P r e s i d e n t ’s M e s s a g e Hello IHM Members Happy summer and happy COVID 19, gradually moving towards better phases and returning some normalcy to our lives. Please still be careful and take the necessary precautions so we can continue to move forward. I am taking a little different direction with my message as some issues and concerns are infiltrating our industry and we all need to be aware of some less than desirable consequences if we are not on top of things. In the housing profession, we have so many priorities and tasks we must get completed. However, I would like to suggest the following two need our attention and require our due diligence.
Fire Safety Plans: Would you please take the time to review all Fire Safety Plans and ensure they are up to date and your responsibilities to notify the Fire Department are met? I don’t know whether the various Fire Departments are purposely hiring miserable people in charge of FSP’s or someone higher up the ladder is giving very clear instructions on administering the requirements we have to follow. In any case, they seem to have rigorous tunnel vision and are issuing Orders to Comply without any discussion or warnings. Ensure you check with your local fire departments as there seem to be different standards with each community. What happened to the days you could phone your community fire person and ask for guidance or help, just sitting down and talking without worrying about a Comply Order being delivered the next day and plastered all over the windows in your lobby?
Insurance: Isn’t it part of a Broker’s job to try and find us the best insurance at the best rates? Has anyone else experienced they are just giving us the rates from your current carrier and telling us to live with the increases? Whatever happened to comparative pricing and them making recommendations? Some clients are receiving increases from last year of 40%, and we are told this is because of the overall market losses. It doesn’t matter you have had no claims for years, the premiums keep going up. I told a broker I wanted him to go to the market and get me some more quotes – he was appalled that I was maybe suggesting he wasn’t doing his due diligence. I went to another broker, sat down with her, explained what I was looking for, gave her all the background information, and you aren’t going to believe this, but the same coverage at less money than the client paid last year. OMG. Sorry for the little sarcasm, but I couldn’t help it. We have incredible pressures on us every day. Our priorities change daily, if not hourly, and we need to depend on brokers to work on our behalf and do the best job for the best price for our clients. Maybe it is time we look for new brokers – just saying! Lastly, we hope your summer is getting better and better each day; we are hopeful our society will continue to open up and give us the opportunities we are used to having. Please continue to be safe and enjoy the new normal! September 17, 2021 – IHM Annual Meeting – Please attend Jimmy Mellor, FIHM IHM President
IHM News • Summer 2021
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