When high winds damage your home, windstorm insurance helps you recover from the loss. This coverage is usually provided in standard homeowners insurance to protect the structure of your home, other structures on your property, and your personal belongings.
But if you live in a high-risk area, like a coast that sees tropical storms and hurricanes, then your insurance company might exclude windstorm coverage from your policy. In that case, you may have to:
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Shop around for a different policy.
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Get a separate policy from a company that specializes in windstorm insurance.
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Go through your state high-risk pool or insurer of last resort to appease your mortgage lender.
What does windstorm insurance cover?
Windstorm insurance usually covers physical damage caused to your:
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Primary residence.
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Your personal belongings.
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Detached structures on your property, like sheds or fences.
That means it helps pay the costs to repair or restore your property after it’s been damaged or destroyed by a covered wind event, like tornadoes and hurricanes.
Windstorm coverage may also help with temporary relocation costs if the wind damage makes your home uninhabitable. Your policy might also help cover other essentials, such as food, water, and gas, while you're temporarily relocated.
In some places, like coastal areas or regions that see a lot of severe storms, homeowners may have policies with separate deductibles for wind damage. Currently 18 states and the District of Columbia have insurance companies offering or requiring hurricane deductibles:
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Alabama
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Connecticut
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Delaware
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Florida
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Georgia
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Hawaii
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Louisiana
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Maine
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Maryland
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Massachusetts
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Mississippi
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New Jersey
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New York
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North Carolina
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Rhode Island
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South Carolina
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Texas
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Virginia
You may also have a wind/hail deductible, depending on the laws in your state. Both types of deductibles apply in specific situations, so check your policy or talk to your agent to know more.
What doesn’t windstorm insurance cover?
Windstorm insurance covers damage caused by strong winds; however, any flooding or storm surge that comes with a hurricane or other storm event is usually excluded. Those risks are covered by flood insurance.
Additionally, don't expect damage to your car to be covered by a windstorm policy. You’ll need car insurance If high winds drop a tree branch on your vehicle.
Who needs windstorm insurance?
Every home in the United States is susceptible to wind damage, so just about every homeowner needs windstorm insurance. But there are certain areas of the country where the risk of wind damage is significant. Some examples include:
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Coastal areas. Homes near an ocean or the Gulf of Mexico are exposed to hurricanes, tropical storms,and gale-force winds.
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The Great Plains and central United States. Homes in these areas see more tornadoes than the rest of the country. They may also face more hail damage than most.
While many policies offer some wind damage protection, homeowners in these and other high-risk areas may need to check their policies to make sure that their coverage appropriately addresses their potential for wind-related losses. Not only is having this coverage important to your financial security, but your mortgage company most likely requires you to be insured against wind damage.
How much windstorm coverage do I need?
You want to have enough windstorm coverage that you can rebuild your home after a total loss. So in a standard home insurance policy, you want to make sure your dwelling coverage amount meets your replacement cost estimate.
Your other structures, personal property, and loss of use coverage amounts are typically percentages of dwelling coverage: 10%, 50%, and 20%, respectively. Those are, however, just guidelines. If you have a lot of valuable property or other structures, you may want to increase your limits for each.
How much does windstorm insurance cost?
Whether it's part of your standard policy or an extra endorsement, windstorm insurance is based on several factors, including:
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Your home’s age and location.
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Your home's rebuilding cost.
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The likelihood of damaging windstorms in your area
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What steps you've taken to mitigate wind damage (e.g., installation of hurricane shutters).
You can expect windstorm insurance to be relatively expensive if your home is in a high-risk area, such as along the coast where you might experience hurricanes, or in parts of the Great Plains where tornadoes are a greater threat.
How to get windstorm insurance
Luckily, windstorm coverage is included in standard home insurance, so there’s a good chance you already have it. Ask your insurance agent to explain how your particular policy works to make sure you’re protected.
If your homeowners policy excludes wind damage, then you will most likely have to buy a separate policy. You may be able to do this through a private insurance company, but if you can’t, you’ll need to go to a state-backed insurer.
Sometimes called a market of last resort, state-run insurers often require you to first try to get insurance through private companies. Once you’ve been declined a certain number of times and met any other requirements, you can apply for coverage with the state program.
Keep in mind that many insurance companies impose a moratorium on buying new homeowners insurance or wind insurance when a storm is approaching. You'll need to be prepared with the right coverage long before a storm threatens.
Filing a windstorm insurance claim
If your home is damaged by a windstorm, you may need to file an insurance claim. Here's some steps to take when filing a storm damage claim:
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Mitigate your damage. Policyholders have an obligation to prevent additional damage to your home if you can do so safely. This might mean putting a tarp over a hole in your roof or boarding up a broken window.
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Document everything. Keep detailed records, including photos or video, of the damage. Note the date of the loss, the value of any damaged possessions, if possible, and the cost of any materials you used to prevent further damage. You might even want to keep copies of news and weather reports about the storm.
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File your claim quickly. After the windstorm has passed and it's safe, inspect your property for damage and file your claim. Many policies limit the timeframe to file a claim for storm damage because failure to fix problems promptly can lead to more damage later.
Once your claim is filed, your insurance company will likely send an adjuster to your home to inspect the damage. Working with that person can help ensure your claim process goes smoothly so you can get back on your feet as soon as possible.
