How to deal with potential sinkholes (Florida)?

How to deal with potential sinkholes (Florida)?

Member since 2019 · 26 posts · 2 votes

Hello,


I own a home , it's insured .  Regular insurance coverage covers only if a sinkhole opens beneath my property and the house is basically condemned.

I would like added sinkhole coverage in order to get additional sinkhole endorsement I would need to get some sinkhole inspection. If this inspection fails I'm unlikely to get the added insurance. 

I'm assuming the added sinkhole coverage is in case a building sinks, is somewhat unstable , but not condemned. 

Now my questions are  what if this sinkhole inspection fails. If I ever want to sell the house am I forced to tell potential buyers for legal reasons?

In case a house does sink somewhat (not catastrophic) , does strengthening the building with pipes and cement help enough to prevent further sinking ? Because I've heard about someone doing this and they still heard cracking sounds etc. 

If I would ever need to add pipes and cement , in case of some sinking, and it doesn't help enough , then what do I do ?  Because I'm not sure my insurance would cover anything beyond a catastrophic collapse. 

Thanks so much for any answers, I'm a bit worried about this, but I'm sure I'm not the only one dealing with this :)

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  • Insurance Agent · Orlando, FL · Member since 2015 · 297 posts · 122 votes
    7y

    @Cynthia B.

    You're correct - every policy in FL has Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse (CGCC) coverage as required by state regulations. This covers the home if all of the following triggers are met: visible hole, condemned by the authorities, complete loss. 

    You are also correct that to qualify for the sinkhole endorsement you often need to provide a positive sinkhole inspection. However, failing the inspection doesn't mean that you have an active sinkhole under your house and must disclose that upon selling. It simply means that the risk in your area is too high to add that coverage. 

    There are a few carriers that will still write the sinkhole endorsement without an inspection though. I would ask your local agent to request quotes from those carriers. 

    I hope that helps! 

  • Member since 2019 · 26 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    hello , thanks for the reply. Could you please let me know of any companies that will give out sinkhole endorsement policies without an inspection. I'm way too worried about the inspection, if it fails etc . Thanks! :)

  • Member since 2019 · 26 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    my insurance requires the inspection, and I have been looking for ways around it :)

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