, you’ll want a homeowners insurance policy that covers flooding and windstorm damages, along with other potential disasters. You can get homeowners insurance by comparing quotes and coverage options from various companies.

Purchasing a home is arguably one of the biggest—and sometimes, the scariest—financial moves you’ll make in your life. So much can happen to a house: fires, floods, thefts, hurricanes. While you hope they’ll never happen, you still want to make sure you’re protecting your big investment from worst-case scenarios with the right homeowners insurance policy.

The importance of finding the right policy can make shopping for home insurance overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. The

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in Louisiana.

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What is homeowners insurance?

Homeowners insurance is a type of insurance that protects

your property and your belongings

inside as well as personal liability protection.

In the United States, homeowners insurance on average costs $1,387 per year, or $115 per month.

Basic components of homeowners insurance

Here’s a look at what a standard homeowner’s insurance policy includes:

Coverage A (Structure): Covers repairs and/or replacement of your home itself

Coverage B (Additional structures): Covers other structures on your property, which could include sheds, greenhouses, or pools

Coverage C

(Personal property): Covers the loss of personal belongings, like technology, furniture, musical instruments, and so on

Coverage D (Additional expenses): Covers temporary living costs, like rent or a hotel room, if damage or loss has rendered your home unlivable. This is also referred to as “loss of use”

Coverage E

(Personal liability): Covers litigation costs if you’re ever in a situation where someone is injured on your property

Your homeowners insurance policy can cover these two different ways: actual cash value (ACV)—the value of your property when the loss occurred—or replacement cost—how much it would cost to replace the property, regardless of value. Generally, insurance companies require homeowners get insurance that covers at least 80% of replacement costs.

MORE:

How to find car and home insurance quotes online

Named perils

The types of disasters covered by insurance vary from policy to policy and company to company. If you have specific protections in mind, you’ll want to be sure they’re included as

named perils

, which are particular events and circumstances specifically outlined in the policy. Some examples of named perils include:

Fire

Lightning

Wind

Hail

Hurricanes

Damage caused by vehicles

Theft

Vandalism

Riots

Falling objects

Explosions

Take your time to read through your policy carefully so you know what’s covered, what’s not, and whether you want to seek out any additional coverage.

Is homeowners insurance required in Louisiana?

Louisiana doesn’t require home insurance by law, but mortgage lenders will more than likely require it. If you’re using a mortgage to purchase a home in Louisiana, your lender will still require some form of insurance as protection for their investment.

How to get homeowners insurance

If you’re about to start looking for homeowners insurance but are unsure where to start, first, gather quotes from different companies (

Jerry

can help you with this!).

While you’re evaluating those quotes, research the companies you’re considering and pay close attention to their customer reviews.

Remember to seek out more than one quote—while you might feel rushed to accept the first offer you receive, you might be getting in your own way when it comes to saving money on similar coverage.

You can save even more by

bundling your home and auto insurance

together, so be sure to check in with your current car insurance provider, too. Insurance customers who bundle often see savings of 5% to 15% or higher.

Recommended home insurance coverage in Louisiana

Some of the biggest threats Louisiana homeowners will want to protect themselves against include windstorms, water backups, equipment breakdown coverage, and floods. A standard homeowners insurance policy may include the first three, but you’ll want to read through your policy carefully to verify. Flood insurance usually needs to be sought out separately.

There are a couple of important considerations for windstorm coverage:

This coverage usually covers various types of wind damage, but since Louisiana can experience hurricanes, you’ll want to verify what sorts of hurricane damages will be covered and whether you should seek out a separate/additional windstorm policy.

Some providers impose “insurance moratoriums” a day or two before an expected hurricane occurs, so don’t wait to check whether your policy will cover what you need it to.

These are three coverage options that can help protect you in the aftermath of flood damage to your home:

Water backup coverage covers costs like repairs and water removal after a pipe bursts or gets backed up

Flood insurance

covers you in a flooding situation where the source of water is from outside your home. You can purchase flood insurance through FEMA’s

National Flood Insurance Program (FLIP)

or a private carrier.

HO-5 (open perils) policy

, the most extensive type of home insurance coverage, will cover any peril that happens to your home, as long as your policy doesn’t list it as an exclusion.

MORE:

How to decipher home insurance quotes

Why is homeowners insurance in Louisiana so expensive?

Louisiana is one of the most expensive states for home insurance in the nation. It can cost 44% higher than the national average of $1,387 per year.

There are a number of factors that affect the cost of insurance, like your credit history, your claims history, and your marital status. The following are additional factors that can make Louisiana insurance more expensive than the national average:

Hurricanes and flooding

Hurricanes and floods can wreak all kinds of havoc on a home. Most hurricane damage is likely protected under windstorm coverage, but it’s best to double-check your policy’s fine print.

Coverage for flood damage, even when brought on by a hurricane, however, is something you’ll likely have to seek out separately.

Louisiana’s risk for hurricanes and floods is a significant reason for the state’s higher premiums.

Older homes

Your home’s age will significantly impact your home insurance costs. Louisiana has a good amount of homes over 50 years old. Older homes, especially if they still contain older plumbing or electrical wiring, often see higher premiums because they’re seen as more at risk of damage and more costly to replace.

Homeowners insurance discounts in Louisiana

There are all kinds of ways to take advantage of the many types of discounts insurance companies offer. Here are just some of the ways you can save with homeowners insurance discounts:

Discount	How to get it
Bundling	Bundling home and auto insurance is one of the biggest and easiest ways to save.
First-time homeowner	Many insurance providers will give you a discount if you’ve purchased a home for the first time.
Claims-free	If you go a certain amount of time without making an insurance claim (often several years), you might become eligible for a discount.
Storm proofing	Installing safety measures against severe weather like hurricanes could save you money on home insurance. Some examples would include upgrading a roof or adding hurricane shutters.
Security system	A good security system will help protect you against theft, and what insurance company wouldn’t love to see that? In some cases, it can qualify you for a discount.
Upgraded fire alarm	A fire alarm that contacts the fire department for you will reduce the time it takes for firefighters to reach your home. If you have a system like this, it could help you save on insurance.

How to save on home and auto insurance

Finding good homeowners insurance can be a real headache, but it doesn’t have to be. With licensed insurance broker and comparison app

Jerry

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homeowners insurance

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After answering a few questions, Jerry will show you quotes from more than 50 top insurance companies so you can feel confident you’re getting a good rate. Jerry can help you save even more when bundling your

home

and

car insurance

together.

“
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was wonderful! I used it for my auto and renters policies. I trusted it so much that I signed up my homeowners insurance under Jerry as well. All of the agents are amazingly nice and knowledgeable.” —Mary Y.

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FAQs

Is hurricane insurance required in Louisiana?

While hurricanes usually don’t have their own separate coverage, hurricane damage is usually protected under windstorm coverage (though damaged caused by the associated flooding is not covered). Windstorm coverage is usually included in your standard homeowners insurance policy, but double-check to make sure.

Homeowners insurance, with or without hurricane coverage aren’t legally required in Louisiana, but most mortgage lenders will expect you to do this. Besides, it’s just a good idea.

What is the average cost of homeowners insurance in Louisiana?

The cost of homeowners insurance in Louisiana can vary greatly depending on a number of factors, but average costs typically land somewhere between $1,500 and $3,200 a year.

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