Wind Mitigation is the process of reinforcing a home to help it resist the damage that can occur from high winds and excessive rainfall accompanied by hurricane weather. When a hurricane hits your home in Florida, wind tears at any weak point and water is forced into every space available. 

After some trial and error, the state of Florida figured out how to encourage more homes to be built and renovated in a way that protected them best from hurricanes. The Wind Mitigation Inspection was the result.

The History of the Wind Mitigation Inspection

When Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992, insurance companies packed up and left Florida. They wanted nothing to do with the devastating effects of tropical storms. 

Florida needed to do something in order to keep insurance companies in the state and the residence insured. So in 2002, the Florida Department of Community Affairs posed the idea of mitigation credits, and for three years starting in 2006, the state funded “My Safe Florida Home.” This program offered free wind mitigation inspections and grants to those who passed. 

Within 2007, Florida required insurance providers to send their policyholders a “Notice of Premium Discounts For Hurricane Loss Mitigation,” and the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation adopted the “Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form.” 

This form was to be filled out by professionals who met certain requirements.

Who Provides Wind Mitigation Inspections?

When seeking home insurance premium discounts in Florida, homeowners are asked to have a Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection performed on their property. Individuals recognized by the insurance agency as qualified can provide this service, including: 

• Building code inspector 
• Contractor 
• Engineer 
• Architect
• Certified home inspector

Every professional that conducts a wind mitigation inspection has passed a CILB wind mitigation training course. If you need a home inspector to perform this inspection for you in Tampa, St. Petersburg, or Brooksville, FL, contact us and schedule a time that is convenient for you.

Now that we know who conducts this inspection, let’s go over exactly what they inspect.

7 Major Categories of a Wind Mitigation Inspection

Building Codes

When was your home built? That is a key piece of evidence that will help determine if your house complies with Florida’s newest building codes. 

Roof covering

Your roofing material and how old it is are two important indicators that help insurance companies determine just how resistant it will be when hurricane winds, hail, and rain strike.

Roof-to-Wall Attachment

How well is your roof attached to the walls of your house? Will it fly away? We hope not! 

To identify what is attaching your roof to the walls, the inspector needs attic access. If none is available, you won’t be able to qualify for credit for this category.

The most popular choices are:

• Double wraps (Ideal)
• Single wraps
• Anchor Bolts
• Clips
• “Toenails” (Worst)

Roof-Deck Attachment 

How well is your roof attached to your rafters? Looking at nail thickness, quantity, spacing, and design, as well as the roof sheathing itself, a certified professional will decide how strong your roof is attached. They will rate it on a scale of 1 to 3, with 3 being the strongest and 1 being the weakest.

Opening Protection

Is every entry point of your home secured? This category focuses on windows and doors, including skylights and garage doors. 

Your windows should have tempered glass or impact-resistant shutters and your doors should be sealed properly; otherwise, your openings aren’t protected. But if you can check off all those boxes, that discount is as good as yours.

Secondary Water Resistance 

This is not related to the details of the house’s structure, but an additional layer of protection that newer homes or old homes with new roofs installed will have. If you have it, it will be very obvious and worthy of insurance credit.

Roof Geometry

The shape of your roof is a crucial factor when determining how well your home will weather a tropical storm. Really, what they are looking for is a hipped or hip roof because it offers the least resistance, allowing wind to run off. This is a pitched roof that has four sloping sides, no vertical sides or gables. Think about a pyramid shape, and you will easily picture a square hipped roof shape. 

What Happens After a Wind Mitigation Inspection?

The inspector will analyze your home’s level of protection from hurricane damage and report their findings to your insurance provider. Your premium will not raise if you do not pass one or all seven focal points of the wind mitigation inspection. For every category you pass, you will receive more credit or discounts from your insurance carrier. How much exactly will be decided by the insurer? Every company is different. 

If you have questions about Wind Mitigation Inspections, email or call us.

Resources: 

All information within this blog post was gathered from:

• Inspection Certification Associates 
• InterNACHI
• Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation