HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – With an active hurricane season on the horizon, time is running out for homeowners to protect their houses and belongings from Mother Nature.
Insurance experts say it’s important to make sure you have home insurance that will keep you covered when the weather gets bad.
“Insurance isn’t something you think about every day until that storm is pressing,” said Wes Standish, president of Moore and Associates of Myrtle Beach.
Standish said both new and seasoned homeowners should check their insurance policies at least once, before June 1, when Hurricane season starts.
“Now’s probably a good time. I think this hurricane season is one week away. So today would be the day to do it before these storms start kind of swirling out there, and you can’t get coverage,” said Standish.
Experts explained that once a storm is on its way, you might not be able to get coverage.
”The private carriers for wind and hail will shut down a new business when there’s a new storm within a certain coordinate box, you know within X amount of miles from the coastline, or if it looks like it’s coming this way, they’ll just shut down new business altogether. Then you’re left with really, no options at that point,” said Standish.
However, potential hurricanes aren’t the only reason you should take another look at your policy. As some companies could have dropped or changed your coverage, without you even knowing.
“We’ve had several carriers that have either pulled out of coastal counties altogether or some carriers that have gone insolvent and have completely gone out of business, so it’s no fault of the homeowner,” said Standish.
Standish said it’s also important to take photos and keep an inventory of things inside your house. So if there’s damage, you’ll have a better idea of what you should get back.
“Think about clothing and dishes and obviously furniture, appliances, those things,” said Standish.
While hurricane coverage can be costly, there are a few ways you can save some money.
“There’s certain roof characteristics that they’ll give you some discounts on. Actually, those are typically a pretty significant discount. Then as far as impact glass and hurricane shutters, if you can show proof of that, it’s similar to an alarm, you can get a discount with proof of those things,” said Standish.
It may be a daunting task, but experts say reaching out and getting coverage before a storm hits can save you big time.
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Alice J. Roden started working for Trending Insurance News at the end of 2021. Alice grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. A writer with a vast insurance industry background Alice has help with several of the biggest insurance companies. Before joining Trending Insurance News, Alice briefly worked as a freelance journalist for several radio stations. She covers home, renters and other property insurance stories.