Keep a Weather Eye on Wind and Hail Insurance

The days of having one deductible for all property insurance claims are gone.

Insurance companies have introduced varied deductibles, depending on the type of claim.

Wind/hail deductibles are showing up more frequently on both personal and business insurance policies, thanks to the number of claims from windstorms, hailstorms and hurricanes in the last decade.

If you have any type of claim other than those listed above, you would pay your chosen standard deductible, perhaps $1,000.

When it comes to a wind or hail claim, the deductible is calculated a little differently. It is a percentage of your building limit.

The percentage can be from 2% to 5% of that building limit.

This means that if you have a $100,000 building with a 5% wind/hail deductible, your deductible becomes $5,000 rather than $1,000 for that claim.

A “named storm endorsement” is another option a carrier uses, depending on the hurricane proneness of the state. Here, the percentage deductible would apply for damage as a result of a named hurricane by the National Weather Service. In the event of wind or hail damage in a non-named storm, your deductible goes back to your standard deductible.

The cover or declaration page of your policy will list whether or not there is a separate wind/hail deductible and, if there is, the percentage. Have my office take the time to explain the deductibles on your policy and how they would affect you at the time of a claim.