Top 10 Most Expensive States For Making Homeowners Insurance Claims
Experts advise that homeowners eat the cost on smaller claims and save their insurance for the big expensive claims.
If you are thinking about making a minor claim against your homeowners insurance, you may want to reconsider, especially if you live in Minnesota. According to a recent report by InsuranceQuotes.com, a claim on your homeowners insurance can raise your premium by up to 21 percent depending on what state you call home.
The site gathered data from the six largest homeowner insurers in country and calculated both pre and post claim average prices for a homeowners policy. The sample policy was for $144,000 in coverage. They determined that on average, insurers jacked up premiums 9 percent in the year after a claim was made. In Minnesota, the most expensive state to make a claim, the jump was a whopping 21 percent.
Texas, on the other hand does not penalize claimants with a rate hike. Despite the fact that premiums usually do not change after a claim, Texas has the highest homeowner insurance premiums in the country. They average $1,560 a year. Its possible that insurers in Texas are factoring in that Texas has had more natural disasters, fire management assistance requests and emergency declarations than any other state in the nation.
If you live in one of the following 10 states though you can expect your premiums to go up significantly if you make a claim on your homeowners insurance. In fact, expect at least a 15 percent increase to your premiums. Experts advise that homeowners eat the cost on smaller claims and save their insurance for the big expensive claims. Here are the 10 most expensive states when it comes to making a homeowners claim:
10. Pennsylvania – In the Keystone state the average premium without a claim is $716, one claim later you will be paying 15 percent more or $826. Common claims in this state are water, hail and wind damage. The average claim for water damage is $6,487 with hail damage costing $5,768 on average.
9. Iowa – This farm belt state will bump your insurance up 15.6 percent from $679 to $785 if you decide to make a claim. The most likely culprit will be wind/hail or water damage. The average claim amount for wind/hail is a whopping $11,400.
8. Tennessee – A claim in Tennessee will cost slightly more with a 15.7 percent increase in the year after a claim. This will push an $852 premium up to $986. Again, wind/hail and water are causing the most damage with wind/hail averages running $10,086 and water coming in at $8495.
7. Alaska – In this rough and tumble state a claim on your homeowners will cause your Alaskan premium to go from $903 up to $1,053 or a 16.7 increase. Alaska is full of snow and ice so its no surprise that water damage is the most common claim. The average claim amount is quite high at $12,000.
6. Arizona – Expect your rates to go up 16.7 percent after a claim. While Arizona residents start with a fairly low average premium price of $666, that will jump up to $778 if you make a claim. While Arizona is known for being hot and dry, the most common claim type is water damage. The dry weather leads to cracked water lines going to washing machines, dishwashers and other appliances. If the water is not shut off immediately, it can lead to big money damage.
5. Oregon – This northwest state starts with a very reasonable average premium of $535 a year but insurers will tack on roughly 17.6 percent after a claim running the premium up to $629. While you would expect water to be the number one problem in rainy Oregon, it turns out that crime is the number one reason for a claim. The average claim amount is $3,142
4. California – Home insurance is already fairly expensive in California. The average policy price came in at $939 and when a claim was added, the cost jumped to $1,112 or an 18.4 percent increase. It’s probably no surprise that crime is the number one type of claim in California, with an average claim cost of $4,290.
3. Maryland – A claim on your Maryland homeowners policy will boost your premium a gigantic 19.3 percent from $784 to $935. Hurricane Sandy did a huge amount of damage in 2012, which is just one reason that wind/hail damage is the most common type of claim made in Maryland.
2. Connecticut – The second most expensive state in the country when it comes to a homeowners claim is Connecticut. A claim will add 21.1 percent to your bill pushing an already high $1,052 premium to $1,269. Storm related claims are the most common type in Connecticut.
1. Minnesota – The most expensive state for making a homeowners claim is friendly Minnesota. A claim there will add 21.2 percent to your premium bumping your $981 insurance bill to $1,189. Insurers have been losing money in the state due to a number of recent disasters, which is the reasoning behind the huge rate hikes.