Exorbitant Cost to Insure in Alabama

[Joy]

We recently purchased a new 2,026 sq ft home. An unexpected surprise is that our insurance is nearly four times higher than the premium charged on a brick home of comparable size. We were told today that only Alabama and California charge these extremely high, inequitable rates. Why is this, and how do we get this changed in Alabama?

Thank you.

[Kenneth J. Quist]

I cannot speak to the insurance rates for MH's as opposed to site built homes, but the MH rates are fairly high, but this is also based on your location. A few years ago, there was massive litigation brought against MH insurers in AL, and since then, rates have gone up and policies generally have to be purchased ala carte versus a package. As for California being high, I do not find that with the companies I write for. There are many other states where rates are as high as AL. If you go to mobilehome.com and look at the mobilehomeinsurancequote.com you may get some relief.

[drewlevy]

That is a pretty significant difference in insurance costs, especially for a home of similar size. I’d be interested to know exactly how much of the premium difference is attributed to the construction material versus location, replacement costs, weather exposure, or the insurer’s underwriting rules. It may also be worth getting quotes from several companies and asking the Alabama Department of Insurance whether there are specific rating rules for non-brick homes. If enough homeowners are seeing the same issue, documenting the differences and bringing them to state regulators or local representatives could help draw attention to the problem.