By Hurricane insurance can be a valuable asset for your home and protecting it against major damage. Finding out exactly what you’re hurricane insurance covers will help to prepare you in the event of a worst-case scenario. Most homeowners don’t know where their coverage may have gaps or if their coverage would protect them in the event of a major hurricane.
A major storm like a hurricane could mean financial devastation if you are not properly protected by your hurricane coverage.
The Basics of Hurricane Deductibles
Hurricane deductibles are much different from regular home insurance deductibles. With hurricane damage you need to choose the amount that you would want to pay when you buy your policy. You could receive a base payout of $500 or between 2-10 percent. This percentage represents the total policy coverage and not the total amount for your claim.
What this means is that by choosing 5% for a hurricane deductible, you register yourself as staking 5% of the total cost of a claim. If you have to pay $15,000 in roofing repairs after a hurricane this would leave you responsible for $750.
Typical Gaps in Hurricane Coverage
Understanding what hurricane coverage does not cover can also prepare you for the worst-case scenario. Pool enclosures, car ports, external structures throughout your property and more will not be covered and you could be responsible for paying more in order to protect these items.
If you need repairs the standard policy will not bring your code up to code in order to complete the work either. If you have an older home that may not be at current codes, it could be wise to opt into a law and ordinance coverage so that your home could be modernized and all the work can be covered to bring it up to standard building codes for today.
These are just a few of the most common misconceptions about hurricane coverage, by reading your policy covered closely you can make sure that you can be properly covered for the worst case scenario.
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This post was written by Kelly-Anne Jenkins of Jenkins Law P.L. Kelly-Anne is an Insurance Claims lawyer. She specializes in wrongful denial of a claim as well as property damages. The information on this site is not intended to and does not offer legal advice, legal recommendations or legal representation on any matter. Hiring an attorney is an important decision, which should not be based on advertising. You need to consult an attorney for legal advice regarding your individual situation.
