Dear Editor;
I lived in Nashville from 2009-2023 and am now a proud resident of Franklin, TN. My husband, along with our 14-month-old son, purchased our second home in September of this year.
Our last home was our first home. It was every first-time home buyer’s dream; historic charm, great neighborhood, with plenty of room for our personal touches over time. However, what began as a dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Just after a year of owning our home, our ceilings cracked and caved in. We had been out of town only to return to a home in shambles. We called our insurance company the next day to report the news. After they sent a team to inspect, we were told it was a “roofing error” and the insurance company was not liable. To make a very long story short, we spent 9 months and $45,000 repairing our home ourselves.
It took us six years to recover.
Needless to say, we were thrilled to have finally reached the milestone of selling our home this past year. We were especially overjoyed to know it was in perfect working order and the new owner would be in great shape.
We purchased the home we live in now, our second home, with great joy. The one question we asked our home inspector was, “Is there anything catastrophic on the horizon?” He assured us there was nothing of great concern.
Two weeks ago, we received a call from our new home insurance company. They informed us the insurance photos showed our new house had slight sagging in the roof line. We had 14 days to repair our roof or our insurance would be cancelled. We immediately called Bluebird Roofing (Mt. Juliet) and they sent a professional the very next day. After inspection, Bluebird informed us we had a new roof with shingles in perfect condition. We had no moisture, rotted wood, or any signs of damage in our attic. In his professional opinion, there was nothing to be replaced. At their behest, I am writing you this letter. Bluebird sent an official notarized letter to our current home insurance, National General, to inform them of their findings.
We received a call today saying the letter was of no use and our appeal was rejected. If we did not have a complete roof repair ($30,000? $40,000?) insurance would be canceled by this Sunday evening at midnight.
Ron Reeves with State Farm Insurance (Brentwood, TN) stayed past office hours this evening to secure insurance for us without the need to replace our entire roof. If Ron had not stayed late, our insurance would have expired and we would have been red-flagged. If this had happened, we would not have been able to secure coverage from any provider and we would owe an additional $750/mo.
We would have had to sell our new home.
While we have a happy ending, Bluebird Roofing informed us they have received 20+ calls in the last month with the same panicked concern from homeowners.
Insurance companies are demanding impossibly expensive repairs within small time frames making it nearly if not impossible for families to remain secure in their homes.
My goal in sharing our story is to make others aware of an injustice, light a lamp for other families facing this impossibility, and send hope this Christmas season that our voices can make an impact if we come together.
Thank you and I appreciate your time reading this….story.
Respectfully,
Cori Bechler
