That’s exactly what happened with my last inspection. I spent a weekend repainting the porch and fixing up the gutters, thinking it’d show I was on top of maintenance. The guy barely looked at any of it, but he zeroed in on a missing shingle and a bit of moss near the chimney. Had to get those sorted before they’d even talk about lowering my premium. Makes me wonder—has anyone actually seen their rates drop after doing cosmetic stuff, or is it always just the “big ticket” repairs that matter?
Honestly, it’s almost always the “big ticket” stuff that moves the needle with insurance. I’ve seen folks get all the trim looking sharp and still get dinged for a cracked vent boot. Insurance loves function over form—cosmetic fixes just don’t impress them much, sadly.
Insurance loves function over form—cosmetic fixes just don’t impress them much, sadly.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve actually seen the opposite a couple times. Had a place with faded shingles and peeling paint on the fascia—nothing technically “broken,” but the inspector flagged it as “poor maintenance” and the premium went up. Once we cleaned it up and slapped on some paint, the next inspection went smoother and the rate dropped. Maybe it’s just my luck, but sometimes those cosmetic fixes do matter... or maybe my inspector just really hated ugly roofs.
Had a place with faded shingles and peeling paint on the fascia—nothing technically “broken,” but the inspector flagged it as “poor maintenance” and the premium went up.
That’s wild, but honestly, I’ve had similar experiences. I always thought insurance only cared about leaks or missing shingles, but apparently “curb appeal” matters for them too. Did you use any eco-friendly paint or materials when you fixed it up? I’m curious if green upgrades ever help with rates, or if they just care about fresh paint regardless.
I’m curious if green upgrades ever help with rates, or if they just care about fresh paint regardless.
Honestly, I wondered the same thing when I was patching up my place. My wallet wanted to go eco-friendly, but my brain kept thinking, “Will the insurance folks even notice?” Ended up using one of those low-VOC paints on the fascia—mostly because it was on sale, not gonna lie. The inspector didn’t say a word about it being green or not. Just nodded and scribbled something down... which I guess means they cared more about the “fresh” part than the “eco” part.
I’ve also heard some companies give a tiny discount for things like impact-resistant shingles or solar panels, but never for just using eco-paint. Has anyone actually seen a rate drop for going green? Or is it all about whether your house looks like it’s falling apart from the curb? Sometimes I feel like I’m just painting over problems to keep the premium police away.
