Homeowners Insurance Deductibles

Your home is likely the most expensive investment you have made. People often depend on making payments to their home and reselling their home later to purchase another one. Property values often go up, and many people choose to make updates to their home to increase its value and make it a better place for them to live. Being a place that memories are made, children grow up in, and many meals are eaten, a home holds a special place in its owner's heart.

Unfortunately, the love a person has for their home does not help them much if expensive damage or loss occur and the repairs that are needed cannot be paid for. This is where homeowners insurance policies come in. A homeowners insurance policy is designed to help people pay for expensive costs related to their home. There are different types of homeowners insurance plans, including dwelling insurance, personal property insurance, liability insurance, and additional expenses insurance. Each of these policies can help people save money for different reasons.

What Is A Deductible?

One of the most important decisions a person makes in regards to homeowner’s insurance is how much coverage they want to get. The most money a homeowners insurance provider will pay is called the coverage limit. Many professionals recommend getting enough insurance to cover the entire replacement cost of a person’s home when it comes to coverage limits, for dwelling insurance.

For personal property insurance, the coverage limit is recommended to be the total cost of replacing all of the covered items in a person’s home. Liability insurance can be more tricky, but utilizing the free quote tools on this website can help. You need an idea of how much insurance costs, and how much you may want to get.

Each of these insurance policies has a deductible attached to it as well. The deductible is the amount of money the policyholder pays out-of-pocket for the repairs before an insurance provider kicks in the rest of the money, up to the coverage limit. A deductible is not actually paid to the company itself but is instead deducted from the amount of the claim a person makes. For example, if you file a claim for $15,000, and your deductible is $500, the insurance company would pay you $14,500 upon approval of your claim.

Types Of Home Insurance Deductibles

There are three main types of home insurance deductibles, and it is important to not only know them but also be able to compare them to find out which one is best for you. The first type of homeowner’s insurance deductible is a dollar amount deductible. You will select the chosen dollar sum that you must pay before your home insurance provider pays for its portion of the repairs. If you have repairs that add up to $10,000, and your deductible is $1,000, the insurance provider will pay out $9000 for your claim.

The second type of homeowner’s coverage deductible is a percentage deductible. If you select a percentage deductible for your homeowner's insurance, the amount you will need to pay before insurance kicks in is based on that percentage. If, as an example, your home is insured for $100,000, and you have a claim that you are making for the entire $100,000, your deductible will be a percentage of that $100,000. If your deductible is 4%, you will need to pay the first $4,000 of any claim before the insurance providers coverage kicks in.

The third main type of homeowners insurance deductible is called a split. This is a combination of a percentage deductible and a dollar amount deductible. The dollar amount deductible will apply to most claims, but certain events can trigger a percentage deductible instead. This is often used for things like hurricanes or earthquakes, where the damage is extensive and the entire home would likely need to be replaced.

Many people select different types of deductibles based on the likelihood that certain claims will need to be filed. In some cases, only one of these types of homeowners insurance deductibles will be available, due to a likelihood for hurricanes or earthquakes.

When Do Deductibles Apply?

Knowing when deductibles apply, for any type of insurance policy, is a good plan. Most insurance plans, of any type, will have required deductibles that need to be paid before their benefits kick in. Plans that are not homeowner’s insurance plans can have different systems in place for deductibles. For example, health insurance providers often have an annual deductible where the policyholder pays for certain expenses towards their bills, but once they have paid the deductible, the insurance provider covers all related expenses for the rest of the year. Each year the annual deductible resets.

Auto insurance has similar deductibles than home insurance. The deductible in these insurance types applies to each claim. This means that if you have multiple claims that you are making within a year, the deductible applies for each one. If you need to make ten claims in one year, you will be paying ten deductibles. This can impact people who live in places where there are reoccurring risks that are covered by a policy. Some of these risks can include a risk of tornadoes, a risk of hurricanes, a risk of earthquakes, a risk of theft, and there are others as well.

If you live in high-risk areas for these things, as well as other covered situations, you may want to make sure that you have enough money in savings to pay for multiple deductibles. Fortunately, people can raise or lower their deductibles if needed. This will, however, affect the cost of your homeowner's insurance premiums.

How To Choose The Right Home Insurance Deductible

Choosing the right deductible means finding one that you can afford if an emergency situation occurs. If you are in a high-risk area for some of the covered perils, you will want to make sure you can pay for multiple deductibles if they happen close to each other. Non-payment delays can end up costing people a lot of money overall. While it may be tempting to raise your deductible in order to save money on your homeowner's insurance premiums, most people find that keeping their deductible low whenever possible is the best decision.

How Your Deductibles Impact Your Insurance Rates

Homeowner’s insurance companies often offer numerous deductibles that people can select to fit with their specified coverage limits. These changes do, however, affect people’s insurance premiums. These impacts come for numerous reasons.

If a person has a lower deductible, they are statistically more likely to file a claim. Because of this, people who have lower deductibles are charged more for their homeowner's insurance premiums. The opposite of this is a person who has a higher deductible. People who have higher deductibles are statistically less likely to file a claim with their homeowner's insurance provider. Because of this, people who have higher deductibles tend to pay less on average for their homeowner's insurance premiums.

By selecting a higher deductible, you can save more money overall on your homeowner's insurance plan. Make sure to choose a deductible that you can afford, however. If you are not able to pay for your deductible, and an emergency situation occurs, it could cause expensive delays to your home repairs. These delays could end up costing you more money in the long run. Finding a good balance between your deductible and coverage limits is essential.