Homeowners Insurance in Weston, Florida (2024)

The relatively new, high-end city of Weston in South Florida is ideal for those who want to be close to the beach and activity of Fort Lauderdale but escape the daily hustle and bustle of a city. Weston offers plenty of outdoor recreational activities since it’s directly bordered by the Everglades to the west.

Perhaps the biggest downside of living in Weston is the vulnerability to severe weather. Heavy rains and the chances of hurricanes can cause headaches for homeowners by increasing their homeowners insurance premiums.

The likelihood of a natural disaster negatively influences insurance rates. The average cost of homeowners insurance in Weston, Florida, is $7,276 for a $150,000 house, $13,168 for a $300,000 house, and $18,914 per year for a $450,000 home.

This is expensive, but since these numbers are averages, that means some premiums fall below these rates and some are above — and you may be able to control which category your home falls under. Unfortunately, in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Broward Counties, or the counties that make up South Florida, residents see the highest premiums in the state, with rates continually increasing.

Let’s look at the average cost of homeowners insurance in Weston from some top companies to see what we’re dealing with.

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.

As you can see, the value of your home is a crucial factor in determining insurance premiums. Generally, the more your house is worth, the more insurance you need, so the more it costs to insure. Providers usually evaluate homes at their replacement cost, which is how much it would cost to rebuild your house if it was destroyed.

Another important factor for premiums in Florida is the ability of your home to withstand strong winds. Let’s take a look at how wind mitigation, and another primary factor in premium determination, home age, are used by insurers when calculating your premiums.

Now, take a look at the difference between rates on $150,000 homes with and without wind mitigation. 

Effective wind mitigation can do wonders for the safety of your home and the cost of your homeowners insurance in Weston. There was a 53% difference in average rates between older houses with and without wind mitigation. That means you could cut your rate in half by making your home wind-resistant.

To know where to start on improving the wind resistance of your home, you’d have to get a wind mitigation inspection. It likely wouldn’t cost more than a couple of hundred dollars, and an inspector will tell you what, if anything, needs to be done for your house to become eligible for discounts on homeowners insurance. These changes could range from large-scale renovations, like adjustments to your roof, to getting a new garage door or hurricane shutters.

In addition to wind mitigation, the amount of coverage you choose affects how much your insurance costs. You should aim for enough coverage to rebuild or repair your home sufficiently after a disaster.

Realistically, you’d be hard-pressed to find a property in Weston for which $150,000 worth of coverage would be enough. So, let’s look at what $300,000 and $450,000 worth of coverage costs on average:

Homeowners insurance is designed to cover you financially when something unexpected or disastrous happens. This protection extends beyond just the walls of your house. Here are the common coverage areas for a standard homeowners insurance plan.

Dwelling coverage is the component of your policy that protects the structure of your home. This coverage can help you pay to repair or replace things like your roof, flooring, pipes, windows, and walls should they suffer damage from a peril covered on your policy.

Other structures coverage is the part of your policy that covers the structures on your property that aren’t attached to your main home. So, if your shed, detached garage, pool, fencing, or carport suffers damage from a covered peril, your insurer may help you pay to replace or repair them. 

Personal property coverage is the element of your policy that helps cover the belongings you store on your property. So, if your antique grandfather clock, crystal glasses you received as a wedding gift, or expensive yard tools suffer damage from a covered peril or are stolen, your insurer may help you pay to repair or replace them.

Loss of use coverage is a part of your policy that can help you pay for basic necessities if your home is rendered uninhabitable due to a hurricane, fire, or another covered peril on your policy. It can help you pay for things like groceries, temporary housing, and other expenses.

Personal liability coverage can help you financially if you’re found liable for a guest’s injuries on your property or damage to someone else’s property. It can help you pay for things like medical bills and legal fees. 

Medical payments coverage is similar to liability coverage, but it will only help you cover someone’s medical expenses for a minor injury they incur on your property. Plus, it can be used regardless of who was at fault for the injury. 

As you can probably tell, homeowners insurance is a complicated matter. It can be hard to keep track of all the factors that affect rates. This is one of the reasons Clovered was created. We wanted to provide the resources and tools necessary for people to understand insurance and get covered for what they need at the price they want.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at some more things insurers take into consideration when determining rates:

Almost all of Weston is in some sort of federally designated flood zone, as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA creates flood maps for the country that assess the risk levels of areas and divides them into sections that influence insurance rates. X, AE, and AH flood zones make up much of Weston, with X being low risk and AE and AH constituting a higher risk of flooding.

Recently, the FEMA flood zone maps for Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Broward counties were updated, designating 138,800 more structures in special flood hazard areas. Since Weston is located in Broward County, residents of this Florida city should reassess their flood risk.

This is important to know because homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flood damage. To adequately protect your house and belongings from unwanted water caused by heavy rains, you’d need a separate flood insurance policy. Flood insurance isn’t mandated by law, but your mortgage lender may require you to get it if your home is located in a high-risk Weston, Florida flood zone.

South Florida has the potential to be struck by a hurricane or tropical storm every hurricane season. This is one of the main reasons insurance rates are as high as they are in Weston and most other South Florida cities. While there haven’t been any major impacts of hurricanes in Weston, Florida recently, storms have come very close.

Homeowners insurance covers most instances of hurricane damage. An important part of hurricane coverage as a Florida homeowner is to be aware of your hurricane deductible. When you file a claim related to hurricane damage, you’ll have to pay a hurricane deductible, which is slightly different than your regular homeowners deductible.

A hurricane deductible is based on a percentage of your dwelling coverage, with 2% and 5% being common choices. This means your hurricane deductible is usually higher than your regular deductible.

One of Clovered’s most important features is our online quote engine that can provide you with a tailored policy from top insurers in the state so you can compare rates and get coverage that’s just right for you. It takes just a few minutes to get a quote online at no cost.

We’re backed by a team of licensed and experienced agents. If you have any questions at all, one of them would be happy to talk. Just call 833-255-4117 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. or email us anytime at [email protected].