Your insurer inspected your house after you bought it. Now what?

A homeowner gets a letter after the insurance company's inspector comes by. It lists a few items to fix. They fix every one, photograph the work, and send it all in before the deadline. Underwriting says it's "reviewing." Nobody calls back. At midnight on the deadline, the policy cancels anyway.

Another homeowner gets cited for an electrical problem the house doesn't have. When they push back with proof, the letter changes to the roof and the exterior paint. A third gets a list of roughly $50,000 in required repairs with 60 days to do them.

And one new owner gets a notice about a month after closing: the carrier is dropping the house because it won't insure the rolled, built-up tar roofing on part of it. Meanwhile, another couple still in the inspection period of their purchase finds out the old roof on the house they're buying may not be insurable at all, and the sellers want to fix it by filing their own insurance claim.

Every one of these people bought insurance, got a policy, and then found out the policy was still being decided.

Short answer: Carriers often issue a homeowners policy first and inspect the house in the first few weeks. In Georgia, a policy that has been in effect less than 60 days can be canceled for any reason with 10 days' notice, so that first stretch is when inspection letters carry the most weight. Answer every letter in writing with photos and receipts, get written confirmation that each item is cleared, start a backup quote the day the letter arrives, and never let the house go uninsured while underwriting "reviews."

Why do insurance companies inspect a house after the policy starts?

Because the policy is usually issued on what you told the agent, and the carrier checks the house afterward. The inspection is how underwriting confirms the roof, the condition of the house and the hazards match the application.

At closing, you need proof of insurance the same day, and nobody waits two weeks for an inspector before the lender funds the loan. So the agent quotes and binds the policy from the application: square footage, year built, roof age and type, updates, pool, dogs. Then the carrier sends someone out, usually to photograph the exterior, and compares what they see with what's on the application.

Most inspections end with nothing. Some end with a letter. A few end with a cancellation.

How long does the insurance company have to cancel a new homeowners policy?

In Georgia, the first 60 days are the window. A policy in effect less than 60 days can be canceled for any reason, with at least 10 days' notice. After 60 days, the reasons a carrier can use to cancel a homeowners policy are much narrower.

Here's how the Georgia rules break down for homeowners policies:

Notice also goes to the lienholder, which means your mortgage company hears about it too.

Two things follow from that table. First, the first 60 days are when an inspection letter can turn into a cancellation fastest. Second, after 60 days, a carrier that still doesn't like the house can choose not to renew it, with 60 days' notice in Georgia. A cancellation can be off the table and a nonrenewal can still be coming.

Tennessee requires at least 30 days' written notice before a homeowners policy is nonrenewed (Tenn. Code 56-7-1901). In Alabama, check the cancellation section of your policy for its notice periods and ask your agent. In every state, read each notice for its effective date.

What do home insurance inspectors look for?

Mostly the roof and anything that could get someone hurt. Exterior inspections usually focus on the outside of the house and the yard.

• The roof: age, type, missing or curling shingles, moss, tarps, patched areas, and low-slope sections.
• Trees: dead limbs or trees hanging over the roof.
• Decks, stairs and porches: rotted boards, missing or loose handrails, steps without rails.
• Exterior condition: peeling paint, wood rot, damaged siding, gutters pulling away.
• Liability items: pools without fencing, trampolines, debris, signs of certain dogs.
• Electrical and heating: some inspections include an interior look, or ask for the panel brand and age.

Every carrier has its own guidelines, which is why a house one carrier turns down can be acceptable to another.

What is a condition letter from a home insurance company?

It's a written list of items the carrier wants fixed or explained, with a deadline. If the items aren't cleared by the deadline, the letter usually says the policy will be canceled or nonrenewed.

Read it the day it arrives and look for four things:

• Each item listed, and whether it says "repair," "replace" or "provide documentation."
• The deadline, and whether it's the date to finish the work or the date to send proof.
• Where to send proof, and in what form (photos, invoices, a contractor's letter).
• What happens if you miss it: cancellation, nonrenewal, or a coverage change.

Then call your agent that same day. The agent can often get the inspection photos, ask underwriting what will satisfy each item, and sometimes get more time in writing.

How to respond to a home insurance inspection letter

Answer in writing, prove every item, and get the carrier to confirm in writing that each item is cleared. A phone call that says "looks fine" protects you from nothing.

1. Ask for the inspection report and photos. You can't fix what you can't see, and you can't dispute a mistake without the report.
2. Dispute errors with proof. If the letter cites something your house doesn't have, like the wrong electrical panel, get a licensed electrician to write a short letter on letterhead describing what's actually there, with a photo of the panel label.
3. Document every repair. Dated before and after photos from the same angle, the contractor's invoice with the address on it, and permits where they apply.
4. Send it through your agent and by email. Keep a copy of what you sent and when.
5. Ask for written confirmation. One sentence: "Please confirm in writing that items 1 through 4 are cleared and the policy will remain in force."
6. Put two dates on your calendar. The deadline, and 10 days before it. If you don't have written confirmation by the earlier date, act as if the policy is ending.
7. Escalate if underwriting goes quiet. Ask your agent to escalate. In Georgia, the Commissioner's office takes consumer complaints at 404-656-2070 or 800-656-2298.

The family whose policy canceled at midnight did steps 3 and 4. Step 5 is the one that would have told them, days earlier, that nobody had cleared anything.

Get a backup quote the day the letter arrives

Start shopping the day you get the letter, before you know whether you'll need it. If the policy cancels on 10 days' notice, 10 days is a short time to place a house with a roof problem.

A backup quote costs you nothing if the first carrier clears the items. If they don't, you already have an application in, the new carrier already knows the condition of the house, and you aren't explaining a cancellation and a roof at the same time.

Tell the new agent everything: the letter, the items, what's fixed and what isn't. The new carrier will probably inspect too. A clean application that matches the house is how you avoid doing this twice.

Never let the house go uninsured while underwriting "reviews"

If the cancellation date arrives and nobody has confirmed the policy is staying, have the replacement policy start that same day. A house without insurance is exposed to a fire, a tree, or someone falling on the steps, and a mortgage lender won't let it stay uninsured.

When a mortgaged house loses coverage, the servicer can buy force-placed insurance and charge it to you. Federal rules require a notice at least 45 days before the charge and a reminder at least 15 days before it. Once you send proof of coverage, the servicer has 15 days to cancel the force-placed policy and refund the overlap. Force-placed coverage is bought to protect the lender's loan and usually costs more for less. Our post on premiums and escrow covers what happens to your mortgage payment when the premium changes.

Some carriers also ask whether you've had a gap in coverage. A few days uninsured can follow you into your next quote.

What if the inspection asks for $50,000 in repairs?

Sort the list, ask for more time in writing, and get quotes from carriers whose guidelines fit the house. Big repair lists usually come down to one or two expensive items, and the roof is usually one of them.

Example: A condition letter lists 5 items with a 60-day deadline:

• Roof replacement: $21,000
• Rotted deck boards and missing handrail: $3,500
• Dead pine over the garage: $2,200
• Exterior wood rot and paint: $7,800
• Sagging gutters: $1,500

Total: $36,000. The last 4 items come to $15,000 and can usually be done inside 60 days. The roof is the big one. Your choices are to replace it, ask the carrier in writing whether a signed roofing contract with a start date will satisfy the item, or find a carrier that will accept the roof as it is, sometimes with roof coverage paid at actual cash value or on a payment schedule tied to the roof's age. (Example numbers only. Your repair costs and your carrier's requirements will be different.)

The safety items, like the handrail and the dead tree, are worth doing first regardless. They're cheap, quick, and they're the items most tied to someone getting hurt.

Dropped because of rolled roofing or a tar roof

Some carriers won't write a house with certain roof materials, including rolled roofing or built-up tar on a section of the roof. Roof eligibility rules vary a lot from carrier to carrier.

Low-slope roof sections show up on porches, additions, carports and older ranch houses. Rolled roofing and built-up tar are common on those sections. A carrier that won't accept them may send a cancellation notice within the first 60 days, which is what happened to the new owner a month after closing.

Your options are to replace that section with a material the carrier accepts, or to place the house with a carrier whose guidelines allow it. Before you spend money on the roof, ask your agent which materials would clear the issue, and get the answer in writing. Our posts on buying a house with an old roof and a roof that killed a sale go deeper on how carriers handle roofs.

Buying a house? Get a real quote before your inspection period ends

Get a bindable homeowners quote, with the roof type and roof age disclosed, while you can still walk away from the contract. In Georgia that's usually the due diligence period. That's when roof problems are cheapest to solve.

A real quote means the agent knows:

• The roof material on every section, including porches and additions.
• The roof age, from the seller's disclosure, a permit or the roofer's receipt.
• The age and type of the electrical panel, plumbing and water heater.
• What the home inspection report flagged.

Send your agent the home inspection report. Ask two questions: "Will your carrier write this house as it is?" and "Is there anything in this report that would trigger a condition letter after closing?" If the answer to the first is no, you have time to negotiate a repair, a credit or a price reduction, or to move on.

The seller wants to file an insurance claim on the roof. Is that a good idea for the buyer?

It's riskier for you than a credit or a price reduction. The claim belongs to the seller, the check goes to the seller (and usually their mortgage company), and you have no control over whether it's approved, how much it pays or who does the work.

Things that go wrong:

• The claim is denied or partly paid, and the roof isn't replaced before closing.
• The claim is approved, but the work gets rushed or done by a contractor you'd never hire.
• Closing gets pushed while everyone waits on an adjuster.
• The claim shows up on the property's CLUE history, which a future carrier can see.

A credit or price reduction puts the money and the decisions with you. If the roof does get replaced before closing, get the roofer's certificate of completion with the install date and send it to your agent, so the policy rates the new roof. Our posts on filing a claim before selling a house and how CLUE reports work explain the seller's side and the claim history.

What to check on your policy right now

• Policy start date. Count 60 days forward. In Georgia, that's the end of the window when the carrier can cancel for any reason.
• Roof age and type on the application. Make sure it matches the house, every section of it.
• Your mail and email. Inspection letters have deadlines, and they don't wait for you to find them.
• Your move-in date. Some forms treat a house you just bought as vacant until someone actually moves in, and on those forms vandalism and theft aren't covered once the house has been vacant more than 30 days. If you'll close and not move in for a month or more, tell your agent.
• Your lender's insurance address. If the carrier notifies the lender and you miss it, you'll hear from the servicer next.

Got a letter? Send it to me

If you're holding a condition letter or a cancellation notice, send it to me with your declarations page. I'll read both, tell you what each item really requires, and start a backup quote the same day so the house is never left uninsured. If you're still in your inspection period on a purchase, send me the home inspection report and I'll tell you what a carrier is likely to say about it before you close.

It's part of my free Claim Ready Coverage Check. Email michael@ins.insure, call 678-578-7009, or start a quote here. We write in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Georgia Code section 33-24-44, notice of cancellation (Justia, 2025 code): At least 30 days' notice of cancellation in general; at least 10 days' notice for nonpayment or when a policy in effect less than 60 days is canceled for any reason; notice to the named insured and any lienholder.
• Georgia Code section 33-24-46, cancellation or nonrenewal of certain property insurance policies (FindLaw copy): After a policy has been in effect more than 60 days, limits cancellation to nonpayment, fraud or material misrepresentation, a change in the risk that substantially increases a hazard, or violating a material term. This copy predates the 2026 nonrenewal change.
• LegiScan: Georgia SB 35 (2025), Act 277: Amends 33-24-46 to increase the notice an insurer must give before nonrenewing a homeowners policy; signed and effective January 1, 2026.
• Taft Law: Georgia Senate bill to expand homeowners insurance renewal notice requirements: Describes SB 35 as raising the nonrenewal notice period from 30 to 60 days.
• 12 CFR 1024.37, force-placed insurance (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau): Requires an initial notice at least 45 days before a servicer charges for force-placed insurance, a reminder at least 15 days before the charge, and cancellation and refund within 15 days of receiving evidence of coverage.
• Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire: report complaints and fraud: Consumer complaint phone lines: 404-656-2070 and 800-656-2298, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern.
• Tenn. Code Ann. 56-7-1901, notice of nonrenewal of personal risk insurance (Justia, 2025 Tennessee Code): An insurer must mail or deliver notice of nonrenewal at least 30 days before the policy expires.
• Tenn. Code Ann. 56-5-102, definitions (Justia, 2025 Tennessee Code): Personal risk insurance includes insurance on one to four family dwellings, including mobile homes, and household goods in residences.