Wind Mitigation 101
The basics of understanding wind mitigation credits for home insurance
Wind Mitigation Inspections are great ways for homeowners to save money on their home insurance premiums. There are several key features of your home that may qualify you for these credits. The only way to truly determine what your home will qualify for is to order a wind mitigation inspeciton. Here are a few of the features the home insurance carriers will look at in determining credits.
1. The year your home was built. Specifically the building code for the year the home was built or when a new roof was installed. Regarding the predominant roof covering, there will be a greater discount if the roof meets the 2001 Florida Building Code versus a code from 1992.
2. How the "roof deck" is attached. This section of the inspection will tell the insurance company how far apart the nails are, how thick the nails are and the actual thickness of the roof deck .
3. How the roof is connected to the walls of the home. This feature is one of the larger credits available. Inspectors will look to see if the roof is attached to the wall by nails, clips or straps. Clips and Wraps(both single and double) will offer a larger credit than just nails.
4. The shape of the roof. Almost all carriers will offer a credit if your roof is deemed a hip style roof. However, each carrier will determine the credit base on the percentage of the roof that is deemed hip.
5. If there is a secondary water resistance (SWR) type of barrier on the roof. This is a secondary barrier roofers will put on a home to provide an extra layer of protection to prevent moisture from getting into the home. Insurers like to see this because it decreases the likelyhood of roof leaks. To qualify for this discount, you may have to prove it was installed when the roof was installed.
6. How the openings (doors and windows) of the home are protected. There are many different ways to protect the openings of a home. There are about 12 different options for this section of the inspection. What it basically comes down to is the quality of the materials used to protect the windows and doors. For example, the credit would be larger for openings that are protected by materials approved by the Miami-Dade County approval system. If you plan on having this type of protection installed on your home, make sure you go with a reputable retailer and installer and verify the approval system used on the products to be installed.
Though Insurance Wagon INSURANCE is not an inspeciton company, we work with several inspectors througout the State of Florida. Please call us at 877-417-0929 for more information.
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