone to take pictures of his house without telling him, allowing them to discover “defects” they never had before.
Emily Rogan of the consumer advocacy group United Policyholders told Boston 25 News that this tactic is becoming more common.
She said: “There were a lot of big changes during COVID, with more satellite inspections, in different ways.
“And you know, a lot of industries have really relied on the technology.
‘And what we’re seeing now is that it’s becoming more and more common, whether it’s a drone image or a satellite image.
‘They have more access to data about you as a policyholder and about your property. And they use that to choose their customers.’
He has owned his home in Malden for over 40 years and has had the same insurance policy all that time without any problems
Then last August, he said he received a letter from his insurer detailing the expensive repairs he needed to make. Then they told him his policy would not be renewed
Rogan said, “It’s more important than ever for homeowners to stay on top of their home maintenance because you never know when the insurance company is going to take that shot.”
Last month The Wall Street Journal reported a “dramatic” increase in “reports of consumers being dropped by their insurers based on an aerial photo.”
According to The Journal, insurance companies have drones, manned aircraft and high-altitude balloons at their disposal for aerial surveillance.
The Geospatial Insurance Consortium, which conducts aerial surveillance, said it has photographed 99 percent of homes in the US.
But the technology is imperfect, according to The Journal, which said companies have dropped customers because of images that are outdated or misrepresented.