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SOME VERY IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

BEFORE YOU BUY HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE.

1. WINDSTORM COVERAGE (INCLUDING HURRICANE COVERAGE) MAY BE EXCLUDED FROM YOUR HOMEOWNERS POLICY.

Companies that write homeowners business in the 14 counties (Brazoria County being one of them) along the Texas coast can exclude coverage for windstorm, hurricane or hail losses from your policy.

IMPORTANT

 Not all companies exclude this coverage. Be sure to ask your agent whether or not your homeowners policy covers damage from hurricanes.

2. THE TEXAS WINDSTORM INSURANCE ASSOCIATION (TWIA) CAN PROVIDE HURRICANE COVERAGE.

If you live in one of the 14 coastal counties your homeowners insurance company excludes coverage for hurricanes, you may be able to purchase hurricane coverage through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA). Like any other insurance company, you must meet the basic underwriting requirements to qualify for insurance through TWIA.

3. FLOOD DAMAGE IS EXCLUDED FROM HOMEOWNERS POLICIES.

Regardless of where you live in the state, homeowners policies (including those issued by TWIA) exclude damage caused by flood. This is particularly important to coastal homeowners because recent events have shown that flood waters and storm surge from a hurricane can cause as much or more damage than hurricane force winds and related rain.

4. FLOOD COVERAGE IS AVAILABLE FROM THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM (NFIP).

Recent events have shown that coastal homeowners who did not purchase flood insurance were left having to pay out of pocket for damage caused by a hurricane’s storm surge because the damage was not covered by their basic homeowners policy. The good news is you can purchase insurance for flood through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) from your insurance agent if you live in a participating NFIP community. Ask your agent if your community is among the more than 20,500 NFIP communities nationwide. The NFIP flood policy provides flood insurance for both dwellings (at a maximum of $250,000) and contents (at a maximum of $100,000).

REMEMBER

 There is usually a 30-day waiting period before a flood policy becomes effective

5. IF YOUR HOME IS DAMAGED BY FLOOD YOU MAY NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR ADDITIONAL LIVING EXPENSES (ALE).

Under most circumstances, if your home is damaged by a covered peril and that damage makes your home uninhabitable, you would most likely qualify for ALE. ALE will pay for staying in a hotel, motel or other temporary shelter. However, since flood is typically excluded from homeowners policies (i.e. not a covered peril), you would not be eligible for ALE under your homeowners policy if a flood causes your home to be uninhabitable. Furthermore, flood insurance through the NFIP does not provide any coverage for loss of use or ALE.

6. SOME POLICIES HAVE A SEPARATE, HIGHER DEDUCTIBLE FOR TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE RELATED LOSSES.

A typical homeowners policy sold in Texas has two types of deductibles: one that applies to losses caused by windstorm and hail, and one that applies to losses caused by all other covered perils. However, some policies have a third deductible that is specifically applicable to damage caused during a hurricane. A hurricane deductible can have a different name, depending on the policy, such as: “hurricane

deductible,” “tropical cyclone deductible,” and “named storm deductible.” This deductible applies

instead of the windstorm deductible when your home is damaged by a hurricane or tropical storm.