An elderly couple claim their AAA home insurance was canceled after they drained their backyard pool to conserve water during California’s drought.
Marilyn Smith and other residents spoke to ABC 7 and said their policies were denied after the insurance company drone-monitored their homes.
Smith and her husband drained their pool after their grandchildren were all grown and said they would no longer use it. In response, AAA said they had encountered “delayed maintenance” at the pool and could not renew their insurance.
Likewise, homeowner CJ Sveen said his insurance was not renewed because of “cluttering” in his front yard. Another resident was told his roof had “exceeded its normal lifespan”.
The denials come just months after State Farm and Allstate announced they would not write new guidelines in California due to wildfire dangers.
An elderly couple claim their AAA home insurance was canceled after they drained their backyard pool to conserve water during California’s drought
Marilyn Smith (pictured) and other residents spoke to ABC 7 and said their policies were denied after the insurance company drone-monitored their homes
Homeowner CJ Sveen (pictured) said his insurance was not renewed because of “cluttering” in his garden
Smith said she spoke to agents after receiving the shocking notice of non-renewal, who told her the refusal was clearly pool-related.
“She just said it because the pool was empty,” Smith said. “I don’t understand what their problem is. Because when you drain a pool, you save water.”
Smith and her husband are currently using the empty pool as a sort of greenhouse to grow tomatoes and lettuce. She said the rejection came as a shock.
“I think I was so shocked I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
“I mean, we were both shocked. Because the pool is empty. What does this have to do with canceling your home insurance?” Smith continued.
The elderly resident told KGO that she and her husband were simply trying to save on the expense of having to keep the pool refilled after her family moved away.
“We made a good decision, we’re not using it, you know, the kids have moved to other states … it saves us maintenance costs,” she said.
“You have to add water to it every few days … and that’s no small pool.” “Water got really expensive,” she told the outlet.
AAA told her the pool showed signs of “delayed maintenance” in photos and videos they took.
Other homeowners shared Smith’s feelings and anger at AAA.
Smith said she spoke to agents after receiving the shocking notice of non-renewal, who told her the refusal was clearly pool-related
Smith and her husband use the empty pool as a greenhouse to grow tomatoes and lettuce
Sveen, who lives in Oakley, California, was told they would not renew his policy because photos and video were taken showing debris in his yard.
“Apparently they have some pictures and they noticed a mess,” Sveen said. “I find that insulting. How dare you judge me for my stuff!’
Sveen uses his garden as a workshop and said when he asked to see the photos or videos they took, AAA denied his request.
“There wasn’t a chance to mitigate or clean up or do anything, it was just that you got fired,” he said.
85-year-old George Nadeau, of San Rafael, was also fired because the roof of his home was obsolete, the insurance company claimed.
“We have one of the best-maintained residences in the neighborhood.” And we’ve taken very good care of our roof,” Nadeau said.
Sveen, who lives in Oakley, California, was told they would not renew his policy because photos and video were taken showing debris in his yard
Sveen uses his garden as a workshop and said when he asked to see the photos or videos they took, AAA denied his request
In response, the elderly man sent bills to his local insurance agent, showing he installed a brand new roof seven years ago and spent $4,000 upgrading it in March.
“We’ve lived in this house for 50 years and have taken care of our roof very effectively.” “So it’s a little annoying when an insurance company tells me I’m not doing my job,” Nadeau said.
An insurance salesman reportedly told him that the AAA was looking for all sorts of reasons to cancel their policies.
“And she literally said they’re looking for excuses to get rid of homeowner policies in this area.” I’m 85 years old. “I feel like I’m the victim of a conspiracy,” he said.
“Be considerate of the good citizens we’ve been all these years,” the elderly homeowner continued.
Sveen and Smith were both able to find other policies, while AAA reinstated Nadeau’s policy after he sent them the photos and evidence.
Also, 85-year-old George Nadeau (pictured), from San Rafael, was fired because the roof of his home was obsolete, the insurance company claimed
In response, the elderly man sent bills to his local insurance agent, showing he installed a brand new roof seven years ago and spent $4,000 upgrading it in March
An invoice Nadeau sent to AAA showing he made $4,000 repairs to his roof in March
Speaking to KGO, United Policyholders’ Amy Bach said insurance companies use technology like drone surveillance to look for risks.
“Insure tech tools scare insurers,” Bach said.
“It’s just really easy for them now to put a customer on the discard pile based on that technical information that they’re using and buying.” So far, it’s not really helping the consumer,” she said.
In March, State Farm announced it would no longer insure homes in California because the risk of wildfires was too great and the cost of rebuilding was too high.
State Farm said it “made this decision because of historical increases in construction costs that have outpaced inflation, rapidly increasing catastrophe risk and a difficult reinsurance market.”
In its statement, State Farm said it “takes seriously our responsibility to manage risk.”