States curb insurers' use of aerial imagery in non-renewals

Connecticut, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania are telling insurers that aerial imagery alone is not enough to justify a property policy non-renewal, while New York weighs rules for drone and satellite underwriting. The shift raises the value of dated inspection records for property owners trying to challenge coverage decisions.

Why it matters: - State guidance is tightening the rules around how insurers can use drone and satellite imagery to drop or decline to renew property coverage. - Property owners now need stronger documentation to contest non-renewals tied to roof or exterior imagery. - Risk assessment software is becoming a practical way to create the dated records regulators appear to expect.

What happened: - Connecticut, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania told insurers that aerial imagery alone is not sufficient grounds to decline to renew a property insurance policy. - New York is considering legislation that would set formal standards for how insurers use drone and satellite imagery in underwriting decisions. - The guidance responds to insurers' growing use of aerial imagery to review roof condition and other exterior features remotely, without an on-site inspection.

The details: - Connecticut's insurance department said cosmetic issues visible in aerial imagery, such as discoloration or streaking that does not affect structural integrity, are not valid grounds for non-renewal. - New Hampshire's insurance regulator issued similar guidance. - Pennsylvania's insurance department has said publicly that drone footage alone is not enough to justify dropping a policy. - PIA Northeast, which represents independent insurance agents, has tracked more consumer complaints from homeowners facing non-renewals or cancellations tied to aerial reviews. - PIA Northeast has said aerial imagery does not always reflect a roof's actual condition. - The new state standards place the burden of proof on the property owner. - To dispute a non-renewal under Connecticut's or New Hampshire's guidance, an owner must show the flagged condition was cosmetic, already repaired, or different from what the imagery suggested. - Without dated photos from before the dispute, that case is difficult to make against imagery the insurer already has on file. - Insurers typically arrive at a renewal decision with a dated aerial image and an underwriting assessment. - Property owners often do not have a comparable record of their own. - Property owners and managers are increasingly using risk assessment software to build that record in advance. - Risk assessment platforms let a property owner or manager inspect a building on a schedule and capture timestamped photos tied to specific areas, including the roof, siding, drainage and vegetation clearance. - Those platforms produce a report that can stand on its own months later. - The record does not override a genuine finding of damage and does not guarantee a renewal. - The record gives an owner documentation to compare against an insurer's imagery instead of relying on memory after a non-renewal notice arrives. - SnapInspect offers risk assessment software for this purpose. - SnapInspect's platform lets property teams build recurring inspection routines around roofing, exterior condition and drainage. - The platform captures photo evidence and notes on a phone or tablet at each visit. - The result is a dated, structured record an owner can produce if a renewal is questioned.

Between the lines: - Regulators are not banning aerial imagery, but they are signaling that imagery alone should not be the only evidence behind a coverage decision. - The shift favors owners who can document maintenance and condition over time. - The companies that can produce organized, timestamped inspection histories are better positioned to challenge underwriting decisions. - The guidance also raises the stakes for portfolio-wide documentation, since inconsistent recordkeeping can leave some properties more exposed than others.

What's next: - Property owners and managers are being pushed to photograph roofs, exteriors and drainage on a recurring schedule. - Owners should keep dated records of maintenance and repairs, including tree trimming and gutter clearing. - Owners should request the reason for any non-renewal or coverage change in writing and compare it with state rules on aerial-imagery underwriting. - Owners should standardize documentation across entire portfolios so every property has the same baseline record. - Property owners and managers can book a demo to see how a structured documentation routine works in practice.

The bottom line: - As insurers lean more on aerial imagery, regulators are making clear that property owners need their own dated proof to fight back.