According to Houston home insurance brokers the trend to not take out home insurance on properties has been ongoing for at least the past five years. They attribute this to the increasing price rises in property and interest and fees associated with property ownership. As a result owners have little left to invest in insurance and would rather take the risk and not pay than make payments for something they feel they are unlikely to require in the future. However, home insurance brokers in Houston that the opposite thinking is needed in the current climate. That is, with property values being high and continually increasing, it is even more imperative to take out insurance, since partial or total loss of a property that is not insured could cost the owner hundreds and thousands of dollars. A Houston home insurance broker has placed the declining trend in home insurance on the local governments and councils. According to this spokesman, excessive local taxes on properties is forcing monies away from insurance leaving property owners exposed to disaster. These sources suggest that it would be more vital to Houston home owners to pay less in taxes and use the difference to pay for home insurance. However, Houston government councils and representatives argue against the home insurance brokers’ reasoning. According to their perspective they defend the taxes and rates demanded in order to preserve the value of the property and improve the public services thus increasing the security of the financial investment. They add that even if they were to charge less in taxes it is unlikely that property owners would use the difference for home insurance. The Houston representatives nevertheless agree that home insurance is imperative. The councils hope to encourage home owners to seriously consider the option of taking out home insurance as part of the investment they make when purchasing a house.