FAQ
Get Quick Answers to Popular Questions!
WHY DO MY RATES KEEP GOING UP?
Each geographical area of Florida is different. Some areas have higher rates of inflation, strong winds, car accidents and other factors than others.
As homes age, insurance rates also typically go up, as older homes are considered to be more susceptible to accidental damage.
In addition to inflation, it's important to address a harsh reality in our state; many areas of Florida - if not the entire state - are not only hit by hurricanes, but also by fraud and insurance abuse.
Insurance fraud is not a victim-less crime; every time we make our insurance payments, we are subsidizing the cost of this fraud and abuse we all have to bear. Unfortunately, Florida is particularly susceptible to these problems.
More information here:
DO YOU OFFER FREE CONSULTATIONS TO NEW CUSTOMERS?
Yes, and gladly. No need to purchase or sign up for anything. Give us a call, or drop us a line. We would love to hear from you.
HOW IS YOUR BUSINESS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER AGENCIES?
Nearly 100% of our business is sourced by referrals. We focus on protecting our customers, by providing the answers they seek, and the value the need. It may sound cheesy, but we love all of our customers, and we love the opportunity to protect them.
Our brand is love, our business is protecting.
WHAT IS FORCE-PLACED INSURANCE?
It's what your bank or mortgage company purchases when you fail to maintain coverage of your own. It's extremely expensive, it lack coverage for you and it only protects the bank interest. In summary, the last thing you want. Be sure you keep your insurance payments on time to avoid this. Contact us if you received a letter from your mortgage company.
WHAT ARE THE BEST HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE DISCOUNTS?
Homes built after 2002 have substantially better rates than one built before, due to the building code change in Florida that took place in 2001. In General, the newer the home, the lower your insurance will be.
If you have an older home, don't despair! there's plenty of things you can do to reduce the cost of your insurance. Older homes, particularly those built before 1994 (Hurricane Andrew Code) can benefit greatly from hurricane protection. A Wind Mitigation Inspection defines all the aspects of hurricane protection you can implement to reduce your rates.
The best ways to save in hurricane coverage, summarized:
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A newer roof in compliance with the latest will code.
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Connecting the roof to the walls using hurricane straps
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Choosing a roof with a hip geometrical shape (a pyramid-like roof, with slopes on every side of it)
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Installing hurricane-grade protection on all openings of your home.
More information: https://www.floir.com/Sections/PandC/HurricaneLossMitigation.aspx
HOW CAN YOU CHOOSE A GOOD INSURANCE COMPANY IN FLORIDA?
Insurance companies are tricky to rate from a customer's perspective, mostly because so much of the economy depends on them. Attorneys, Chiropractors, Doctors, Contractors, Adjusters, Real Estate Businesses, Insurance Agents and plenty of other types of third parties depend on their performance, and for this reason, all these varied industries often have opposing views of the same carrier.
To simplify things, you should put customer's experience over anybody else. While an attorney or third-party provider may have a negative view on a carrier, the average statistical experience of actual customers can be more reliable from a homeowner or insured's point of view.
Unfortunately, general reviews and ratings on internet posts (Yelp, Google, Facebook, BBB, etc.) are not always helpful, as they often simply reflect a minority of customers who take to the internet to vent their frustrations, and reading through long list of complaints can be challenging and frustrating. Other times, the opposite is true, as another segment of internet entries are sourced from a minority of perspectives that may show positive outlooks that may not reflect an insurer's true customer service performance.
We have found in our experience that the best source of statistical support, is the complaint index the state of Florida keeps on insurance companies. This gives consumers an unbiased ratio based on the number of complaints carriers have versus their market share.
No insurance company is perfect, but some may have more than their fair share of complaints, and that's where you should look.
While going through the annual reports of the State of Florida can be challenging, we have done the homework for you. Contact us for more info, if the link above is confusing.