“Her insurance company is going to take away that same site clause so that she doesn’t have to deal with that issue on her policy,” said Liz Cosgrove, a representative with MacDonald Chisholm Trask Insurance, in reference to Valley resident Judy Prodger.
“So what that means for her, is that in the event she were to incur a loss, she would be able to rebuild on another site.”
Prodger ran into issues on a couple of occasions while trying to sell her property when the prospective buyers realized they might not be able to realize the full insured value of the property, should it burn down or otherwise be destroyed.
That is because the home is situated within an area that is zoned strictly commercial and should it be destroyed, another residence cannot be located there.
The situation also left Prodger feeling uneasy when she learned from her insurance broker, C.D. Armstrong Insurance in Truro, about the same site clause that is contained within most residential properties.
Cosgrove works for the company that recently acquired Armstrong Insurance and when she contacted the broker about Prodger’s situation, the broker agreed to make the change to her policy.
“I spoke with Mrs. Prodger’s insurance company … and they have agreed in her instance to remove the same site clause,” she said. “They made that exception based on the relationship that they have had with Mrs. Prodger - it’s been a long-standing relationship, she’s been a good client. They’re altering the wording on her policy based on the circumstances that she’s confronted with.”
Prodger said the consideration provided by the insurance company offers her some “relief” should something happen to her home. But it doesn’t help in her effort to sell her home because the removal of the same site stipulation would not be transferred to a new owner.
And she believes the real solution would be for Colchester County council to re-zone the area residential/commercial to make her home more attractive to a future buyer.
“It’s not an insurance problem,” she said. “It’s got something to do the municipal (zoning).”
