Louisiana Homeowners Burned by Home Insurance Policy Rate Hikes

If you own a home in Lake Charles, Louisiana, you may have been notified of an unexpected rate hike to your home insurance policy. In the past few weeks, dozens of concerned residents have called the Lake Charles Fire Department asking about increased rates to their home insurance coverage. But according to Lake Charles Fire Department officials, an unexpected home insurance policy rate hike is most likely due to faulty calculations by insurance companies.

An average homeowners insurance policy is determined by the home’s fire rating, which in turn is partially determined by how far the home is from fire stations. In short, the higher your home’s rating, the less protection your home is expected to have in the event of a fire—and the higher your home insurance premium.

In the case of Lake Charles, it seems the insurance companies don’t have correct information about the latitude and longitude of the local fire stations, which can result in a home insurance policy rate hike if your home is suddenly considered to be a higher risk property. Fortunately, the Lake Charles Fire Department is committed to supplying the insurance companies with correct information so the situation can be rectified. How long this will take is not yet clear.

If you’ve had a sudden rate hike on your home insurance policy and you don’t understand why, call your insurance carrier immediately to clarify the matter before you end up paying more than you have to. For the best home insurance policy, contact AgentInsure to request a free quote!