If you live in a part of the country that frequently gets hit by hurricanes, there are certain precautions you should take to safeguard your home or business. Storm-proofing your property is important, but you also have to make sure your insurance policies are active and effective.
Insurance policies are complicated, though, and these companies sometimes use that to their advantage when you file a claim. Here’s what you need to know about hurricane insurance coverage – and why you may need a hurricane insurance lawyer to help you get back on your feet after a storm.
How Much Does Hurricane Insurance Coverage Cost?
There are too many factors at play for us to say how much these policies might cost you. Here are some of the elements at work:
- As noted above, “hurricane coverage” is actually made up of two separate insurance policies (homeowners and flood).
- Prices vary depending on the insurance carrier, where you live, and the value of your home or business.
You can check the average cost of home insurance in your area on Insurance.com. For the average cost of flood insurance, try QuoteWizard. It sounds counterintuitive, but some of the states that experience the most storms — such as Florida, Maryland, and Texas — have the cheapest flood insurance policies. Florida’s is the lowest, at $550 per year.
What About Deductibles?
Deductibles can range from $500 to $2,500 or higher. The higher the deductible, the lower the rate, and vice versa. Some states also have special deductibles for hurricane damage, which must be met before any losses apply to your covered damages. Be sure to familiarize yourself with your policy, your provider’s rules, and any state laws pertaining to hurricane or storm coverage.
Experts advise that you purchase at least $300,000 in liability coverage for your home to make sure it will cover the full extent of your potential losses.
How Easy Is It to Recover Insurance Money for Hurricane Damage?
Not as easy as it should be. Even if you have the correct coverage and file a valid claim, your insurance carrier may deny or delay your compensation. Speaking broadly, their goal is to pay as little as possible at all times. Some of their favorite tricks include:
- Delaying the processing or fulfillment of a claim
- Offering only partial payment (undervaluing the claim)
- Requesting that you sign a written release of supplemental claims
- Claiming that some damages are not covered by your policy, even when they are
- Trying to coerce you into accepting less money than you need and deserve
When you encounter these bad-faith tactics, it’s best to contact a hurricane insurance claim lawyer who can take on the insurance company. With 1,000 attorneys, 4,000 support staff, and over 35 years of experience, Morgan & Morgan is one of the few firms with the resources to take on these companies and win.
No one wants to deal with an insurance company on their own, especially one that is denying or delaying payment. Contact a hurricane claim lawyer who can take care of these issues while you focus on recovering, repairing, and rebuilding.
How Do I Contact a Hurricane Insurance Lawyer?
If the insurance company has denied, delayed, or undervalued your claim, contact Morgan & Morgan. Since 1988, we’ve been fighting For The People and holding big companies accountable. Across all practice areas, we have recovered over $20 billion for our clients, and we may be able to help you.
To learn more, contact us for a free, no-risk case evaluation. It costs nothing up front to hire us, and we get paid only if you win.