Is a deductible paid on every home insurance claim?
Short answer. Yes, a homeowners deductible applies to each separate claim or occurrence, so two storms usually mean two deductibles even in the same year. Damage to several parts of the home from one storm is one occurrence with one deductible, and some coverages, like personal liability, usually have no deductible at all.
What counts as one occurrence
One storm that damages the roof, gutters, siding, windows and a ceiling is a single loss. Report it all together, with one date of loss. Splitting it into separate claims would mean separate deductibles and more entries in your claims history.
When you pay more than once
- Hail in April and a tree on the house in August are two losses, each with its own deductible.
- A wind claim and a later water claim from a burst pipe are separate.
- Storms that come in waves over several days can raise questions about whether they are one event. Your policy's definition and the insurer's weather data decide it.
Different deductibles for different perils
Many Georgia policies have an all-other-perils deductible and a separate wind and hail deductible, often a percentage of the dwelling limit. Which one applies depends on the cause of each loss. See percentage wind and hail deductibles.
Coverages that usually have no deductible
- Personal liability, when someone else claims you caused injury or damage.
- Medical payments to others.
Strategy
Get the whole exterior inspected after a storm so everything from that event goes into one claim. Finding more damage from the same storm later is handled as a supplement or reopened claim, not a new deductible, as long as you can tie it to the same date of loss.