Voluntary Inspection Program: Texas Department of Insurance 2005-10-23

Voluntary Inspection Program: Inspection Can Open Door to Home Insurance Consumers occasionally have trouble finding affordable property insurance because some insurers fear their homes will generate too many claims. Insurance companies may label these homes "uninsurable." In many cases, these homes are in older rural or inner-city neighborhoods. Texas´ Voluntary Inspection Program (VIP) offers owners of well-maintained homes a way to show insurers that they deserve coverage. Under the VIP, a home receives a "certificate of insurability" if it passes an inspection by a credentialed inspector, qualified by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). You can get a list of inspectors by calling TDI´s Consumer Help Line at 1-800-252-3439. A certificate of insurability creates a presumption your home is insurable. If you have a certificate, an insurance company can´t refuse to sell or renew a policy because of your home's condition unless the insurer reinspects it and describes the deficiencies in writing. Inspection fees are limited to $50, plus an additional $25 if you need a follow-up inspection to verify corrections of problems identified the first time around. Once you have a certificate of insurability, it´s good for three years so long as you don´t make substantial changes to your property. If that happens, an insurer can require an additional inspection. An insurance company may also require a written statement from you that there have been no significant changes to the property since it was inspected. To receive a certificate of insurability, a home must meet a list of reasonable standards issued by the TDI. These include, but aren´t limited to good maintenance, with no unrepaired damage and no accumulation of trash, brush, or debris in the yard wiring in good working condition, with no flickering lights or evidence of overheating no curled, cracked, or significantly deteriorated roof coverings, or missing shingles plumbing, heating, and cooling systems in good condition and free from leaks space heaters and hot water heaters properly vented and not too close to walls and furniture no unfenced swimming pools, hot tubs, fish ponds, bodies of water, or trampolines property accessible to fire-fighting equipment no signs of active termites or unrepaired insect damage. Many homes can easily meet the standards for a certificate of insurability. Per Texas Department of Insurance web page.