You may have noticed lately that home insurance premiums are rising faster than inflation. It is not something you would have ever expected, and definitely not something you wanted to see. But costs increase, regardless of what you think should be happening. The question comes up: why is it growing so much more compared to the cost increases of the country’s inflation rates?
It boils down to three different things, which will be covered shortly. First, you must understand that not all costs are judged by current inflation rates. Some things, like home insurance, fluctuate according to your house’s market value and how much the cost of repairs would be for that house.
You know that the cost of living has been on the rise. You also understand that the cost of housing has gone through the roof. Inflation, though, continues to rise at a steady rate, but not as fast as the prices of home insurance. Here’s why!
Climate Change
The climate throughout the world has been changing as the years roll by. It may be due to the Earth’s age, it may be because of global warming, or it could just be because things change. Whatever the reason, it is happening, affecting homes and the insurance policies designed to cover them.
The weather is not something that any of us can control. Even though you often have advance notice of any major weather fronts moving in, there is only so much you can do to protect your home and all of its belongings. One big example is the significant areas of flooding that have happened throughout the last couple of years. Water damage can be extensive and cost a substantial amount of money.
The reason that this is causing an increase in home insurance is simple. The weather has caused more people to file claims. And on average, those claims cost more than any basic claims would typically be, even with the cheapest home and contents policy. Insurance companies are finding that the amount they have to pay out is more than what they are bringing in for premium costs. The only way to offset this is to raise the price of premiums for all of their consumers.
This is what insurance companies are designed to do. They take the amount paid out to claims and spread the cost to everyone needing coverage.
Rising Cost Of Materials
The cost of materials has been rising because of the one major factor in any business that sells products to consumers. That is supply and demand. The demand for materials has been growing because all the countries struggle to supply affordable housing for low and middle-income families. The supply is not there to support the increase in demand, which increases prices for those that can obtain the items needed for their home projects.
As costs shoot through the roof, insurance companies are finding that claims are costing more than ever because the materials are so expensive. The more damage listed on the claim, the higher the cost will be to the insurance company. This price increase will always be handed down to you, the consumer that needs home insurance.
Supply Chain Issues
To top it all off, supply chain issues have made it hard for some contractors and homeowners to get their hands on the needed materials. Projects that should have taken a couple of weeks now take a couple of months or more. Simply because they cannot get all the materials they need when they need them.
You may not understand how this could cause an increase in your home insurance premiums, but it is there nonetheless. The reasoning is actually very simple. The lack of available supplies causes an increase in price for contractors. Since the jobs take longer than they should, the builders’ profits are down. Contractors are in the business to make money, just like insurance companies, which means their prices go up to compensate for the loss of profits.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, everything revolves around in one large circle of supply and demand, with climate changes and natural events thrown into the mix. Even though inflation has little influence on the insurance market, it is not the main deciding factor.
Insurance companies need to be able to at least break even. When the claims cost more than what the premiums cover, you can expect your premiums to go up. As can the million other people who also have the same home insurance type.
