EV Charger

[spike09]

That is absolutely untrue. If you are the homeowner and the installer, you can install it yourself. It is no different than if you install or change an outlet yourself in your home. In any case, an insurance company will not void your coverage regardless, even if it DID cause the fire.

There is no doubt you can install an EVSE yourself but if you do not bother pulling a permit you are 100% liabable. Your insurance company will deny any claim god forbid there is a house fire even if the EVSE was not the cause.

In Miami-Dade County any electrical work that costs over $500 (material and/or labor) requires a permit. And only a licensed electrician (or general contractor) can pull the permit!

 

[QueenBee]

Perhaps you misunderstood my point.

Do you really think an insurance company would pay out if the EVSE was not installed up to the NEC code? Do you also think they would pay out if the electrical work required a permit and there is none on file?

Yes....

 

[spike09]

Perhaps you misunderstood my point.

Do you really think an insurance company would pay out if the EVSE was not installed up to the NEC code? Do you also think they would pay out if the electrical work required a permit and there is none on file?

Yes....

Do you speak from experience?
Just because permiting is not a specific exclusion on a homeowners insurace policy does not guarantee the insurance company will pay for the damage.

Here are a few sites from adjusters and the like
http://www.getclaimhelp.com/worst_i...nce-companies-deny-claims-raise-premiums.html

http://www.badfaithinsurance.org/indexdetaillist.html

And here is a link to one very pissed off individual!
http://www.farmersinsurancegroupsucks.com/

 

[QueenBee]

Do you speak from experience?
Just because permiting is not a specific exclusion on a homeowners insurace policy does not guarantee the insurance company will pay for the damage.

Here are a few sites from adjusters and the like
http://www.getclaimhelp.com/worst_i...nce-companies-deny-claims-raise-premiums.html

http://www.badfaithinsurance.org/indexdetaillist.html

And here is a link to one very pissed off individual!
http://www.farmersinsurancegroupsucks.com/

Was there anything specific in those links regarding this topic? I skimmed for NEC, UL, and permit and didn't find any mention.

You asked what we expect and that is what I expect. They clearly cover negligence all the time when the home owner is clearly to blame so I don't know why there is this fear that if you don't have UL tested devices and your home isn't up to NEC (Which NEC revision do you feel they require BTW?) that they aren't going to cover you.

Is there anyway to guarantee the insurance company will pay for the damage?

 

[spike09]

Do you speak from experience?
Just because permiting is not a specific exclusion on a homeowners insurace policy does not guarantee the insurance company will pay for the damage.

Here are a few sites from adjusters and the like
http://www.getclaimhelp.com/worst_i...nce-companies-deny-claims-raise-premiums.html

http://www.badfaithinsurance.org/indexdetaillist.html

And here is a link to one very pissed off individual!
http://www.farmersinsurancegroupsucks.com/

Was there anything specific in those links regarding this topic? I skimmed for NEC, UL, and permit and didn't find any mention.

You asked what we expect and that is what I expect. They clearly cover negligence all the time when the home owner is clearly to blame so I don't know why there is this fear that if you don't have UL tested devices and your home isn't up to NEC (Which NEC revision do you feel they require BTW?) that they aren't going to cover you.

Is there anyway to guarantee the insurance company will pay for the damage?

Of course not. Sorry for going off topic on my insurance rant. Many here in Hurricane Zones have witnessed first hand how insurance companies do business. How they handled Hurricane Katrina was most enlightening.

My original statements might not ring true but do you base your expectations of service from your insurance company based upon an actual claim you submitted? We are still going on hearsay. I can not find the percentage of denied claims anywhere on the web.

I am still waiting to hear from anyone on this forum who has an actual experience with a fire related insurance claim.

 

[QueenBee]

Of course not. Sorry for going off topic on my insurance rant. Many here in Hurricane Zones have witnessed first hand how insurance companies do business. How they handled Hurricane Katrina was most enlightening.

My original statements might not ring true but do you base your expectations of service from your insurance company based upon an actual claim you submitted? We are still going on hearsay. I can not find the percentage of denied claims anywhere on the web.

I am still waiting to hear from anyone on this forum who has an actual experience with a fire related insurance claim.

OK, so no reason to spread FUD unless you are just generally saying "OMG insurance companies don't want to pay claims!". But anyway, people should get permits and do stuff to code because it's not hard and is always nice when you go to sell. And at least in my state/city doesn't preclude DIY work.

My parents are general contractors and they were remodeling the second story of their house. They had the entire 2nd story off the house. "Oh it's not going to rain" so they just threw some tarps over on top of it for the weekend. Well the next night "it's not going to rain" turned into a downpour and ruined drywall/hardwood floors/belongings/etc. Insurance company happily paid for all the damage from the rain without any issues even though the house was built with no permit, the remodel was done with no permit, and really the contractor (themselves) should have put a proper tarp over the house so AFAIC it should have been a claim on their contractors insurance not on their home owners insurance.

 

[kubel]

There is no doubt you can install an EVSE yourself but if you do not bother pulling a permit you are 100% liabable. Your insurance company will deny any claim god forbid there is a house fire even if the EVSE was not the cause. Tripping over the cable is also a real possibilty that you would be liable for because you have a distaste for the time and effort it takes to pull a permit. Where is the logic in shelling out the big bucks for the Leaf and EVSE and skimp on the cost of the permit?

I work in the underwriting review industry (homeowners insurance inspector), and I don't believe this is true. Perhaps the biggest factor in the risk involved in insuring a home is the stupidity of the homeowner- that just part of the coverage. Even if I could prove poor workmanship, it's still no grounds for the denial of a claim.

 

[QueenBee]

I work in the underwriting review industry (homeowners insurance inspector), and I don't believe this is true. Perhaps the biggest factor in the risk involved in insuring a home is the stupidity of the homeowner- that just part of the coverage. Even if I could prove poor workmanship, it's still no grounds for the denial of a claim.

Thank you for this input!