How Wind Mitigation Inspection Can Save You Hundreds In Homeowner Insurance
Owning property is expensive these days. With insurance companies constantly raising their home insurance rates, this is going to be a fairly big expense item. The good news is you can easily reduce the cost of your home insurance and eventually save hundreds of dollars – just by proving your home is well-protected against the storms and hurricanes that are so common in Florida.
In Florida, Wind Mitigated Homes Are Eligible for Insurance Discounts by Law
Insurance legislation in the state of Florida requires insurance companies to reduce their rates for properties that are proven to have proper wind mitigation, which means they are less likely to suffer from severe winds. Florida Statute 627.0629 states that all insurance firms must offer Florida homeowners credits or discounts if certain storm-proof construction techniques were used to build the property. These discounts apply to both newer homes, built in accordance with the new Florida Building Code, and older ones, constructed prior to 2002.
How Can You Get the Discount?
Many homeowners believe their property is not new enough to comply with the wind mitigation requirements, so they don’t bother and just pay the full rate. In fact, this is not true: about 90% of residential buildings, even those built before 2002, have at least one feature that lets their owner receive a discount or credit on their home insurance. Based on the particular location, the windstorm portion of homeowners insurance in Florida can amount to a significant share of the total premium, so you might be missing a chance to make considerable savings.
To qualify for the Wind Mitigation credits and discounts, all you need is an inspection by a licensed specialist: FL Certified Architect, Certified Building Code Inspector, FL Engineer, or Licensed Building Contractor. They will inspect your property and provide documented proof that it is eligible for a discounted rate on windstorm insurance, on condition that at least one of the required Wind Mitigation Features is in place:
- Roof coverings: those with a 03/01/2002 issue date or newer;
- Roof shape: sloped on all sides, with less that 10% of differently shaped roof;
- Roof to wall connection (each rafter/truss): clips or straps with at least 3 fasteners are required;
- Roof deck attachment: nailed down roof decking is required;
- Secondary Water Resistance: self adhering SWR is required;
- Opening Protection: all exterior openings must be protected (including doors, garage doors, windows, and skylights), preferably with FL Building Code-compliant coverings.
Wind Mitigation Inspection is not a costly procedure, nor is it too time-consuming or intrusive, but it can help you reduce your homeowners insurance rate considerably and make owning property in Florida far less costly. If you’d like to get a windstorm insurance discount, just contact OSI Inspection Services, and we’ll carefully inspect your property for qualifying Wind Mitigation features.
