Thursday, November 15, 2012

Personal Finance: Hurricane Deductibles Could Hit Homeowners, Businesses Hard


Your Daily Real Estate Blog

From

Supreme Manor Real Estate Services

 

Personal Finance: Hurricane Deductibles Could Hit Homeowners, Businesses Hard

 

As many on the east coast boarded up your windows and headed out of town – ahead of Hurricane Sandy, they probably gave a secret sigh of relief that their homeowner’s insurance or other building insurance was up to date. “At least I’ve got insurance on the property,” they likely told themselves as the stories swept over the news and the storm swept up the coast. However, thanks to new fine print, you might not have the insurance on your structures that you thought. In fact, a new “hurricane deductible” that kicks in whenever winds exceed 74 miles per hour, could mean that you must pay one- to five percent of your property’s total value toward repairs before your insurer starts helping with the bill.

 

Although most insurance companies have had these deductibles in place since the 1990s, many people are unaware of the somewhat unusual caveat or assume that “hurricane insurance” just plain covers hurricane or tornado damage. Homeowners and business owners who have insured their properties against storm damage, however, may not actually be protected from floods, tornadoes or hurricanes. In fact, many flood policies actually provide cash value for items lost rather than cost of replacement for damage done. If you have suffered damage from Sandy or any other weather-related event, be sure to document the problem carefully and check with your insurance agent to make certain that you are filing your claim properly.

 

I hope this information is useful.

Should you need assistance with any of your real estate needs, please contact Supreme Manor Real Estate Services 773-881-9224.  Feel free to visit us on our website or any of our social media sites.

Have a Supreme Day!

 

Sheila M. Wilkinson-Sanders

Managing Broker/Owner - CPA, GRI, CNC

Supreme Manor Real Estate Services

1840 West 95th Street

Chicago, IL 60643

(773) 785-0127 Direct

(773) 797-9640 (fax)


 

No comments:

Post a Comment