Caught a quick news segment yesterday about homeowners getting blindsided by insurance deductibles after a storm. Apparently wind and hail deductibles aren't always the same thing, which surprised me... honestly never knew that. Anyone else run into this issue before?
Yeah, this catches a lot of folks off guard. I've dealt with it several times managing properties—wind and hail deductibles can vary widely depending on your policy and location. Always worth double-checking the fine print to avoid surprises later...
Yeah, learned this lesson the hard way myself a few years back. Had a property out near the coast, and after a pretty nasty storm rolled through, I figured we'd be covered no problem. Turns out our deductible for wind damage was way higher than I'd realized—like, significantly more than our standard deductible. Felt like a gut punch at the time.
Since then, I've made it a habit to sit down with my insurance agent once a year and go over everything line by line. Policies can change subtly from year to year, and sometimes insurers tweak deductibles or coverage limits without making it super obvious. It's tedious, sure, but it's saved me from some unpleasant surprises down the road.
Also worth mentioning: if you're in an area prone to storms or hail, sometimes you can negotiate better terms or shop around for policies that offer more reasonable deductibles. Doesn't hurt to ask around...
