What your storm deductible actually comes to in dollars, and whether raising your regular deductible is worth the exposure. Estimates only — not a quote.
A typical 1% catastrophe deductible on $300,000 of coverage means you pay the first $3,000 of storm damage yourself — 3x the $1,000 deductible that applies to everything else. That is $2,000 more you would need on hand after a named storm than after a kitchen fire.
Shown on Kentucky’s reference coverage level of $300,000. Enter your own coverage above for your number.
Kentucky has no coastal or hurricane exposure, and it is correctly absent from the list of 19 states plus DC that use hurricane deductibles. What it does have is severe convective storm exposure - hail, straight-line wind and tornado, including the December 2021 western Kentucky outbreak - and in response the major carriers writing here have largely replaced the traditional flat $1,000 wind deductible with a SEPARATE wind/hail deductible stated as a percentage of the Coverage A dwelling limit. At 1% on a $300,000 dwelling limit that is $3,000 out of pocket on a hail claim; at 2% it is $6,000, while the flat deductible still governs fire, theft and water losses. In the highest-risk western Kentucky counties some carriers write 3% or even 5%. This is carrier underwriting practice, not a Kentucky statute - there is no mandatory-offer law here of the kind Florida and Louisiana have - so it varies by carrier and county and a homeowner must read the declarations page. 1% is recorded as the typical setting because it is the low end of the 1%-2% range that Kentucky market sources consistently describe as most common.
This needs your two real quoted premiums. We deliberately don’t apply a “typical savings” percentage: deductible credits vary by carrier, state, and filing, so a made-up multiplier would give you a break-even that looks precise and isn’t. Ask your insurer to quote both deductibles — it takes one phone call, and the answer is specific to you.
What homeowners insurance costs in your state, and whether what you pay is out of line.
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Did your renewal go up more than premiums did across your state — and what to do about it.
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The exact sequence to run when your house is damaged — mitigation, documentation, the claim call script, the adjuster visit, reading the estimate, and every escalation step in order.