Homeowners Insurance along the Texas Gulf Coast and the Bay Area has become a challenge for many residences. Either it’s difficult to find a company who will take your risk in this area or the price has increases substantially.
There are two changes to the way that insurance companies price homeowner’s insurance that are affecting homeowners of coastal properties since 2008.
- One is the age of the roof. It’s very important now that the roof is new and in good condition. Some insurers will refuse coverage to older roofs; most insurers provide big discounts for new roofs.
- The other major change is distance to the coastline. The coastline being defined by most carriers as the closest large body of water, which is Galveston Bay in our case.
Two other things to consider are the type of home owners insurance policy. Beware of these two different types of policies on the market, the HOA and the HOB.
- HOA policies are named peril. That means the policy actually lists for you the items they cover. It will say ‘We cover Fire, Lighting, Windstorm, Hurricane, and Hail…etc.” If your type of homeowner’s loss is not included on the list of perils, the claim will not be covered.
- The HOB policy is considered the all risk coverage. Instead of naming the perils, they name the exclusions. For example “We do not cover flooding, foundation movement, termites…etc.” That makes the HOB or All Risk coverage the better policy.
While you are researching your insurance options, be sure to know whether the coverage you are proposed is the Named Peril or All Risk policy.
Lastly, there are lots of options that can be added to the standard policy which you may or may not want, such as Glass Coverage, Mold Coverage and Sewer Back up just to name a few. These are optional coverages and you may or may not want them included on your policy.
At Paula Smith Insurance, it’s our pleasure to be a resource for you while you are investigating the Homeowners Insurance Market and the best product to protect your most valuable asset, your home. We would be happy to review what you currently have or take a look at the home you are buying to advise of the best type of insurance you may need for your home. Please contact us at paula@leaguecityinsuranceagent.com or (281) 488-8880 with any questions or to get a risk-free no-obligation quote.
We also can quote flood and windstorm, recreational vehicles like your boat or rv, auto or motorcycle coverage and then life and business insurance. We’d love to help you save money on all of your assets.