Insurer requires changing window bars?
Our insurer (State Farm) is requiring that we change our basement window bars from permanent to the kind that have safety latches that will allow them to release. Has anyone done this? Any one that you can recommend to do the work? What did it cost? Is it possible to modifiy the bars (as opposed to remove and replace)? Our building is landmarked – any issues to worry about there? Thanks very much.

Margie
in Insurance 12 years and 7 months ago
7
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nalusurf | 12 years and 5 months ago
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Thanks minmnyc. I am aslo looking at another insurance co, GFI Ins, and will let you (and group) know as well regarding what they offer. Yeah very frustrating. Tried to explain to State Farm that the room they are conerned with is not a bedroom, the front door is adjacent to the windows with a wall separating them and the back room of the floor has NO bars whatsoever (a whole separate issue regarding break ins!).

nalusurf | 12 years and 5 months ago
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Hey minmnyc, we just got the same phone call from State Farm and we are a new policy for a brownstone we just closed on a week ago. Have you had any luck with other insurance carriers? Or for that matter, has anyone had luck with another carrier other than State Farm? Thanks!

Margie | 12 years and 7 months ago
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From OP – just to update, Llandmarks confirmed that a permit is required to alter the existing window bars and that if they are original to the house, it’s likely that a permit will be denied. A permit request apparently takes 30-40 days to process, and State Farm is giving me just 10 days to comply, so obviously I need to start looking for another insurer…Seems crazy, given that the basement has two door exits…

bedstuytownhouse | 12 years and 7 months ago
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We got the same letter and modified our existing bars to make them a fire exit so as not to compromise the appearance too much because most of those bars are hideous!! We used Boro Park Iron and Locksmith and they did a fantastic job. Think price was around $1000.

cate | 12 years and 7 months ago
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I am hoping someone with more knowledge than me will chime in here, but from what I understand, Landmarks will not allow this.

shahnandersen
in Insurance 12 years and 7 months ago
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Are you sure that the are actually requiring it? We got a letter from State Farm *recommending* that we make the change on two floors. We ignored it.

daveinbedstuy | 12 years and 7 months ago
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This topic seems to be posted about almost monthly now. Check archived threads.