DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A Delray Beach homeowner says a new roof and a new insurance company resulted in a new worry over money.
"My finances are very limited," says 83-year-old Doris Fiorenza.
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"I only have Social Security, I'm low income, and with all these bills I'm getting hit with, I'm going to run out of money."
Doris says that after she got a new roof on her villa, which cost $14,000, she was dropped by Citizens Insurance.
She found a private insurer, but her premium of around $3,300 is far higher than the $1,800 she was paying to Citizens.
Part of the problem was a $900 surcharge on her policy for a lapse in coverage between her Citizens policy and her new policy.
It's a mistake homeowners need to know can be costly.
Homeowners also need to know that improvements like a new roof do trigger insurance discounts.
"It's happening to a lot of people," says Robert Norberg of Arden Insurance in Lantana.
"That's what we tell everybody: when you get upgrades that get you credits, always, always turn them into your current company, make sure those get processed."
Norberg also says homeowners are saving money by shopping around to find better premiums.
"A lot of our clients are able to get either a better rate," he says. "It's very competitive; rates are changing a lot, they all seem to be going down, and the other companies are getting really aggressive."
