New York Flood Insurance
(Quotes, Cost & Coverage)
Get New York flood insurance quotes, cost & coverage fast with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Keep your NY home and property protected from flood damage.
NY Flood Insurance
When it comes to New York flood insurance and your condo, renters and homeowners insurance there are some important points to keep in mind.
A common question is, "I already have NY homeowners, renters or condo insurance - am I already covered?" The simple answer No. It is important to be aware that a standard homeowners, condo or renters policy does not cover damages resulting from a flood.
Homeowners, condo and renters insurance typically cover dwelling damage that comes from the top down; like as rain and wind damage, or originates inside like fire or burst pipes - but it doesn't cover rising water and flooding. This is why you might want to consider purchasing a New York flood insurance policy.
There may be a waiting period for your NY flood policy to take effect. For example, there is a 30-day waiting period for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) flood insurance policies to become effective. This is why you can't wait until you see a big storm on the weather channel, or wait until hurricane season to buy flood insurance for you home, apartment or condo.
Next, a "flood" is generally defined as "a temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or of two or more properties (at least one of which is your property) from:
- overflow of inland or tidal waters, or...
- unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source, or...
- mudflow or collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or similar body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused by waves, or...
- currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels that result in a flood as defined above.
Do You Need Flood Insurance?
Now, in case you think that New York flood insurance is only for homes that are on or near the water, that's not necessarily the case. For example, even if you live several miles away from water flood waters can still reach your home, as happened during hurricane Sandy. In fact, nearly 25% of flood insurance claims are paid on policies in low-to-moderate-risk areas.
What's more, it's not always a major body of water, or even a major storm, that causes a flood. Things like a broken sewer line to a slow moving rainstorm can cause flooding. Furthermore, experts say your home has a 26% chance of being damaged by a flood over the life of a 30-year mortgage.
Your mortgage company may require you to get NY flood insurance if you live in a high-risk area, and this extra expense often surprises home buyers.
If you own a NY business, you can learn about New York commercial flood insurance.
How Much Does New York Flood Insurance Cost?
How much does New York flood insurance cost? This is the question most on people's mind when they are shopping for a flood policy. Because flood insurance is not a one size fits all, and there are many factors that are taken into consideration in your premiums - the easiest way to get flood insurance rates is to contact an agent to discuss your situation. Then you can get an accurate flood insurance quote to see the cost.
Below are some of the main factors that make up the cost of New York flood insurance for your apartment, condo or home:
- Your NY property's flood risk - what flood zone you are in. More risk = higher premiums, less risk = lower premiums.
- How much coverage you need. More coverage = higher premiums, less coverage = lower premiums.
Read more on the New York Department of Financial Services Flood Insurance Information page. You can also look up your flood zone at: FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Search By Address.
How Can I Buy New York Flood Insurance?
Although flood insurance has only been available to homeowners or renters through the NFIP, it is now available through private insurers, including surplus lines insurers. This means more options when you are shopping for flood insurance.
When buying flood insurance, it is important to consider the kind of coverage you need. There are limits to these policies - the highest amount your policy will pay for a covered loss. If you have damage or losses over the amount of your policy limit, you are responsible for those costs.
Insurance companies write different types of flood insurance policies including dwelling - the structure of your home - up to $250,000, and its contents - your personal property within the dwelling - up to $100,000.
If you want to cover your dwelling and property for more than the NFIP's maximum limits, you may be eligible to purchase additional coverage known as an excess flood insurance policy.
NY Flood Insurance Quotes
Request a New York Flood Insurance quote in Albany, Amherst, Auburn, Babylon, Binghamton, Bronx, Brookhaven, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Clarkstown, Clay, Colonie, Elmira, Glen Cove, Greenburgh, Hamburg, Hempstead, Huntington, Islip, Ithaca, Jamaica, Jamestown, Long Beach, Manhattan, Middletown, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Orangetown, Oyster Bay, Perinton, Poughkeepsie, Queens, Rochester, Rome, Rye, Schenectady, Smithtown, Southampton, Staten Island, Syracuse, Tonawanda, Troy, Union, Utica, Watertown, West Seneca, White Plains, Yonkers and all other cities in NY.
New York Insurance Rules & Regulations
In the state of New York, there are a couple of different types of insurance that are regulated by the state that you should be aware of - as well as the regulations behind them. Understanding what is required for business and personal insurance will help you make sure that you have the right insurance if you ever decide to open a business or even if you are simply looking for information on what kinds of personal insurance you need and what sort of oversight there is for them. Let's take a closer look at personal and business insurance in NY State.
NY Commercial Insurance
The first type of insurance is general liability insurance. Although general liability insurance is not required by law for New York businesses, it is a good thing to have. General liability protects companies from lawsuits that stem from slips and falls, damage to property while they are on the premises and a variety of other potential incidents that customers may file a lawsuit for. General liability simply keeps you safe in case something happens to someone on your property and they decide to bring a lawsuit against you.
In addition, businesses in New York must carry specific types of insurance such as Worker's Compensation insurance when they have at least one full or part-time employee. This does not apply to independent contractors and subcontractors. The only other regulation in New York is that commercial vehicles that are operating as part of a business must carry commercial auto insurance.
New York Personal Insurance
Now, we move onto personal insurance starting with auto insurance. New York State requires that anyone operating a motor vehicle carry liability insurance with $25,000 for bodily injury to one person and $50,000 total for a single accident. In addition, motorists must carry $10,000 for property damage as well.
There are also some regulations governing life insurance. In Article 32 of the New York Consolidated Law it says that residents have a free look period that is limited to 10 days, as well as a grace period of 31 days and then insurance companies must make timely payments within 30 days of receiving notification of the death. If the insurance company does not make these payments on time, then interest can be added to the amount owed. You can find out more about this life insurance information as well as information on the New York state guaranty that ensures that you will receive a payment even if your life insurance company goes out of business.
If you are looking for state specific flood insurance quotes, costs and information: California Flood Insurance, Colorado Flood Insurance, Delaware Flood Insurance, Florida Flood Insurance, Illinois Flood Insurance, Kentucky Flood Insurance, New Jersey Flood Insurance, New York Flood Insurance, Oregon Flood Insurance, Pennsylvania Flood Insurance, Texas Flood Insurance, Washigton Flood Insurance.
More Information on Flood Insurance
Floods can happen suddenly and can do tremendous amounts of damage. Following is some more useful information about flood insurance polices: