Insurance Lecturer — Although Georgia is not a state that many Americans may consider a problem during hurricane season, there are six counties and several islands in the state of Georgia that are right on the Atlantic coast.
With this in mind, hurricane homeowners insurance is still big business in Georgia. It is something you may definitely want to consider if you will be moving to an area near the coast of Georgia, especially with the level of activity from the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.
Depending on the insurance company who covers your homeowner’s insurance policy, you may or may not be covered for hurricanes and wind damage resulting from hurricanes.
This is something that should be discussed with your insurance agent before you purchase the policy. Often times if you wait until hurricane season arrives to discuss this matter with your insurance company, they will not allow you to seek extra coverage, leaving you in a bad situation for the hurricane season.
The state of Georgia has a separate hurricane deductible set at a higher rate than for other types of damage. The lowest hurricane deductible you can receive in the state of Georgia is $500.
This means that you will have to pay at least $500 before the insurance company will begin reimbursing you for property damage caused by hurricanes.
Often times the insurance company will also require a separate wind storm and hail damage deductible. Georgia allows for deductibles caused by windstorms to be as high as $2,000-$3,000.
Keep in mind that often times insurance companies will consider hurricane damage and the damage of the high winds from storms to be two different things, so it is important to discuss the fine print with your agent before hurricane season arrives.
If you are in between moves as a homeowner, the state of Georgia has certain rules that apply to dealing with insurance issues from damaged goods during a move.
The Georgia Public Service Commission deals with moves within the state and is the place where a complaint needs to be filed if your personal belongings are damaged during that move.
Many homeowners’ insurance policies in other states do not cover moving damages, but the state of Georgia allows for these moving damages to be paid for and reimbursed.
This can through insurance you have purchased with the moving company or through a segment of your homeowners insurance policy.
If the moving company refuses to pay for the expenses, this is when you need to contact the Georgia Public Service Commission in regards to paying for the damaged household goods.
Georgia state insurance laws allow for the cancellation of a homeowners insurance policy within the first 60 days of setting up the policy if the insurance company can provide sufficient reason.
Part of the state law requires that the company inform the policy owner by mailing a 10-day notice. This means that they cannot send you a policy cancellation notice on the same day they cancel your insurance, but most give you at least 10 days to find a new insurance company.
If you have had the insurance policy for over 60 days, there are only a few reasons why the policy can be cancelled. These reasons include non-payment of the plan and finding out that the policy owner has had charges of arson or fraudulent insurance charges.
If your policy has been cancelled after 60 days and you think this may be an unfair cancellation, you can take legal action through the Georgia Department of Insurance.
