Wind Mitigation

(239) 271-8499

richard@home-inspections-sw.com

Wind Mitigation Inspection

Latest News:

Having problems finding insurance for your home? Try the Florida insurace referral service at "Florida Market Assistance Plan" . You can register for free at www.fmap.org

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has just re-launched their Home Owner's Insurance rate comparison online site which lists insurance companies and their rates with and without max wind mitigation for replacement costs of $150,000 and $300,000. Click here to see how much you might save with a Wind Mitigation Inspection.

A Wind Mitigation Inspection can save you up to 45% on you annual Home Owner's Insurance premium.

If you own a home in Southwest Florida, you most likely live in a "Wind Borne Debris Region" as defined by the state of Florida where design wind speeds range from 120mph to 130mph. In the case of Hurricane Andrew (1992), the maximum sustained wind was calulated at approximately 145mph with gusts estimated at 175mph. Roof failures and debris impact caused extensive damage through out the Miami-Dade area. Andrew caused $26.5 billion in damage and caused 65 deaths and left thousands of people homeless.

The effect of debris impact from Hurricane Andrew is demonstrated in the following photos:

In 2001 Florida Statue 627.0629 was implemented:

627.0629 Residential property insurance; rate filings.- A rate filing for residential property insurance must include actuarially reasonable discounts, credits, or other rate differentials, or appropriate reductions in deductibles, for properties on which fixtures or construction techniques demonstrated to reduce the amount of loss in a windstorm have been installed or implemented.

In the end, the statue created the "Wind Mitigation Inspection" which allows insurance carriers to evaluate the risk of an individual property and assign discounts where the home meets specific design and structural requirements. A standard report was created which would allow all insurance carriers to evaluate a home's wind risk based on a standard set of requirements. This report is called the "Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form" and the last revison is 01/2012. This report must be completed by a company or individual who qualifies as a Wind Mitigation Inspector as defined by the state of Florida. Accurate Home Inspections of America, LLC is a certified and state licensed (#HI2244) Wind Mitigation Inspection company.

In Southwest Florida, what is inspected with a Wind Mitigation Inspection?

1. Was the home built to the Florida Building Code 2001 or later (Permit Applied for date of 03/01/2002 or later)?

2. What type of roof covering (shingles, cement tiles, etc...) and does the roof covering meet the 2001 Florida Building code or later (Permit Applied for date of 03/01/2002 or later)?

3. What type of roof decking is used and how is it secured to the roof trusses/rafters?

4. What type of connections are used for the roof to wall connection?

5. What is the roof geometry (Hip, Gable, Flat, etc....)?

6. Does the roof have a Secondardy Water Resistance (SWR) barrier defined as a Self Adhering Polymer Modified Bitumen underlayment (Peel and Stick). This should not be confused with the definition of Secondary Water Resistance barrier used by the Florida Building Code.

7. What type of impact rated opening protection devices ( shutters, impact glass, etc...) are used on windows, doors, garage doors, sky lights and glass block and is there proper Florida compliance labels or information available?