Reporting Loss After Policy Expires

Home is insured under a HO0003Z policy from 5/27/2009 – 5/27/2010. Just after renewal, the insured dies and the home goes into her estate. On 7/24/2009 there is hail in the area. On 08/28/2009 the estate sells the house, no reference to hail damage is made in sale. September 18, new owner realizes some neighbors are having hail damage repaired and calls the executor of the insured's estate who handled the sale of the home, who is the daughter of the insured. The executor turns in a claim to the agency, who feels we owe for any potential covered loss. Do we have coverage for a property that has been sold when the loss occurred before the sale?

Wisconsin Subscriber

The requirements for reporting a loss under a standard homeowner policy is to give prompt notice to the carrier or the agent. In your situation, even though the policy expired, the executor did give prompt notice given the circumstances of the property being in an estate, especially if no one was living in the property at the time of loss. There are no clauses in the homeowners policy that state that any loss under the policy must be reported within x number of days of expiration. Therefore, as long as the executor acted promptly, and it appears she did, there is coverage.

 

 

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