It’s important to find the right insurance in if you own property in Delaware. In addition to the basic coverage in a homeowners insurance policy, consider what you need for hurricane damage.
How do I get hurricane insurance in Delaware?
You’ll need two types of policies to cover hurricanes:
Wind: Wind damage is covered under typical Delaware home insurance policies. But note that your policy may have a “hurricane deductible,” which is a special amount deducted from any hurricane-related home insurance claims.
Delaware law says that insurers must provide clear and prominent notice about all hurricane and wind/hail deductibles. They must include information on the trigger for the special deductible, how the deductible is applied and if it the deductible is stated as a percentage or dollar amount. If you have a percentage-based deductible, the policy must provide an example of how it works.
Delaware homeowners who can’t find a company to sell them coverage for hurricane wind and hail damage can buy coverage through the Delaware Fair Plan.
Water: Homeowners insurance policies do not have coverage for water damage due to floods, including hurricane flooding. For that you should buy flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Some private insurers, such as Wright Flood, sell “excess” flood insurance that can supplement an NFIP policy.
What does Delaware homeowners insurance cover?
A typical policy in Delaware has six main coverage types, with additional options available:
- Dwelling coverage pays when a house damaged or destroyed by a problem covered by the policy, such as a fire, lightning, explosion or vandalism.
- Other structures coverage pays for damaged or destroyed buildings and structures not attached to a house, such as garages, storage sheds and fences.
- Personal property coverage pays for belongings (such as furniture, clothing and decorations) that are damaged, stolen or destroyed.
- Loss of use coverage is for additional living expenses such as hotel and restaurant bills if you can’t live at home due to damage.
- Personal liability coverage pays if you are legally responsible for someone else’s injury or property damage and also pays your defense costs if you’re sued.
- Medical payments to others coverage is for medical bills of people hurt on your property.
How much is Delaware home insurance?
The average Delaware homeowners insurance premium is $816 a year for a typical policy, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. That’s cheaper than the nationwide average of $1,192.
Largest Delaware homeowners insurance companies
| Rank in Delaware | Company | Market share % in the state |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | 25.2 |
| 2 | Liberty Mutual | 11.46 |
| 3 | Nationwide | 11.44 |
| 4 | USAA | 7.56 |
| 5 | Allstate Corp. | 6.89 |
| 6 | Travelers | 4.34 |
| 7 | American Family Insurance | 3.72 |
| 8 | Chubb | 3.56 |
| 9 | The Hartford | 2.84 |
| 10 | QBE | 2.18 |
| 11 | Windsor Mount Joy Mutual Insurance Co. | 2.18 |
| 12 | Donegal | 2.04 |
| 13 | CSAA Insurance Exchange | 1.54 |
| 14 | Farmers Insurance | 1.49 |
| 15 | Munich Re | 1.15 |
| 16 | Progressive | 1.04 |
| 17 | Assurant | 1.03 |
| 18 | AIG | 1.01 |
| 19 | Universal Group Inc. | 0.94 |
| 20 | Cumberland Insurance Group | 0.93 |
| Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence, based on homeowners multiple peril insurance market share in 2018. | ||
What if I can’t find Delaware home insurance?
If you’ve been turned down for home insurance, you can buy a basic policy through the Delaware Fair Plan, known as the “insurer of last resort.” This includes people who can’t find coverage for windstorm and hail damage. Find more information about the Fair Plan from the Delaware department of insurance.