Wind mitigation
How a roof can lower your premium
Florida insurers have to offer credits for wind-resistant features. A licensed inspector records what your house has on the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, and you send it to your insurer. Here is what the roof items mean, and what we do about each.
| What the form asks | What we do on your roof | |
|---|---|---|
| Roof covering | What the form asksWhether the covering meets the Florida Building Code, and when the permit was pulled. | What we do on your roofInstall a product with a Florida Product Approval, under a permit, and hand you the approval number. |
| Roof deck attachment | What the form asksHow the deck is fastened to the rafters: nail size and spacing. | What we do on your roofNail the deck to a closer pattern while the roof is open, and photograph it before it is covered. |
| Roof-to-wall connection | What the form asksToenails, clips, or single or double wraps. | What we do on your roofLook from the attic and tell you what you have. Straps are carpentry, priced as their own line. |
| Roof shape | What the form asksHip, gable or flat. | What we do on your roofNothing. We can't change it, but we can tell you which one yours is. |
| Secondary water resistance | What the form asksWhether a sealed second layer sits under the covering. | What we do on your roofOffer a sealed membrane or sealed deck seams, as a line on the estimate. |
My Safe Florida Home
A state program that may help pay for the work
The state's My Safe Florida Home program has offered eligible homeowners a wind inspection and grants toward hurricane-hardening work. Who qualifies, what it pays for and whether funds are open are the state's to decide and change.
We aren't part of the program and we can't tell you if you qualify. Check the program's page first. If a grant covers roof work, our written estimate gives you the lines to match.
Plainly
What this won't do
Promise a discount
Insurers set the credit for each item, and some give little or none. Ask for a quote with and without.
Replace the inspection
The inspector's form is what your insurer reads. Ours is the proof behind it.
Fix a roof that needs replacing
Credits are for features the house has. If the roof is at the end of its life, we'll say so before we talk about credits.
Wind and premium questions
How much will I save?
We can't say, and nobody honest can. Each insurer sets the credit for each feature. Ask yours for a quote with the features you have, then with the ones you could add.
Do I need a new roof for a credit?
No. An inspector can record the roof you have. A new roof changes what the form records, usually for the better.
Who fills in the form?
A licensed inspector, such as a home inspector, contractor or engineer. A roofing contractor isn't on the list, so we hand our photos and papers to the person who is.
Do you do the roof-to-wall straps?
We look at them from the attic and tell you what you have. Adding straps is carpentry, so we price it separately or point you to a contractor who does it.
Want to know what your roof has?
We'll walk the roof and the attic and write down what we see.