Homeowners Insurance in Rockledge, Florida

Rockledge, the oldest city in Brevard County, lies on the bank of the Indian River. Any city in Florida bordering the Atlantic Ocean is prone to hurricane damage. Residents need the right homeowners insurance to protect their properties financially.

Unfortunately, home insurance in Florida isn’t always affordable. Use this guide before you buy to find the best and cheapest homeowners insurance in Rockledge. 

The average cost of homeowners insurance in Rockledge is about $3,944 annually on a $150,000 house, $7,140 on a $300,000 house, and $10,251 on a $450,000 house.

Florida has the highest home insurance rates in the country, partly due to soaring property values and statewide hurricane risk. As a coastal city, Rockledge is on the higher end of the rating scale in Florida because places on the coast are more prone to hurricane damage.

Homeowners insurance premiums in Rockledge are about 23% higher than the state average. The following table shows rates from nine carriers in Florida according to home value.

The premiums displayed in this article were obtained by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. They represent the most recent rate filings from the state’s largest insurers and can be utilized as an average of what Floridians can expect to pay for homeowners insurance each year. The example premiums are based on a policy for a Florida masonry home with a $500 non-hurricane deductible, a 2% hurricane deductible and no claims in the past three years.

You’ll notice that home insurance rates increase as home value increases. This occurs because larger homes need more insurance coverage. The more insurance you need, the more it’ll cost.

Bigger houses need more insurance because they have higher replacement costs. Replacement cost refers to the amount necessary to rebuild your home based on construction and labor expenses. Larger, nicer homes cost more to rebuild. As a result, they need more insurance.

Another factor that can affect your premiums is wind mitigation. Insurers tend to give significantly lower premiums to those with wind mitigation features on their homes.

Let’s look at how insurers categorize homes for premium consideration when factoring for wind mitigation.

On top of replacement cost, your home’s age is another critical factor in insurance premiums in Florida. Older houses tend to have higher premiums than newer ones. The following table shows the effects of home age and wind mitigation on homes worth $150,000 in Rockledge.

You’ll notice that older houses with no wind mitigation had the highest premiums by a decent margin. These homes are most prone to claims. The older components are more likely to fail and cause damage, and their lack of wind mitigation features leaves them especially vulnerable to hurricanes.

Wind mitigation can save you significant money in Rockledge. It lowered premiums on older homes worth $150,000 by nearly $4,000 per year, totaling discounts of 62% on average. 

In the most drastic case, wind mitigation lowered rates from Universal Property & Casualty, the state’s largest private carrier, by over 68% annually.

The next table shows rates of home insurance in Rockledge, Florida, for $300,000 homes.

Notable mitigation savings persist, bringing average rates on houses with wind mitigation very close to those of newly constructed homes. Newer houses always have some wind mitigation features, such as hurricane windows, built-in by default.

The final table lists average premiums in Rockledge for homes with replacement costs of $450,000.

State Farm had the cheapest homeowners insurance of the companies we listed. Their average rates were sometimes thousands lower than competitors, but this may not always happen. You won’t know which carrier has the most affordable rates for you until you get quotes.

Home insurance costs vary by location, company, and policyholder. The many factors that affect premiums make it difficult to name one provider as the cheapest at all times. 

State Farm is headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, yet offers policies throughout the country, which can help spread risk out and lower premiums. More localized carriers like People’s Trust, based in South Florida and serving only Florida, don’t have this option.

However, this doesn’t mean you can’t find fair coverage from all the carriers on our list. While there are early signs of optimism that Florida is coming out of its insurance crisis, it will likely take several years for most people to feel satisfied with rates once again.

You should always shop around to find the cheapest homeowners insurance in Rockledge for your circumstances. 

Every homeowners insurance policy consists of the same coverage areas. Plans protect your property and liability in several ways, briefly outlined below:

The best homeowners insurance in Rockledge will look different for every person, depending on your property, location, and coverage needs. You must know what you want in your policy to tailor it to your situation. 

You set many of your policy limits when you get quotes for your plan. Your carrier normally has some default limits in mind, but you can adjust these as you see fit. 

For example, insurers often set your personal property limit to 50% of your dwelling coverage limit. You can create a contents list that documents all of your personal belongings and their values. The grand total of your items is the amount of personal property coverage you need. Changing your personal property limit to this number will save you money if it’s under 50% of your dwelling limit or prevent you from underinsuring yourself if it’s over.

You can also adjust your liability limits. Providers usually require at least $100,000 in coverage, but we recommend having limits that fully cover all your financial assets. For most people, this ranges from $300,000 to $500,000 in coverage.

Policies protect against over a dozen possible sources of damage known as perils. But, they don’t cover everything. You should know how and when your plan shields you so you can purchase additional protection if needed.

Note when your policy covers damage at actual cash value or replacement cost. Actual cash value factors in depreciation and will give you lower payouts. If you have the choice between the two, replacement cost coverage provides better protection, but typically costs more.

Consider endorsements for certain policy exclusions. For example, insurers normally limit reimbursement for jewelry and art under personal property coverage up to $2,500 or $5,000. If you have very expensive pieces, you may want to look into scheduling your valuables to qualify them for full coverage. Ask your provider what endorsements they offer and see if you need them.

Flood damage is another common exclusion on homeowners insurance. Floods are never covered by default, yet many policyholders don’t realize this until it’s too late.

Floods are more common than you may think and are very costly to remediate. You’re not financially protected against flood damage unless you have a separate flood insurance policy.

In Rockledge, homes along the Indian River and other bodies of water may be prone to storm surges. You can check high-risk flood zones on the city’s website. And, just about every home in Florida can experience flash flooding because of the state’s regular thunderstorms and largely flat and low terrain.

We encourage you to consider flood insurance in Rockledge. You can purchase a plan from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) at a discounted rate.

Home insurance rates are influenced by many factors relating to the property or policyholder’s risk level. Some of the most critical considerations are:

One of the primary determinants of Rockledge home insurance rates is the location of your home. Properties on or near the coast often have higher premiums because they’re more prone to wind and flood damage. Homes in high-crime neighborhoods can have higher rates, also. 

The construction and age of a home also play a crucial role. Newer homes are less susceptible to damage since they’re built up to modern construction codes. Additionally, larger homes typically cost more to insure, as there is more square footage and more belongings to cover. 

Having safety features like security systems and deadbolt locks also lowers premiums. Attractive nuisances, such as pools and trampolines, can raise your risk of a liability claim and increase rates.

The type and amount of coverage you choose impacts rates. Policies with higher coverage limits and additional endorsements or riders will generally result in higher premiums. Deductibles, the amount you damage must exceed before insurance coverage kicks in, also impact rates. Opting for higher deductibles leads to lower premiums.

Qualifying for discounts lower rates. Companies commonly offer discounts based on:

Discounts differ by company, so always be sure to ask which are applicable to you. 

Homeowners insurance isn’t mandated by law in Rockledge, but if you finance your home purchase with a mortgage, your lender will require a home insurance plan for the life of the loan.

Lenders require borrowers to have insurance to protect their investments. If the house gets destroyed, you and your lender can recoup money through the insurance policy.

If you don’t maintain your own coverage, your lender can force you to have insurance. This coverage, called force-placed insurance, provides minimal coverage while being more expensive than a plan you can find on your own.

It’s not in your best interest, which is why you should always get your own property insurance in Rockledge when you have a mortgage and make your payments on time. Many people set up their home insurance through escrow to ensure payments aren’t missed.

Getting homeowners insurance quotes in Rockledge can typically be done online or over the phone. At Clovered, we can accommodate you either way, with our localized expertise on hand whenever you need it.

As an independent insurance agency based in Fort Lauderdale, we understand how hard it can be to find affordable coverage in the state. We partner with many of the top home insurance companies in Florida to bring you quotes in minutes through our online quoting platform, where you can compare options quickly and easily.

Or, if you’d rather chat with one of our licensed agents for your quote, give us a call at 833-255-4117 during business hours. We’re happy to help. You can also email us with any questions at agent@clovered.com.