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August 31, 2006
homeowner's insurance companies
so the previous post mentions a few insurance companies that no longer cover brownstones/townhouses (AllState, GEICO, AIG). what companies DO provide coverage? i'm getting quotes right now, State Farm will do it, Liberty Mutual won't due to the flat roof issue. who do you guys use?
Comments
I've got State Farm. No issues with flat roof or anything else.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 31, 2006 2:51 PM
i renewed my insurance with tower insurance in manhattan. i went thru a broker a year ago and tower insurance sent me the renewal with about $300 increase. this is b/c they increased the coverage due to the increase in property value. it sounds like they would have insured me for the same rate for the same coverage.
Posted by: plant lady at August 31, 2006 3:30 PM
Allstate DUMPED me over the winter and now I have State Farm
no prob
Posted by: Anonymous at August 31, 2006 4:11 PM
We just got our policy through Liberty Mutual a few weeks ago. No problems with a flat roof. Our agent is Ryan Fortier, in their Manhattan office, who was very helpful. His phone number is (212) 391-7500 x313.
Posted by: anon at August 31, 2006 5:59 PM
We also have a policy through Liberty Mutual, and had no problem due to the flat roof.
Perhaps the agents you dealt with are not familiar with brownstones/rowhouses? Perhaps flat roofs on stand-alone houses in other parts of the country often cause problems? Just a guess, since most of the roofs around here are flat and everyone has insurance (or just about everyone).
Posted by: Amy at August 31, 2006 9:02 PM
I just purchased a home, and a friend put me on to Brownstone Agency http://www.brownstoneagency.com) when I was shopping for insurance. They broke for New Hampshire Insurance Company (a division of AIG).
They cater to brownstoners and so rates are great!
Their staff is really helpful (ask for Chris Lehman -- 212-699-8764).
Good luck!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 31, 2006 9:10 PM
Other posters in the past had bad things to say about brownstone agency.
Posted by: OE at August 31, 2006 9:24 PM
Brownstone agency is not the most competent agent out there. This is just my opinion for what its worth. Open the yellow pages. Make some calls. There are hundreds of agents in brooklyn. Get some rates. Do some research. In my opinion the information about insurance on this board is not of the highest quality. Better to research it on your own. And don't go with a company direclty, use a broker.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 1, 2006 7:50 AM
i actually just got a message from ryan fortier, but i did hear from a different agent that refused coverage.
7:50 you're probably right.
Posted by: OP at September 1, 2006 8:35 AM
I have homeowners and car insurance through TSC> Direct (also known as Tri-State Consumer Agency)and am very very pleased - they have very competitive prices and outstanding customer service.
http://www.tscinsurance.com/active/Aboutus.asp
Posted by: Alexuma at September 1, 2006 9:25 AM
Max Pollack & Sons, in Red Hook, were very helpful when I was having trouble getting insurance for my 2-family plus storefront (used as living space) in Greenpoint. I think it was Stephen Pollack that I dealt with.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 1, 2006 7:55 PM
The Gotham Agency in Manhattan was very good to me. Competitive rates.
My policy is from The Travelers Insurance Company.
Gotham: 212-406-7300.
They also have policies from Chubb.
Jeffrey Schneider runs the shop.
jeffs@gothambrokerage.com
FYI our building's underlying was once through The Brownstone Agency.
After once big claim, they dumped us (but still have to provide attorneys, etc.)
Also, Google AIG and see what problems they've been having recently.
Posted by: 5w30 at September 4, 2006 9:41 PM
I also have Tower Insurance but our basement was flooded during the flash flooding this summer and they found some clause to use to not cover our claim. I am fuming. We discovered we were insured, except, oops, when we actaully need it. I'm looking to switch now -- we've paid them an f-ing fortune only to not have coverage when we need it.
Posted by: renogirl at September 6, 2006 1:21 PM
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