Jan 17, 2017

PIANY praises legislation to protect coastal homeowners

The Professional Insurance Agents of New York State commends Sen. Kenneth P. LaValle, R-1, for introducing a bill (S.2062) in the Senate last week, to standardize the windstorm triggers for homeowners’ hurricane deductibles throughout the state. PIANY has long sought to address this concern, which would rightfully enrage the state’s coastal property owners, who would be blindsided should a severe weather event occur.

"We applaud Senator LaValle for introducing this important legislation and we urge the Senate to take quick action to ensure that New York’s homeowners understand and have fair and similar coverages when it comes to hurricanes," said PIANY President John C. Parsons II, CIC, CPIA, AAI. "The state’s insurance-buying public shouldn’t have to go through another hurricane season with uncertainty."

Hurricane season begins in June, but coverage needs to be in place 30 days prior to an incident. PIANY has long called for standardization of triggers for deductibles in homeowners insurance policies, as insureds often do not know what incidents or damage prompt coverage to take effect and such triggers differ from policy to policy. 

"Many homeowners don’t know what out-of-pocket costs they would incur in the case of a storm, or how their policies compare to their neighbors," said Parsons. "Despite a requirement that policies include specific information about hurricane deductibles up-front on the declaration pages, for the most part, insureds are unaware if windstorm deductibles apply to a loss until after it occurs."