These proposals were presented and approved by the AHRP Board of Directors on December 10, 2015 and are effective on January 1, 2016.

Transcription

1 Rates & Terms? W HAT A CTION THE B OARDTOOK REGARDING 2016 RATES December 2015 Service Animals Explained W HAT, WHERE AND WHY... Equipment Breakdown DON T FORGET, I T S A LREADY IN THERE! AHRP Notes BRINGING YOU UP TO DATE ON THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING RISK POOL Affordable Housing Risk Pool Rates and Terms for 2016 On December 10, 2015, the Affordable Housing Risk Pool (AHRP) Board of Directors approved rates for the upcoming 2016 program year. AHRP has endured some adverse loss trends over the past three years. There has been a large increase in severity of property losses with AHRP, ranging from fires to various water damage issues. As AHRP matures, keeping pace with the ever changing environment of anon-governmental affordable housing providers, there have been several changes approved by the Board of Directors. The changes have been extensively discussed by the Board of Directors and a memorandum went out to all policy holders on October 14, 2015 explaining the proposed changes being considered, they include: Realignment of state differentials, the actual allocation of program expenses to the state s utilization of resources. Surcharges to base premiums for policyholders who have high loss experience. New underwriting requirements for evaluation of policies at renewal or when rolled out of the HARRP program into AHRP. These proposals were presented and approved by the AHRP Board of Directors on December 10, 2015 and are effective on January 1, All four of these strategies are designed to begin rebuilding the pool s reserves and surplus. AHRP must comply with strenuous state requirements regarding safeguards to the policy purchasers. AHRP is in no danger of being insolvent, but based on the very high claims activity being experienced in AHRP over the past three years, additional revenue needs to be generated to guarantee that state requirements are met and a buffer established to smooth out future claims. The staff and Board of Directors feel that the additional revenues should be assessed to those policy purchasers who are contributing to the costs of the high losses. This strategy mirrors the insurance industry. In light of the pressures of high claim frequency and increased severity of claims, the increases taken in 2015 have only been partially successful in closing the gap between deficit funding and actual claim reserving, dictated by the elevated claim costs. The rates approved are based on the shifting of the state differential, or placing more of the program costs on the state that is experiencing high losses and crediting those states that have favorable loss experience. Rates that become effective on all policies after January 1, 2016 are provided on page 2:

2 PROPERTY RATES, 2016 California/Nevada $.8623 per $1000 of Total Insured Value - 4.8% Oregon $.7977 per $1000 of Total Insured Value % Washington $ per $1000 of Total Insured Value + 5.8% LAIBILITY RATES, 2016 California/Nevada $ per unit % Oregon $ per unit % Washington $ per unit - 6.9%. BOILER/MACHINERY/EQUIPMENT BREAKDOWN COVERAGE The AHRP coverage agreement has an extension to include boiler and machinery coverage to all members. Boiler and Machinery is a somewhat antiquated terminology, as the policy provides coverage for virtually anything electrical, from the electrical outlet! Some, certainly not all, examples of covered losses would include: Electrical Distribution Systems Fire Detection Systems Security Systems HVAC Systems Elevators There may still be some of our policyholders who are purchasing equipment breakdown in addition to your property coverage with AHRP. Please check to be sure there are no equipment breakdown policies in force, as that would be a duplication in coverage and an unneeded cost to your operation. As with any loss, please consult us if there is any question whether a loss would be covered or not. This is especially true with equipment breakdown, because many times these losses may be covered, even though it seems like a long shot. Don t get Bitten by Service Animal Restrictions All housing providers are required to make reasonable accommodations in rules, polices and practices. Allowing an animal in a no pets housing facility has been recognized as an example of a required reasonable accommodation to a disability The Department of Justice has determined that a service animal is defined as a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. HUD has not adopted any restriction on the type of animal that may be required as a reasonable accommodation in housing. HUD does not limit animals to only those that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks. HUD uses the term assistance animal and accommodations must be granted on behalf of people with a disability that provide emotional support, well-being, comfort or companionship.

3 The nature of the facility is paramount in determining whether the requested accommodation is reasonable. If a housing provider has objective evidence of past aggression or other inappropriate behavior by a specific animal, or if such inappropriate behavior occurs, the housing provider does not have to continue to allow the animal to stay on the property. There is little reason to believe HUD s position under the FHA would differ from DOJ s position on the ADA. DOJ has determined that size and weight restrictions on service animals are inappropriate under ADA. As with the breed restrictions, the FHA applies to virtually all housing, the prohibition on size and weight limitations does not vary with the source of funding for the housing. However, breed restrictions, a consistently enforced size or weight restriction for pets, as opposed to assistance animals, is permissible. HUD has issued a guidance memo indicating that AHRP cannot recommend against allowing breeds, animal types or sizes if a medical provider allows it. These animals are like a wheelchair. A housing provider cannot require a pet deposit for a service animal. You can require in your published building rules that tenants pick up after their assistance or service animal. Remember that all staff must not question the reason for the animal once it has been approved. The disabled should never be questioned on their specific disability. All you need is authorization from the provider that the animal is needed to accommodate the disability. The housing provider must comply with the local law and refer the person requesting a reasonable accommodation of a municipally restricted animal to HUD for action by HUD against the local jurisdiction. The animal can be in training. We have seen requests for companion or assistance possums, rates snakes, dogs that can sniff coming seizures and dogs that can sniff diabetic shock. Please distribute a copy of this article to all your staff and property managers as part of their training. Property Management Contracts Contractual requirements from private sector vendors often ask for the affordable housing provider to indemnify them for operations conducted on your behalf. While doing this would certainly simplify everyone s life, AHRP stands firm that prudent risk transfer dictates that private sector vendors be responsible for their actions, lack of actions and other risks that you have transferred to the vendor; this includes legal defense of questionable claims where the vendor attempts to tender defense costs to you. AHRP and its governmental risk parent, HARRP, have a long history of claims where vendors have attempted to have the insured indemnify them for causes of action over which the insured had no control. We encourage you to have your legal counsel review these contracts to ensure that proper identification of the risks and legal responsibility of each party is clearly identified. We have, at your request, a manual called the Contractual Risk Transfer Manual, which is also available online as a reference. Please assist the pool in controlling costs by ensuring you perform efficient risk transfer techniques! We welcome any questions on this important risk management tool.

4 We are Doing More than Selling Insurance... Former and future AHRP policy purchasers were buying insurance with little to no ancillary services provided by the commercial insurance industry. Pooling is different, we do lots of things that brokers and insurers do not: We conduct on site trainings (Claims, Risk Management, Contractual Risk Transfer, etc.) We make grants available to all members for loss control endeavors up to $2,500 on a first come basis We offer free online training on Sexual Harassment, Fair Housing, Diversity, and the ADA, available to every employee We offer a free prepaid Employment Attorney Helpline for Executive Directors and one designate We audit contracts at your site to improve your contractual risk profile We inspect your properties, electrical systems and boilers We review vendor insurance and contracts for loss prevention and risk transfer We have an insurance agency to fulfill all your other insurance needs such as earthquake, flood, pollution, etc. In 2016, we will be continuing free Defensive Driver classes for all your employees Don t just buy insurance. Utilize our 29 years of affordable housing experience and other value added services. Please call Adiah at for more information. BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS The AHRP Board of Directors has set their meeting schedule for You and/or your representative is always welcome to join in the meetings of your Board. The meetings are typically held in Vancouver, Washington and will be on the following dates and times: March 31, 2016, 8:30 am June 9, 2016, 8:00 am September 22, 2016, 8:00 am December 15, 2016, 8:00 am If you would like to attend any or all of these meetings, please contact Bill at x102 or bill@harrp.com. Winter Weather Risk Management As a huge contributor to the losses reported to AHRP in the last couple of years, a reminder and tips on preventing frozen pipes is included in this edition of the AHRP Notes. It is such an expensive and largely preventable loss, the Board and staff feel that it s prudent to remind all of our policyholders on precautions as we endure another winter! Why Pipes Burst Surprisingly, ice forming in a pipe does not typically cause a break where the ice blockage occurs. It's not the radial expansion of ice against the wall of the pipe that causes the break. Rather, following a complete ice blockage in a pipe, continued freezing and expansion inside the pipe causes water pressure to increase downstream -- between the ice blockage and a closed faucet at the end. It's this increase in water pressure that leads to pipe failure. Usually, the pipe bursts where little or no ice has formed. Upstream from the ice blockage, the water can always retreat back toward its source, so there is no pressure build-up to cause a break. Water has to freeze for ice blockages to occur. Pipes are usually safe when they are adequately protected along their entire length by placement within a building's insulation, insulation on the pipe itself, or heating. Pipes in attics, crawl spaces and outside walls are all vulnerable to freezing, especially if there are cracks or openings that allow outside cold air to flow across the pipes. Research at the University of Illinois has shown that wind chill, the cooling effect of air and wind that causes the human body to lose heat, can play a major role in accelerating ice blockage, and thus bursting, in water pipes. Holes in an outside wall where television, cable or telephone lines enter, can provide access for cold air to reach pipes. The size of pipes and their composition (such as copper or PVC) have some bearing on how fast ice forms, but they are relatively minor factors in pipe bursting compared with the absence of heat, pipe insulation and exposure to a flow of subfreezing air.

5 When is it Cold Enough to Freeze? When should homeowners be alert to the danger of freezing pipes? That depends, but the widely accepted temperature alert threshold is 20 F. This threshold is based upon research conducted by the Building Research Council at the University of Illinois. Field tests of residential water systems subjected to winter temperatures demonstrated that, for uninsulated pipes installed in an unconditioned attic, the onset of freezing occurred when the outside temperature fell to 20 F or below. However, freezing incidents can occur when the temperature remains above 20 F. Pipes exposed to cold air (especially flowing air on a windy day) because of cracks in an outside wall or lack of insulation are vulnerable to freezing at temperatures above the threshold. However, the 20 F temperature alert threshold should address the majority of potential burst-pipe incidents. Mitigating the Problem Water freezes when heat in the water is transferred to subfreezing air. The best way to keep water in pipes from freezing is to slow or stop this transfer of heat. Ideally, it is best not to expose water pipes to subfreezing temperatures, by placing them only in heated spaces and keeping them out of attics, crawl spaces and vulnerable outside walls. In new construction, proper placement can be designed into the building. In existing units, a plumber may be able to reroute at-risk pipes to protected areas, although this may not be a practical solution. If the latter is the case, vulnerable pipes that are accessible should be fitted with insulation sleeves or wrapping (which slows the heat transfer), the more insulation the better. It is important not to leave gaps that expose the pipe to cold air. Cracks and holes in outside walls and foundations near water pipes should be sealed with caulking to keep cold wind away from the pipes. Kitchen and bathroom cabinets can keep warm inside air from reaching pipes under sinks and in adjacent outside walls. It's a good idea to keep cabinet doors open during cold spells to let the warm air circulate around the pipes. Electric heating tapes and cables are available to run along pipes to keep the water from freezing. These must be used with extreme caution; follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully to avoid the risk of fire and check to make sure the product conforms to UL Tapes and cables with a built-in thermostat will turn heat on when needed. Tapes without a thermostat have to be plugged in each time heat is needed and may be forgotten. Letting the Water Run Letting a faucet drip during extreme cold weather can prevent a pipe from bursting. It's not that a small flow of water prevents freezing; this helps, but water can freeze even with a slow flow. A dripping faucet wastes some water, so only pipes vulnerable to freezing should be left with the water flowing. The drip can be very slight. Even the slowest drip at normal pressure will provide pressure relief when needed. Where both hot and cold lines serve a spigot, make sure each one contributes to the drip, since both are subjected to freezing. If the dripping stops, leave the faucet(s) open, since a pipe may have frozen and will still need pressure relief. If You Suspect a Frozen Pipe If you open a faucet and no water comes out, don't take any chances. Call a plumber. If a water pipe bursts, turn off the water at the main shut-off valve and leave the faucet(s) open until repairs are completed. Don't try to thaw a frozen pipe with an open flame. This will damage the pipe and may even start a building fire. You might be able to thaw a pipe with a hand-held hair dryer. Slowly apply heat, starting close to the faucet end of the pipe, with the faucet open. Work toward the coldest section. Don't use electrical appliances while standing in water, as you could get electrocuted. Going on a Trip When away from the house for an extended period during the winter, be careful not to set your heat too low. A lower temperature may save on the heating bill, but there could be a disaster if a cold spell strikes and pipes that would normally be safe freeze and burst. The best safeguard against this is to drain your home's water system. With no water in the pipes, there can be no freezing. This remedy should be considered even when the tenant is not leaving but is concerned about a serious overnight freeze. To drain the water system, shut off the main valve and turn on every water fixture (both hot and cold lines) until water stops running. It's not necessary to leave the fixtures open, since the system is filled mostly with air at that point and not subject to freezing. When returning to the house, turn on the main valve and let each fixture run until the pipes are full again. Happy Holidays to All!