What's your opinion? Need some help with this

[floatingaway2525]

lots of assumptions here.

 

i would hardly think a claim would be in jeopardy because the owner was away and the neighbors didn`t contact the insurance company, and the owners didn`t know.

 

nor, if someone was house sitting.

 

i`d appreciate an expert chiming in on that one.

 

Well after a long time (30 years:eek:) in insurance, I can tell you no one is an expert:) in every case, but you are right, I don't see any company penalizing an insured for circumstances they did not know about, my company certianly would not! OP also stated the roof had temporary repairs and the son is there to keep the house secure. Cleaning the furniture is a good thing sooner rather than later...clothes and such are much harder and even immediate remediation doesn't usually save them if they were saturated. Most companies replace unless the damage is light. Too subjective to speculate with what we know here, but for sure I don't see any problems for this insured's coverage regarding the delayed reporting.

This thread has been valuable IMO since most people do not consider these kinds of circumstances when leaving their homes!! Thanks for posting OP, and good wishes for your son, and your ex...

[nrdsb4]

This thread has been valuable IMO since most people do not consider these kinds of circumstances when leaving their homes!! Thanks for posting OP, and good wishes for your son, and your ex...

 

I completely agree. Some very good food for thought given in this thread.

[H82seaUgo]

I don't even know what that means. ???

 

 

was talking to nerds

[nrdsb4]

I don't even know what that means. ???

 

It doesn't mean anything significant.:rolleyes:

[williamsk]

My ex-husband and his wife are on a cruise right now and will arrive home on sunday. My son is housesitting for them. Last night he accidentally started a fire with a frying pan of oil and literally burnt down their kitchen. He put the grease fire out but the cabinets above the stove had already caught fire. He could not find a fire extinguisher and the water line had melted so he could not get water. He grabbed the dogs got out of there and called the fire department.

 

We talked about trying to reach them and decided there didn't seem much point since they are back on Sunday. He wants to just meet them at the door. I think he should leave a message on their cell phone and just tell them there was a kitchen fire, there is a lot of damage, but the dogs and he are safe and he will meet them when they get home. Give them a chance to digest it and plan what to do on the 3 hour drive home. I think coming home tired and happy and THEN finding out would be too much of a shock.

 

I dunno, it's just all around bad news no matter how it's done.

 

So...Leave a message or not?

 

Might be in the minority, but as a firefighter, here goes-

Let them Know ASAP! The home is not habitable and they have just lost all the clothing they own. They need to know so they can make hotel arrangements, dog boarding arrangements, and get the process going with insurance.

[nrdsb4]

Might be in the minority, but as a firefighter, here goes-

Let them Know ASAP! The home is not habitable and they have just lost all the clothing they own. They need to know so they can make hotel arrangements, dog boarding arrangements, and get the process going with insurance.

 

It's a moot point now. They are now home from the cruise and are aware of all pertinent facts.

[smallworldtraveller]

here is my story so maybe will give you something to chew on.

 

We got off the Liberty 3 weeks ago, while at Fort Lauderdale airport I turned on my cell to just check to see if there were any messages. Yes there was..... one from our son, the text message said "BURNT OUT" . So i phone no answer at our home or his cell. Told husband and we both thought what else is new, there is nothing we can do till we get home anyways.. so we went to bar drank some more, got on plane, tried calling in Buffalo NY still no answer. Drove home ... house still there at least from what we could see from the road, house all there .. son claims wrong text sent to wrong person., Glad I did not check cell before hand, for us we just had a few more drinks because nothing in this life shocks us anymore.. been there done that... seen that and probaly had it happen to us before... it is our special luck

 

Would i wanted him to let us know while on cruise no..... i would think the worst... did i mind the text when we were leaving... no... glad we thought we knew something was up (even though nothing happened)

 

I woud wait until they are off the ship and before they get home.. gives them time to chew on... give them a quick call ... no one hurt ... most the house is ok ... dog alive and crap happens to the best of us. There is nothing really they can do on ship without incurring large expenses. Maybe you could figure out who the insurance adjuster is and get the process started for repairs.. i know if that was us I would love you forever for just getting that started.

 

PS the son is 30 maybe he should do the deed of letting them know, it is his issue and really not yours.

[kbmeow]

He called them this morning while docked but not disembarked. They asked a few questions, got the gist of it, and told him they just couldn't talk to him anymore at the moment and hung up. I guess it's the best reaction he could expect. They are on the way home, they know it has happened, and they know they will not be staying in their home tonight. It's getting sorted out.

 

The newspaper article says 50 percent of the house is damaged, and the kitchen is a total loss.

 

I am curious how it went once they got home?

[PoofyTheCat]

I know that in this busy world we live in, where ring tones are more important than practicality, sometimes, we need to take a moment and realize that preparation and prevention are some of our best functions as humans. It's what separates us from the baboons.

 

At least someone out there thought ahead:

[Katoo]

Well, after about 24 hours of shock and anger, insurance company has come in, got them in a very nice condo while their house gets fixed with no real hassles at all. Once over the shock, they started noticing stuff like my son grabbed a ceramic cat collection given to his step-mom by her mother that sat on a shelf in the kitchen, that he saved the dogs, that he had stayed on at the house to guard her valuables (jewelry and stuff), and they think he handled it as well as anyone could under the circumstances. They weren't mad he didn't call them during the cruise, were glad he called them before they arrived home, and have decided they still love him.

 

It's just one of those things, a careless accident. handled as best he could.

[CanWeGoYet?]

I'm glad it's working out and ex & step mom are handling it ok. Really, it could have been such a tragedy. Who knows if this had not happened, a fire could have started at another time when people were sleeping (considering the smoke alarm was not working). I'm glad they are seeing how hard your son tried to protect their valuables & pets.

[pe4all]

and have decided they still love him.

.

I love stories with "happy" endings! Glad it worked out. Happy holidays!

[H82seaUgo]

i loves me a happy ending.

 

just curious (and if i missed it, sorry). did they say when they would have preferred to have been told?

[In2why]

I wouldn't want to know while on the ship. Better to tell them when they get back in port. BUT since your son is 30 and has an adult relationship with his father, I would let him decide.

[MamaParrotHead]

Well, after about 24 hours of shock and anger, insurance company has come in, got them in a very nice condo while their house gets fixed with no real hassles at all. Once over the shock, they started noticing stuff like my son grabbed a ceramic cat collection given to his step-mom by her mother that sat on a shelf in the kitchen, that he saved the dogs, that he had stayed on at the house to guard her valuables (jewelry and stuff), and they think he handled it as well as anyone could under the circumstances. They weren't mad he didn't call them during the cruise, were glad he called them before they arrived home, and have decided they still love him.

 

It's just one of those things, a careless accident. handled as best he could.

 

That's probably about the best possible scenario that could have worked out from that whole mess. Glad to hear it.

[dwwalk]

He can always leave them a message that they now have a wonderful opportunity to remodel the kitchen and other rooms in the house. BTW this it my first post on this board. Leave for my first cruise ever on Sunday.

[GlendaleCruiser]

Thanks for posting the follow up so we know what happened. Sorry for their loss and so happy that son was able to save the dogs and that they can see he did everything he could to protect their property.

[Shelbyjane56]

I would call after they get off the ship, what if he checks his messages while he is in port? Unless it was a bad breakup and you can't stand his current wife, then I would call the ship;) (JOKE)

 

 

Oh dont call them while they are still on the ship, it will just ruin the rest of the cruise!! Call them when you know they are on their way home (off the ship) and then they can begin to sort it out in their minds so they wont be too shock! No one was hurt, which is the most important thing hopefully they do have insurance, accidents happen, its called life.

[Maddle]

OP - thanks for this thread (and the follow-up.) Glad everything is turning out okay.

 

On a personal note - It's given me lots to think about: fire extinguishers, smoke alarm batteries, info for the house sitter. It's been a good object lesson.

 

Maddle

[fourwaystreet]

Smoke alarm dead, fire extinguisher in the back of some closet... oh my.

 

I make a list of every detail for when I'm away including the location of the fire extinguishers, CO2 alarm, where to shut off water, power ect ect.

 

Even though your son turned on the wrong burner, this was surely not his fault. I hope they don't flame him for this. No pun intended....

 

I am all for accidents happen and that is why people purchase insurance and all, but of course it is the OP's son fault, he was the one that turned on the wrong burner and apparently walked away from it. To say otherwise is just coddling a adult child.

[Crusin6]

Oh he's an adult. 30. He put a kettle on the burner to make tea and turned on the wrong burner. Smoke alarm battery was apparently dead, fire extinguisher in the back of a closet.

 

Just unfortunate. There's attic damage and a hole in the roof. The ceiling is gone in two rooms of the house. Water and soot damage in several rooms. A right mess.

looks like more than just burning down their kitchen...glad everything is starting to work out

[CBussey64]

Well, personally, I think a lot has come out of this thread, and it's things I never thought about.

 

Do you want your housesitter to get a hold of you on board if something terrible happens during your cruise?

 

Have you checked your smoke alarm batteries, and does your housesitter know where there is a fire extinguisher?

 

Does your housesitter have the information needed to call your insurance company?

 

I totally agree that this is a very good thread that brought up a lot of things that nobody probably thinks about. My daughter and her husband are housesitting when we go in Feb. and I never would have thought to leave her any kind of information like this. THANK YOU original poster for opening this thread, although I am sorry for your son and your ex and his wife.

[Solo1959]

Hi.... The dog is on the roof.........

[nrdsb4]

I'm just surprised a the number of people who don't read any of the thread before they respond. People are still giving her advice about whether or not to call them about the burned house-her son gave them the news four days ago.:eek:

[retiredgram]

Well, after about 24 hours of shock and anger, insurance company has come in, got them in a very nice condo while their house gets fixed with no real hassles at all. Once over the shock, they started noticing stuff like my son grabbed a ceramic cat collection given to his step-mom by her mother that sat on a shelf in the kitchen, that he saved the dogs, that he had stayed on at the house to guard her valuables (jewelry and stuff), and they think he handled it as well as anyone could under the circumstances. They weren't mad he didn't call them during the cruise, were glad he called them before they arrived home, and have decided they still love him.

 

It's just one of those things, a careless accident. handled as best he could.

Thanks for the update. Glad everything is working out.