You have my sympathies, too, Linda. I'm in a similar situationÂand in the northeast, very much inland. I received a letter from my insurance company a couple of days ago saying that they'll cancel my policy unless I repaint the house siding, replace window casings, erect a fence around the swimming pool, and remove the diving board. This is a blow. I was already planning to replace the siding, but why should they care if my house needs paint or not? I imagine the window casings, whatever they are, will be part of the new siding project. I'll ask the contractor. But the pool is a major problem. I had arranged to have a number of home repairs done, and the list didn't include a fence. I live alone out in the country with no neighbors. In 16 years the only accident that happened with the pool is the drowning of one of my cats (so now they're all indoors). The pool, by the way, is covered securely with a bolted-down safety cover, and hasn't been opened since my daughter died two years ago, simply because I haven't had the energy to open and maintain it. Now I'm thinking if I put up a fence using money presently assigned to another project, I may find a few years down the road that the pool needs a new liner, or filter, or whatever, and I won't be able to afford it. So I'm investigating the possibility of having the pool filled in. My other (grown) children haven't wanted me to do that, and I agree it has been and can be a beautiful pool, but I feel as though I'm between that proverbial rock and hard place. Incidentally, Linda, I'm told Allstate is a little more liberal about things. (But they, too, insist on a pool fence.) Susan

In a typical landlord/tenant situation, the landlord holds the homeowner's insurance policy, covering any damage to the structure and its fittings. Rental insurance covers only the renter's personal property - it is not for the homeowner's (landlord) protection but for their own. Should a fire occur, the homeowner's insurance will pay for the reconstruction of the home but unless the tenant has rental insurance, none of their furniture, goods, personal property, etc. are covered. I'm glad the damage will be covered by the appliance mfg. And given the situation, seems like you assuming the homeowner's insurance coverage is a good idea. Until more complete repairs can be made, the humidifier is also good idea. Won't get rid of any mold that may already be there but will prevent its spread.

Whatever you do make it a high deductible - as high as you can possibly stand it because if you file a claim then you end up having to pay it back anyway in the form of surcharges the next few years. I learned this the hard way. Bike was stolen so I thought no biggie, I'll file a claim. Imagine my surprise when the next 3 years I had to pay the surcharge to make it up to them - couldnt believe it. At that point I raised the deductible pretty high - had been $500, now a few thousand $$$. The advantage is I could get the monthly premiums down to a more reasonable amt. Do other insurance co's operate this way??? You end up paying them extra if you file a claim?

It is true that brokers often seem able to circumvent the closed systems that many companies have. Many brokers have sufficient access to the information, so they can give the information necessary to appear they are also brokering for Company XYZ. So, it is true that brokers can get quotes, or appear to be getting quotes. To the OP: either web searching or through any other means, find a broker. Ask him/her what group, association, or whatever-they-call-it that he or she belongs to. Get that association. Contact them. Get a few more names from them. Ask each broker which firms they send most of their business to. No matter how impartial they seem to be, with their quotes, they will ultimately find ways to send most of their customers to a small number of insurance carriers. One way or another, you will be channeled into a small number of good choices. They may all be good ones. But speak to another broker. hth