How Satellite Photos Could Cause The Loss Of Home Insurance
A Black couple from California is without home insurance after a satellite photo captured solar panels on their roof, mistaken for other “growth,” Daily Mail reported.
The Colemans of Fairfield received a letter from insurance company Liberty Mutual announcing their home was no longer covered starting Sept. 5 after 20 years due to the “condition of the property.” The couple was accused of hosting algae, mold/moss, and mildew, which “negatively impacts” the property. Corresponding with the letter, the company issued a satellite picture, confusing their solar panels for these growths. “I wasn’t sure from the picture they sent what specific area they were talking about,” Janice Coleman said.
“For customers of 20 years, this is a really bad way to be treated.”
Coleman’s husband, Anthony, thinks companies use strange tactics to save money. “I feel they made a decision based on technology just to reduce their portfolio and to offload our property as they are doing with thousands of others in the state of California,” he said.
An investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle revealed over 100,000 Californians were dropped by 10 of the largest home insurers between 2019 and 2024. According to CBS News, a woman named Joan Van Kuren had her insurance canceled by CSAA over debris found in her yard during a home remodeling project. “They said they flew a drone over the home,” Van Kuren said. The satellite photo sent to her showed an old planter filled with dirt – in the process of getting some rocks – and some old trees.
Homeowners who go through instances like these do have options. Karl Susman, an insurance broker with close to 30 years of experience, feels insurers should give their customers a chance to fix the problem and argue for their case if a mistake was made. He also admitted that companies are running scared and finding reasons to drop their clients due to a lack of ROI or return on investment.
“They don’t want to get slammed by the Department of Insurance,” Susman said.
“And believe me, they will if they’re not renewing you for a reason that doesn’t exist.”
In 2018, a state law was passed that put a one-year moratorium on companies that canceled the home insurance policies of customers affected by wildfires. Advocates and lawmakers at both the state and federal levels are pushing for regulations that give insurance customers at least 60 days to fix specific issues that an insurer may have with customer property.
After being dropped by Liberty Mutual, which, in a statement, said it doesn’t “publicly discuss the details of an individual underwriting decision,” the Colemans found comfort with a competitor but at a higher cost.
However, before, the couple hired a roofer to prove the stability of their roof, but Liberty Mutual decided not to reverse its decision.
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