It seems like only yesterday that Hurricane Irma roared across Florida, causing billions of dollars in property damages, but the weather anomaly occurred more than seven months ago. One look at a calendar reminds us that the June 1st start date of the 2018 hurricane season will quickly be upon us.
This is the perfect time to review insurance policies to understand what is covered, and filling in any gaps.
To assist homeowners with this, a Florida Department of Financial Services has published report detailing Florida law as it relates to when the hurricane deductible applies, for what duration and how many can be applied in a calendar year.
Hurricane deductibles are typically set at 2%, 5% or 10% of the amount of insurance covering the dwelling at the time of loss. Even though homeowners are only required to pay one hurricane deductible within the calendar year, provided you are insured with the same insurance company or group of companies for the second or subsequent hurricanes during the same calendar year, that amount can drain a savings account.
For example, homeowners with a $400,000 policy with a 2% hurricane deductible are on the hook for the first $8,000 in hurricane damages.
Southshore Insurance Professionals president Michelle Mosher offers a solution to those hefty hurricane deductibles.
Cat4Home provides deductible reimbursement for losses related to hurricane events.
“We work with a lot of first-time homebuyers that may not have thousands of dollars sitting in their savings accounts ready to spend on hurricane deductibles,” she said.
Sun City Center resident Larry Brooks is appreciative that Mosher educated him on his insurance options. He added the policy to his homeowners’ insurance. He has lived in Florida off and on since 1970 and said he wanted to make sure he was covered against losses.
“The monthly payment is very affordable and for a small annual investment I am able to protect against the $4,000 deductible I would pay if my home was damaged,” he said.
Cat4Home also offers a 10% discount for first-responders.
Southshore Insurance Professionals is located at 1219 Milleniuim Parkway in Brandon. Visit www.southshoreins.com or call Mosher at 448-7580.
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