May 28, 2026 • 7 mins
Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1st. It's time to review your homeowner's insurance policy and prepare in case you have to file a claim. We speak with Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. As Florida stairs
at another hurricane season, it's time to think about your
homeowner's insurance. Mark Friedlander, Senior director of media Relations with
the Insurance Information Institute, joins us to cover that very topic.
Mark Freedlander, Welcome, Thanks so much for having me. Now
you have on your website, which is by the way
(00:20):
III dot org. We'll try to mention that again. You
have a checklist on your website of things to cover.
The first item on your list is making sure that
you have enough coverage for rebuilding or repairing your home.
And we know that replacement and repair costs are soaring
these days, So what are your strategies for handling that.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Well, what we talk about is being financially prepared for
hurricane season. That means conducting an insurance check up with
your agent to review your policies and ensure you have
adequate coverage and no gaps. And one of the areas
of your home insurance policy should look at is your
dwelling replacement limit. You have a deck rations page right
(01:01):
at the top of your policy. It's called coverage. A
is an apple and that is the replacement cost value
you have for your home, and it's critical with inflationary
trends driving higher costs of construction materials in labor, that
you have adequate coveras because what we've seen with hurricanes
and other US catastrophes in recent years is large gaps
(01:24):
between what the policy covered and what it costs to
repair or rebuild. So you want to do that check
up and have your agent walk through every key element
of your policy, and.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Of course the deductible factors into that as well.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Right when you look at a home insurance policy in FOTA,
you have two deductibles. You have a standard deductible, which
is fairly much on power with every other home insurance
policy across the country. But then you have a hurricane deductible,
and that is for named storms. When the National Hurricane
Center names a storm, the hurricane deductible takes effect.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
And typically hurricane.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Deductibles in Florida could range from one percent to up
to ten percent now of your drolling coverage.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
So let's just split the difference.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Say you have a five percent hurricane deductible on a
three hundred thousand dollars dwelling limit policy. That's fifteen thousand
dollars upfront meeting, you'd have to pay that deductible before
your insurance kicks in, so it's really important to understand
your deductible. You have choices when you purchase your insurance.
If you want a higher deductible, that means you'll pay
(02:32):
more out of pocket, but it'll.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Decrease your premium, and vice versa.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
If you take a low deductible, say three percent, you're
going to pay more a premium, but you're going to
pay less out of pocket if you suffer a loss
during a named star.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Of course, insurance also covers personal property loss. Talk to
us about what we need to do, things like keeping
inventory of items in the house and making sure we're
prepared to show our.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Losses to prepare for the hurricane season.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
It's really important to have a home inventory, and we
suggest us taking photos on your startphone.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Digital photos are great.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
It gives you a photo library of all your possessions,
and you should do that not only with your possessions,
but the exterior.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Of your home as well, so you could show the condition.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Of your home before hurricane season versus after a storm strikes.
Because if you have a video library or video catalog
of all your possessions and the condition of your home.
It will make the claim process so much smoother. It's
also good to have a written inventory of everything you own,
all your furniture, all your electronics, other possessions, and if
(03:34):
you have the receipts for when those are purchase. That's
also very valuable as well during the preparedness process to
have that inventory because once again, when you file claim,
the more information you could provide your insurance company, the
smoother your claim process will go.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
But of course none of that applies to covering damage
from floods, and flood insurance is something that you have
to get separately.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Actly one thing we learned with some recent Florida hurricanes
is the misunderstanding about floodshirts. Even though you have hurricane
coverage in your home insurance policy that doesn't include flood,
flood is always excluded. That's true in Florida and across
the country. You need to purchase the coverage separately, either
from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood
(04:20):
insured And the good news is in Florida we have
a very robust private flood market. There's a lot of choices,
so you can get multiple quotes from several insurers for
flood covers, but flood in our opinion, is essential coverage
in Florida no matter where you live, because what we've
learned is hurricanes and tropical services are not just coastal events.
They move inland, and we've seen severe flooding in many
(04:44):
inland communities across Florida in recent years.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
So no matter where you live.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
You should strongly consider flood insurance. And here's the other
important point.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Flood insurance could be very reasonable. In most areas of Florida.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
You could get a flood policy for fifty to sixty
dollars a month reasonable coverage, and one inch of floodwater
in your home equals twenty five thousand.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Dollars of property damage.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
So just think of the lost potential versus the investment
of fifty to sixty dollars a month. They have the
financial protection of a flood policy.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Quickly in the time remaining. If we could run down
some steps that could help you save money on your
homeowner's insurance.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
When we look at making your property more resilient to
hurricanes and windstorms, we talk about your roof. The roof
is the first line of defense when it comes to
homes and windstorms, and there are simple steps you could take,
something called roof high downs, which is fortifying your roof,
making it stronger against windstorms. It's a very cost effective
(05:43):
upgrade to your home and not only will it make
your home more resilient to windstorms, but able to generate
a discount.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Through your property a sure.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Also you might want to look at a wind rated
garage or storm shutters, especially for coastal homes.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And getting back to.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Your roof, I should also mention too having your roof
and expected before hurricane season by a license and bonded
contractor to make sure it will withstand eye.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Winds in torrential ranks.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
You don't need to necessarily go out and buy in
the roof. That's a very expensive proposition. It's a big
investment for most homeowners. But you want to make sure
your roof is in good condition and are there minor
adjustments you can make, including the roof tide ons. I
spoke of fortifying your roof to make it more resilient
to windstorms really simple steps without spending a lot. And
(06:29):
as I said, resiliency steps like this they generate discounts
through your insurance company. So you will get a discount
on your premium as well, so it pays off in
the long term.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
And while we're talking about your home insurance, of course,
auto insurance also factors in. When we're talking about hurricanes.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Don't forget financial protection for your vehicles. Comprehensive Auto is
an optional coverage that more than half of Florida driver's carry.
It covers all the hazards from Mother NAT floods, wind damage,
trees falling down on your vehicle. It's really essential coverage
to have during hurricane season because we've seen so many
(07:09):
flooded vehicles from landfalling hurricanes and tropical storms here in Florida.
Think about comprehensive Auto. It's not very expensive, easy to
add on to your policy just by calling your insurance agent.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Mark Friedlander with the Insurance Information Institute, thank you very
much for joining us.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Thanks so much.
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. As Florida stairs
at another hurricane season, it's time to think about your
homeowner's insurance. Mark Friedlander, Senior director of media Relations with
the Insurance Information Institute, joins us to cover that very topic.
Mark Freedlander, Welcome, Thanks so much for having me. Now
you have on your website, which is by the way
(00:20):
III dot org. We'll try to mention that again. You
have a checklist on your website of things to cover.
The first item on your list is making sure that
you have enough coverage for rebuilding or repairing your home.
And we know that replacement and repair costs are soaring
these days, So what are your strategies for handling that.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Well, what we talk about is being financially prepared for
hurricane season. That means conducting an insurance check up with
your agent to review your policies and ensure you have
adequate coverage and no gaps. And one of the areas
of your home insurance policy should look at is your
dwelling replacement limit. You have a deck rations page right
(01:01):
at the top of your policy. It's called coverage. A
is an apple and that is the replacement cost value
you have for your home, and it's critical with inflationary
trends driving higher costs of construction materials in labor, that
you have adequate coveras because what we've seen with hurricanes
and other US catastrophes in recent years is large gaps
(01:24):
between what the policy covered and what it costs to
repair or rebuild. So you want to do that check
up and have your agent walk through every key element
of your policy, and.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Of course the deductible factors into that as well.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Right when you look at a home insurance policy in FOTA,
you have two deductibles. You have a standard deductible, which
is fairly much on power with every other home insurance
policy across the country. But then you have a hurricane deductible,
and that is for named storms. When the National Hurricane
Center names a storm, the hurricane deductible takes effect.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
And typically hurricane.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Deductibles in Florida could range from one percent to up
to ten percent now of your drolling coverage.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
So let's just split the difference.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Say you have a five percent hurricane deductible on a
three hundred thousand dollars dwelling limit policy. That's fifteen thousand
dollars upfront meeting, you'd have to pay that deductible before
your insurance kicks in, so it's really important to understand
your deductible. You have choices when you purchase your insurance.
If you want a higher deductible, that means you'll pay
(02:32):
more out of pocket, but it'll.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Decrease your premium, and vice versa.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
If you take a low deductible, say three percent, you're
going to pay more a premium, but you're going to
pay less out of pocket if you suffer a loss
during a named star.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Of course, insurance also covers personal property loss. Talk to
us about what we need to do, things like keeping
inventory of items in the house and making sure we're
prepared to show our.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Losses to prepare for the hurricane season.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
It's really important to have a home inventory, and we
suggest us taking photos on your startphone.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Digital photos are great.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
It gives you a photo library of all your possessions,
and you should do that not only with your possessions,
but the exterior.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Of your home as well, so you could show the condition.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Of your home before hurricane season versus after a storm strikes.
Because if you have a video library or video catalog
of all your possessions and the condition of your home.
It will make the claim process so much smoother. It's
also good to have a written inventory of everything you own,
all your furniture, all your electronics, other possessions, and if
(03:34):
you have the receipts for when those are purchase. That's
also very valuable as well during the preparedness process to
have that inventory because once again, when you file claim,
the more information you could provide your insurance company, the
smoother your claim process will go.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
But of course none of that applies to covering damage
from floods, and flood insurance is something that you have
to get separately.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Actly one thing we learned with some recent Florida hurricanes
is the misunderstanding about floodshirts. Even though you have hurricane
coverage in your home insurance policy that doesn't include flood,
flood is always excluded. That's true in Florida and across
the country. You need to purchase the coverage separately, either
from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood
(04:20):
insured And the good news is in Florida we have
a very robust private flood market. There's a lot of choices,
so you can get multiple quotes from several insurers for
flood covers, but flood in our opinion, is essential coverage
in Florida no matter where you live, because what we've
learned is hurricanes and tropical services are not just coastal events.
They move inland, and we've seen severe flooding in many
(04:44):
inland communities across Florida in recent years.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
So no matter where you live.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
You should strongly consider flood insurance. And here's the other
important point.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Flood insurance could be very reasonable. In most areas of Florida.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
You could get a flood policy for fifty to sixty
dollars a month reasonable coverage, and one inch of floodwater
in your home equals twenty five thousand.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Dollars of property damage.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
So just think of the lost potential versus the investment
of fifty to sixty dollars a month. They have the
financial protection of a flood policy.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Quickly in the time remaining. If we could run down
some steps that could help you save money on your
homeowner's insurance.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
When we look at making your property more resilient to
hurricanes and windstorms, we talk about your roof. The roof
is the first line of defense when it comes to
homes and windstorms, and there are simple steps you could take,
something called roof high downs, which is fortifying your roof,
making it stronger against windstorms. It's a very cost effective
(05:43):
upgrade to your home and not only will it make
your home more resilient to windstorms, but able to generate
a discount.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Through your property a sure.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Also you might want to look at a wind rated
garage or storm shutters, especially for coastal homes.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And getting back to.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Your roof, I should also mention too having your roof
and expected before hurricane season by a license and bonded
contractor to make sure it will withstand eye.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Winds in torrential ranks.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
You don't need to necessarily go out and buy in
the roof. That's a very expensive proposition. It's a big
investment for most homeowners. But you want to make sure
your roof is in good condition and are there minor
adjustments you can make, including the roof tide ons. I
spoke of fortifying your roof to make it more resilient
to windstorms really simple steps without spending a lot. And
(06:29):
as I said, resiliency steps like this they generate discounts
through your insurance company. So you will get a discount
on your premium as well, so it pays off in
the long term.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
And while we're talking about your home insurance, of course,
auto insurance also factors in. When we're talking about hurricanes.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Don't forget financial protection for your vehicles. Comprehensive Auto is
an optional coverage that more than half of Florida driver's carry.
It covers all the hazards from Mother NAT floods, wind damage,
trees falling down on your vehicle. It's really essential coverage
to have during hurricane season because we've seen so many
(07:09):
flooded vehicles from landfalling hurricanes and tropical storms here in Florida.
Think about comprehensive Auto. It's not very expensive, easy to
add on to your policy just by calling your insurance agent.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Mark Friedlander with the Insurance Information Institute, thank you very
much for joining us.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Thanks so much.
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