Insurance affordability and availability remain critical issues for many homeowners, Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple told members of the National Association of REALTORS® Insurance Committee, Thursday at NAR NXT.
Temple discussed the challenges facing property insurance markets in Louisiana and state efforts underway to improve competition, strengthen homes against severe weather and make coverage more affordable for consumers.
The discussion comes as insurance costs have become an increasingly important consideration for home buyers, homeowners and real estate professionals, particularly in higher disaster risk areas.
When it comes to home insurance reform, Commissioner Temple encouraged REALTOR® members to make their voices heard at the state level, noting that they can be influential in legislative and regulatory debates.
Louisiana has pursued a combination of legislative and regulatory reforms aimed at strengthening its property insurance market. In September, Temple joined Gov. Jeff Landry to announce an additional $20 million for fortified-home initiatives, bringing the total amount invested in state FORTIFIED projects during 2026 to $100 million. Temple said stronger homes are an important part of making homeowners insurance more affordable.
Temple also emphasized that increasing the number of insurers willing to operate in Louisiana is an important part of creating a more competitive market. But he has also stressed that mitigation and reducing risk before disasters occur is essential to achieving long-term affordability.
Building Stronger Homes
A major component of Louisiana’s strategy is the Coastal Protection Restoration Authority (CPRA). CPRA is a statewide agency that is charged with creating, designing, implementing and maintaining a mitigation effort based on coastal restoration, marsh rebuilding, barrier island restoration, levee protection, raising the heights of levees, pump stations, farming levees, surge barriers, the entire ecosystem of flood protection and mitigation.
“We, collectively since the beginning of this organization, we spent over $20 billion in Louisiana on just doing mitigation,” Temple added.
He also emphasized that the state's FORTIFIED Roofs program is designed to mitigate these risks and help homeowners to upgrade their roofs to standards set by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.
Temple encouraged homeowners considering a FORTIFIED roof to talk with their insurance agents about available discounts and coverage options and shop around if they don’t like what they hear. He explained that making a home more resilient can make it more attractive to insurers and potentially give homeowners additional options in the market.
Investments that reduce a property's vulnerability to severe weather can potentially lower insurers' exposure to risk while helping homeowners manage one of the largest ongoing costs associated with owning a home.
Keeping Insurance Regulation at the State Level
Temple also addressed whether the federal government should play a larger role in homeowners’ insurance. Asked about the possibility of a federal all-perils insurance program, Temple pointed to the National Flood Insurance Program and questioned whether expanding the federal government's role would produce better results.
Temple emphasized that insurance regulation is best handled at the state level, where insurance commissioners are closer to their individual markets and better positioned to regulate insurers and protect consumers.
As severe weather risk and insurance costs continue to affect real estate markets, NAR will continue advocating for federal investments that help states and homeowners strengthen homes against disasters, reduce risk and improve the affordability and availability of insurance.
