A California woman revealed that her home insurance company spied on her with drones while she was doing renovations and then used the footage of the “mess” to cut her coverage.
Joan Van Kuren said she was stunned when CSAA, her insurer for nearly 40 years, made the drastic decision to drop her as a client because of the “dangerous” construction mess they found in her yard.
The Modesto, California, resident had been renovating her home for more than three years, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to remodel her kitchen, bathrooms and entryway, she said. CBS News.
But she claimed that once nearly all of the work was completed, CSAA sent her a letter citing “hazards” and unsanitary conditions on her property that were a liability.
Van Kuren said the insurance company used drones, a growing tactic in the industry that has seen many homeowners lose their coverage unaware that their properties were being watched from above.
California homeowner Joan Van Kuren said she was stunned when her home insurance was canceled after the insurer took aerial images of her home without her knowledge.
Van Kuren said he was putting the finishing touches on a $200,000 renovation to his home (pictured) when he was informed his insurance had been cancelled.
Van Kuren said being contacted by her home insurer ruined what should have been a joyous moment as she was nearly finished renovating her home.
Asked what it was like when the finishing touches were put on, she said it was “amazing” and added: “It was wonderful because it took forever.”
But after receiving a notice that her coverage would be canceled, Van Kuren said she called the insurer, trying to argue that her home was not cluttered and only had construction debris that would be cleaned up.
“(The company) said they flew a drone over the house,” he said. “It almost seems like someone is looking out the window, you know, when they tell you they flew a drone over your house and looked at it. It’s like, wow!”
CSAA told Van Kuren that its aerial images showed debris on the left side of his home, where final renovations were being done on the property.
CBS News said that after contacting CSAA, the company said it does not fly drones specifically, but does use aerial imagery captured by satellites and third-party fixed-wing aircraft.
The California woman insisted her house is not in disarray and that there was only temporary construction clutter in her yard.
Van Kuren said she was shocked by the insurance company flying overhead, saying it “almost feels like someone is looking out the window.”
Insurance companies using drones is a growing tactic in the industry that has led to many homeowners losing their coverage without knowing their properties were being watched from above.
Van Kuren said she was furious at the treatment she received from the insurer, to whom she said she paid more than $80,000 over the years.
The episode led her to abruptly cancel her car insurance, which was also with CSAA, in protest and take her business to one of its competitors.
“The gentleman said to me, ‘Is there a conversation we can have to keep you entertained?'” she said, recalling her conversation with a CSAA staff member.
“I told him, ‘There’s no fucking way.'”
Experts say the practice is more common than people think. Amy Bach, executive director of the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization United Policy Holders, told CBS News that landlords have certain rights if it happens to them.
He said people can ask their insurer to send them the images that were cited in their policy cancellations, as insurers can make mistakes.
Experts said homeowners have certain rights if their homes are inspected by drones, including the right to request that the images taken be scanned for errors or misunderstandings.
“Sometimes those images are blurry,” he said. “And then, you know, we assume the image shows a damaged roof when it’s really just a roof that has a skylight or solar panels on it.”
Van Kuren says he requested his images from CSAA but did not receive them.
Bach added that it’s important for homeowners to know that insurance companies must give customers 75 days’ notice before they can cut coverage.