What your storm deductible actually comes to in dollars, and whether raising your regular deductible is worth the exposure. Estimates only — not a quote.
A typical 2% catastrophe deductible on $300,000 of coverage means you pay the first $6,000 of storm damage yourself — 6x the $1,000 deductible that applies to everything else. That is $5,000 more you would need on hand after a named storm than after a kitchen fire.
Shown on Maryland’s reference coverage level of $300,000. Enter your own coverage above for your number.
Maryland permits a separate percentage hurricane deductible, and the trigger is unusually broad: an insurer may apply it to a covered loss sustained while a hurricane warning is in effect for ANY part of the State, or within 24 hours after the last such warning is terminated - so a hurricane warning on the lower Eastern Shore can put the percentage deductible in play for a home nowhere near the coast. The percentage is applied to the Coverage A dwelling limit, not to the amount of the claim: on a $300,000 dwelling limit a 2% hurricane deductible is $6,000 out of pocket, and at 5% it is $15,000, while the flat all-perils deductible still governs fire, theft and interior water losses. Typical settings run 2% to 5%. A deductible ABOVE 5% requires the Insurance Commissioner's prior approval of the insurer's underwriting standard, which is the practical ceiling on how high these go in Maryland. Separately from the hurricane deductible, a windstorm or hail deductible commonly attaches to Eastern Shore and Chesapeake property within 200 feet of water. Insurers must offer premium discounts for qualifying mitigation improvements verified by a licensed contractor.
This needs your two real quoted premiums. We deliberately don’t apply a “typical savings” percentage: deductible credits vary by carrier, state, and filing, so a made-up multiplier would give you a break-even that looks precise and isn’t. Ask your insurer to quote both deductibles — it takes one phone call, and the answer is specific to you.
What homeowners insurance costs in your state, and whether what you pay is out of line.
Is your dwelling coverage actually enough to rebuild — and what a shortfall costs at claim time.
Did your renewal go up more than premiums did across your state — and what to do about it.
Your renewal jumped and the carrier said 'rates went up.' Here is what is actually driving it, how to tell whether yours outran your state's, and the four levers that genuinely move the number.
Flood and earth movement are excluded from every standard homeowners policy — and the clause that excludes them is written so a wind-and-water loss can be denied entirely. Here is what is out, and what fills each gap.
Non-renewed, cancelled, or declined: read the notice correctly, stop force-placed insurance, fix the reason code on it, and get the house insured again in 30 days.
The exact sequence to run when your house is damaged — mitigation, documentation, the claim call script, the adjuster visit, reading the estimate, and every escalation step in order.