Florida Hurricane Deductible: A Guide for Homeowners

Hurricane deductibles in Florida take precedence over your regular deductible until the hurricane has subsided.

Danny Smith
Written byDanny Smith
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Danny Smith
  • Licensed auto and home insurance agent

  • 4+ years in content creation and marketing

As Insurify’s home and pet insurance editor, Danny also specializes in auto insurance. His goal is to help consumers navigate the complex world of insurance buying.

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Katie Powers
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Katie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
  • Licensed auto and home insurance agent

  • 3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing

Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.

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Updated September 9, 2024

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Florida homeowners are at risk of severe damage from violent storms during the June–November hurricane season. State law in Florida requires insurance companies to offer hurricane deductibles to their customers.[1] A hurricane deductible is a special deductible that applies only to hurricane losses and operates separately from your regular home insurance deductible.

Here’s what you need to know about hurricane deductibles in Florida, including how they work and interact with standard home insurance coverage.

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How hurricane deductibles work in Florida

Insurers must offer hurricane deductibles as part of standard home insurance policies. It doesn’t replace the existing standard home insurance deductible. You can only use the hurricane deductible for hurricane damage, while your regular deductible applies to everything else.

Once the National Hurricane Center of the National Weather Service declares a storm system as a hurricane, insurance companies do, too. Your hurricane deductible applies for the duration of a hurricane, which Florida law dictates spans from the first hurricane warning or watch issued in any part of Florida by the National Hurricane Center to 72 hours after the termination of the last hurricane watch or warning.[1]

Learn More: What Is Hurricane Insurance?

Learn More: What Is Hurricane Insurance?

Deductible options

You have a few different options for your hurricane deductible, including a specific percentage deductible. The insurance company must offer deductible amounts that equal $500 in hurricane loss. Alternatively, the deductible amount can equal 2%, 5%, or 10% of your policy’s dwelling coverage limits, unless that percentage is less than $500.

Insurers must also offer alternative deductible amounts to property owners based on how much they insured their home for. You can learn more about each applicable percentage deductible scenario below.

  • Homes insured for between $100,000 and $249,999: Instead of a $500 deductible, insurers can offer a policy with an agreement to not non-renew coverage for one year to reduce the hurricane loss. These policies can have a deductible of up to 2%.

  • Homes insured for $250,000 or more: Insurers don’t have to offer the $500 deductible option but must offer the 2%, 5%, and 10% options.

  • Homes insured for less than $500,000: Insurers can offer homeowners insurance policies with deductibles higher than 10% if the policyholder agrees to sign the following statement: “I do not want the insurance on my home to pay for the first (specify dollar amount) of damage from hurricanes. I will pay those costs. My insurance will not.” If the home still has a mortgage, the lender will need to approve and sign the same written statement and specified deductible.

  • Homes insured for between $1 million and $3 million: Insurers can offer 3%, 5%, and 10% deductibles instead of the 2%, 5%, and 10% deductibles.

  • Homes insured for more than $3 million: Insurance companies only need to offer 5% and 10% deductibles.[1]

Role of the calendar year

Hurricane deductibles work on an annual basis, meaning that they apply to all hurricane losses that happen during the calendar year if you stay with the same insurer. If you’re insuring more than one structure under a policy, the hurricane deductible applies to each structure separately.

If you experience more than one hurricane in the same year and didn’t use your full deductible on the first, the remaining hurricane deductible amount will apply to the second hurricane, unless it’s less than your standard deductible.

What your hurricane deductible covers

Your hurricane deductible covers any hurricane-related damages that occur during the official “hurricane period” declared by the National Weather Service. But it does exclude flooding.

The deductible applies to various covered windstorm damages and covered hurricane losses, including:

  • Roof damage caused by high winds or debris

  • Window and door damage caused by extreme winds

  • Damage to the exterior of your home, such as broken gutters

  • Damages to the interior of your home caused directly by the hurricane, such as rain damage from a hole in your roof

  • Damages to other structures, such as a shed or fence

What it doesn’t cover

Like standard home insurance deductibles, your hurricane deductible doesn’t cover flood damage. You’ll need to buy a separate flood insurance policy from an insurer or through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Additionally, if your insurance policy covers more than one structure, the hurricane deductible applies separately to each.

Learn More: What Does Home Insurance Cover?

Learn More: What Does Home Insurance Cover?

How to file a home insurance claim

Filing a home insurance claim after a hurricane is basically the same process as it would be for normal home damages.

  1. Prevent any further damage to your home. Cover broken windows, put buckets under leaking roofs, and make any other possible temporary repairs.

  2. Document the storm damage. Take pictures and video of all your damaged property, and make a list of damaged items and any documents that prove you own them.

  3. Contact your insurance company. Call your insurance agent and start the claims process. You can typically call your insurance company at any time of day, as most have 24-hour helplines.

  4. An adjuster will then come to your home and assess the damage. It’s helpful to be there when the adjuster comes to provide any useful insight.

  5. Review the offer from your insurer. If you feel the offer is adequate, then the process is over. If you feel it’s insufficient, you can file an appeal.

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Other coverages to consider in Florida

If you live in Florida, you can consider some other different types of insurance. First, you should have flood insurance because standard home insurance doesn’t cover flood damage. Water damage from storm surges can be extremely expensive without coverage. The National Flood NFIP offers excellent flood insurance, which you have to get anyway if you’re in a high-risk area.[2]

It’s also a good idea to have windstorm insurance in Florida. Your standard homeowners policy might already cover wind damage, but having separate windstorm insurance can provide extra protection against hurricanes and other windstorm damage.

You may also want to consider increasing your policy limits, especially for personal belongings and personal property coverage. Hurricanes can cause extreme destruction and damages above typical policy limits. This makes your premium more expensive, but the amount of money you save during a claim is often worth it.

Florida hurricane deductible FAQs

If you have remaining questions about Florida hurricane deductibles, check out the information below.

  • How does a 2% hurricane deductible work?

    A 2% hurricane deductible is equal to 2% of the property value of your home as deemed by your home insurance policy. For example, if your home’s insured value is $300,000 and you choose a 2% hurricane deductible, you’d pay $6,000 in the event of a claim.

  • What is the maximum hurricane deductible in Florida?

    The maximum hurricane deductible in Florida is 10% unless you specifically get approval from your mortgage lender and sign a document indicating you want to pay higher deductibles in the event of a claim. If you insured your home at $300,000, for example, the actual dollar value of the hurricane deductible would equal $30,000.

    People with higher hurricane deductibles will likely pay lower home insurance premiums, while homeowners with a lower hurricane deductible will face higher premiums.

  • What is the hurricane deductible assistance program in Florida?

    The hurricane deductible assistance program in Florida is a state program that helps homeowners who can’t afford to pay their hurricane deductible after a hurricane. The deductible program is for low- to middle-income homeowners and families.[3]

  • Why does Florida have rising home insurance costs?

    Florida has rising home insurance costs mainly because it’s at a very high risk of severe windstorm damage from natural disasters. Hurricanes and tropical storms hit the state very hard, causing extreme damage to homes, which is very expensive to fix. Many coastal areas in Florida are also at severe risk of flooding. These factors cause home insurance companies to raise rates drastically so they can afford to pay out claims.

  • How does hurricane insurance differ from standard home insurance coverage?

    Hurricane coverage isn’t a separate policy but rather a separate deductible that’s part of your standard home insurance policy. The main difference is when it applies. Your standard home insurance coverage kicks in at all times except during hurricanes — that’s when your hurricane deductible comes into play.

Sources

  1. Florida Department of Financial Services. "Florida's Hurricane Deductible."
  2. FEMA. "Flood Insurance."
  3. Florida Housing Finance Corporation. "Disaster relief resources and information."
Danny Smith
Danny Smith

Danny is a Brooklyn-based writer with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance. A former editor at Insurify, he specializes in auto, home, and pet insurance. He works to translate his insurance expertise into digestible, easy-to-understand content for drivers, homeowners, and pet owners alike.

Danny has been a contributor at Insurify since March 2022.

Katie Powers
Edited byKatie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
Photo of an Insurify author
Katie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
  • Licensed auto and home insurance agent

  • 3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing

Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.

Featured in

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