Insurance companies use drones and high-altitude balloons to spy on homes and deny coverage: report

Home insurance companies are increasingly using aerial images from drones and even high-altitude balloons as a tool to dump properties seen as higher risk, according to a report.

Angry homeowners have reported losing their coverage after being told they had damaged roof shingles, debris in the backyard or having undeclared items such as swimming pools or trampolines, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“We’ve seen a dramatic increase across the country in reports from consumers who’ve been dropped by their insurers on the basis of an aerial image,” Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a consumer advocate group, told the Journal.

No home is safe from surveillance.

The Geospatial Insurance Consortium, an industry-funded group that carries out aerial surveillance missions, said it has photographed 99% of homes in the US.