Do I Need A Wind Policy For My Florida Home

What Is A Wind Policy And Do I Need One?

It is a popular misconception that all weather events are covered under the terms of a general homeowners insurance policy.  But the reality for many homeowners in only some events and perils are covered, leaving them open to expensive uninsured repairs in some instances.  There are also pre-defined limits on many policies in respect of the amount of coverage offered and the type of properties that can be protected by a standard homeowners policy.

Here in Florida, we are at the mercy the weather when it comes to damaged caused to our homes by hurricanes and tropical storms.  Because of the this, the law requires property insurance policies to include coverage for damage caused by wind during a storm that the National Hurricane Center declares to be a hurricane. Policyholders are all therefore eligible for premium discounts for installing certain wind resistant features on their homes.

What Is A Wind Policy?

A Wind Policy is designed to protect homeowners against the expense of rebuilding or repairing homes that have been damaged by hurricane-force winds.

Tropical storm activity in Florida has sharply risen in recent years, with the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season alone seeing more than double the amount of hurricanes than the number that were initially predicted.  Obviously, when a storm hits it is coastal residential properties are most susceptible to damage, which is why there are many government subsided wind pools in operation throughout the US.

Wind Pools In Florida

A wind pool is coverage for wind and hail damage along the coastline of the state of Florida.  Different states will have varying limits on the amount of coverage they offer, and should your home be worth more than the limit of cover in Florida, you will need to speak to your agent about Excess Wind Cover to cover the insurable difference.

Wind Mitigation Inspections

Wind Policy Insurance can be expensive, but rates can be reduced if you have made improvements to your home to help them withstand strong winds.

The state of Florida may ask for wind mitigation inspection documents to determine if coastal homes qualify for premium credits to help reduce the cost of wind coverage. These inspections look at structural variations including hurricane wraps (roof-to-wall connections), if the roof is up to code and if high-impact rated protection is in place such as hurricane shutters and glazed openings.

If your Florida home has been built or remodeled to withstand wind damage, you could be entitled to receive credits towards the policy. Having a proper wind mitigation inspection performed on your property can prevent you from spending too much money on your wind insurance, and can reduce your rates.

Deductible Buy-Back Program

Deductibles can be very expensive when it comes to Wind and Excess Wind coverage. Wind buy-back insurance allows a homeowner to decrease the percentage of the wind deductible on a property to reduce cost from a percentage of the property value to a fixed amount, potentially saving the insured thousands of dollars for a wind-related claim.

Binding suspensions

If you leave it too late to ask for a Wind or Excess Wind policy you may not be able to purchase one until the storm threat passes. Binding suspensions are commonplace, and the insurance company will stop writing policies until such time as a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning is complete. Renewals that are set to expire at this time are one of the only exceptions to this rule.

If you would like more information about a wind policy or would like to find the right one for you, call us today at 561-391-4661.

For more information about how The Sena Group can help you with any

of your insurance needs, please contact us at 561-391-4661.

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The Sena Group
6501 Congress Ave., Ste. 100
Boca Raton, FL 33487
561-391-4661