ORLANDO, Fla. — The beginning of the next hurricane season is days away, and understanding your insurance coverage is a major part of being prepared.
A man who’s been in the insurance business for 43 years explains why.
Tom Cotton is the third-generation owner of Hugh Cotton Insurance, and knows now is the time for clients to prepare for hurricane season.
“Make an appointment and sit down with your insurance agent to review your coverages, your deductibles, your values and your exclusions,” he said.
Cotton says this is the time to know exactly what your policy does and does not cover.
You also need to make sure you have enough coverage. This is especially true if you home value has increased substantially over the last several years.
“The areas where we frequently find challenges are the value they have on replacement costs on their policy has not kept pace with the actual reconstruction costs of their home,” Cotton said. “Agents don’t put values on houses. They have to tell us what they believe it is.”
He also stressed the importance of flood insurance, which is a separate insurance policy that covers flooding inside homes and businesses, saying, “If you do not have a flood insurance policy, you do not have coverage for flood.”
in addition to an insurance checkup, Cotton said homeowners can prepare their homes today for a storm in the future. This includes doing preventive maintenance, trimming trees and considering what service providers to use right after a storm.
“If there’s a tree on your house, trying to find the tree contractor a day after a hurricane, you’re late. you need to already know who you’re going to call,” he said.
If you suffer damage at your residence or business, take precautions while waiting on repair work.
“You need to do whatever you need to do to mitigate the damages. but save the receipts. The insurance company will reimburse you for those costs,” said Cotton.
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