Supervising the fellow from the insurance company it really struck me how the mechanism of insurance largely disadvantages the policy holder. My friend’s dad had three policies out for home insurance, inexplicably. He died recently and the night that the funeral was announced, the house got raided.
According to the police, gangs look through the death notices. Higher chance of a house being unoccupied if one of the occupants just died. Whoever did it knew what they were doing and came prepared. They knifed the lock on an outer porch door, sledgehammered the front door, taking out chunks of lovely old stained glass, and then stood in the hallway realising that this place has been hoarded in for years. In a fit of optimism, they bashed in the locked door to the kitchen. What did they take? It’s impossible to tell, but I reckon they would have been flooded by all the junk.
I was there this morning to let the insurance guy in to look at the doors. I was looking for value while there, hoping to be able to tell my friend that they had some lovely things to keep or sell, but this lot is not good. Things that I thought were good all turned out to be modern replicas. He lived just next to a TK Maxx and so even the clothes are mostly the weird brands that they have there – Cavani instead of Cavalli. Still nice things but there’s little worth.
The insurance guy, meanwhile, was looking for reasons to weasel out of paying for everything. I said to just write it and send it, I have no authority here. He didn’t seem fazed by the piles of crap everywhere. “I imagine you’ve seen much worse.” “Oh yes.”
How many homes across the world are just crammed full of junk? Seeing other people’s takes even more status from what remains of mine. Nobody wants this crap and when you die the whatever system you thought you had for the distant magical day when you would sort it all – it dies with you.
If there’s time I’ll help my friend sort it all. I’ve got my own things to sort as well though. It is sad, always sad, to see the aftermath of these lives in the debris. All our stuff just becomes work…
I’m hoping the insurance company is kinder than the man who assessed the damage…
AlBarclay 