It’s good news for Coweta County homeowners and their insurance premiums. The ISO rating that is used to help calculate the cost of homeowners’ liability insurance has been lowered in unincorporated Coweta County to Class 4.
Coweta’s ISO rating had been listed as Class 5 following the last review, said county communications manager Tom Corker.
“However, the county’s fire department challenged that rating and earlier this week, received confirmation of the new lower rating,” Corker said May 31. The new ISO rating will take effect Sept. 1.
The lowering of the ISO rating will result in insurance costs declining in the unincorporated areas of the county, Corker said, adding that the exact amount depends on the formula used by the individual insurance companies. On average, homeowners should see a 10-15 percent reduction for each point the ISO rating drops, said Corker.
“We knew that our rating should have been a 4. This has truly been a group effort between our department, E-911 and the county’s water delivery system,” said Coweta County Fire Chief Johnny Teeters. “The new rating really reflects good management of the resources available to our department.”
Teeters in noting the better rating score also credited Coweta residents for assisting the fire department by approving the 2008 fire bond that allowed substantial upgrades that became one of the major reasons for obtaining the improved rating.
Also commenting on the improved rating, Dep. Fire Chief Todd Moore said the new rating adequately reflects the delivery capabilities of the Coweta County Fire Department.
“If you look at the state and the nation, Coweta County is now in the top percentage brackets for all fire departments. And with the land area we cover (445 square miles) it is something everyone should be proud of. The rankings show Coweta in the top 12 percent in the state and in the top 10 percent in the nation based on its ISO rating,” Moore said.
