Living in areas that frequently experience hurricanes, tornadoes, and storms increases the odds of property damage. While standard insurance policy offers coverage for hail, you need “windstorm insurance” if your area is prone to frequent hail storms.
Let’s delve into the details to learn more about hail protection.
Does Your Homeowner’s Insurance Cover Hail Damage?
The type of peril coverage homeowners or occupants buy depends on the type of insurance they purchase. Some insurance perils the homeowner’s policy includes are, lightning, fire, theft, snow, ice, wind, sleet, hail, vandalism, smoke, and freezing.
Homeowner’s insurance offers coverage for property damage, referred to as “insurance perils.” It covers events like theft, storms, and fire, which can damage the property or valuables.
However, your coverage depends on the homeowner’s insurance you purchase. Some common insurance perils that are covered include;
- Lightning
- Fire
- Ice
- Theft
- Sleet
- Snow
- Hail
- Wind
- Smoke
- Freezing
- Vandalism
As mentioned above, your standard homeowner’s insurance offers coverage for hail damage. But certain carriers don’t cover aesthetic impairment or “cosmetic damage” your property sustains after a hail storm, as per the Claims Journal.
The cosmetic damage refers to visual marks and impairment that affects the property’s appearance and function also. For instance, if a hail storm leaves cracks on your roof, but it still stops water from leaking into the home, it is cosmetic damage.
There are states in which a homeowner’s insurance policy excludes hail protection. This is when you need additional windstorm insurance for hail damage. It is essential to consult your homeowner insurer to check the limits on your hail coverage policy. If you notice limited coverage, opt for windstorm insurance.
Windstorm Insurance
It is worth mentioning that windstorm insurance is not an alternative to homeowner insurance. It is merely an add-on to your existing homeowner’s insurance policy.
According to insurance professionals like Steve Wilson- Hippo Insurance’s senior underwriting manager, homeowners who live close to coastal areas often require extra coverage (windstorm rider) for property damage. It is because these areas experience hail and high winds during hurricanes and Tornadoes.
Windstorm coverage, in this regard, is regional, and its premiums vary depending on the locations. Its deductible may also change (based on your coverage’s percentage).
According to the Insurance Information Institute, these states recorded the highest number of hail claims last year;
- Texas
- Nebraska
- Colorado
- Minnesota
- Kansas
- Missouri
- Illinois
- Iowa
- North Carolina
- Indiana
Cost of Windstorm Coverage
Buying windstorm coverage as an add-on rider to homeowner’s insurance is particularly important to cover the hail damage. It is an additional cost on homeowner’s insurance, which varies geographically.
The average cost of homeowner’s insurance premium was $1221 in the USA in 2017. If you live in Texas, the average policy for windstorm insurance may cost you $1700, including homeowner’s insurance which is $2911.
Summing Up
All in all, your home insurance policy does cover you for natural disasters or perils, but you may need to buy windstorm insurance for additional coverage.
Links
https://www.insurance.com/coverage/home-hail-damage-insurance-claims
https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/does-homeowners-insurance-cover-hail-damage