What is a Wind Mitigation Inspection
A wind mitigation is an inspection that is typically required by insurance companies. This inspection verifies the wind resistant features of a home. It tells the insurance company how well the home may hold up to a windstorm or hurricane. This inspection report can save the homeowner up to 40 percent on the insurance premium.
All inspection reports come with permit records that are required by insurance companies.
Who Needs a Wind Mitigation Inspection?
- Almost every home buyer purchasing a home will need a wind mitigation inspection to qualify for the insurance discounts
- Homeowners who are renewing their annual insurance policy that have a wind mitigation on file that is five years old or older will require a wind mitigation inspection
- Homeowners that are changing insurance companies
- Homeowners who had a new roof installed
Who Does Not Need a Wind Mitigation Inspection?
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- New construction homes are not required to have wind mitigation inspections
- Manufactured homes do not qualify for wind mitigation insurance credits
- Homeowners who already have a policy in place with a valid wind mitigation report on file with the insurance company will not benefit from a wind mitigation inspection
So Where Do We Inspect for a Wind Mitigation?
Primarily, the wind resistant features a verified in the attic but the inspection also includes:
The age of the roof
The type of roof
The shape of the roof
all potential impact rated openings including exterior doors, garage door, windows, and skylights
any permits found on county records. These permits are included in the wind mitigation report
The Wind Mitigation Inspection Form
There are seven categories total on the wind mitigation form. A home does not need to have all the wind resistant features in the seven categories to get a discount on the insurance premium. Each of the seven categories are potential discount.
Now we will go over the seven different categories.
FBC or the Florida Building Code
Was the home built after March first, 2002? This is verified on the county property appraisers’ site and included in the report. Homes built after March first, 2002, receive the best credit on a wind mitigation form.
Roof Covering
The type of roof covering, and the age of the roof are verified, and any permits found are included with the inspection report. Roofs that have a permit of March second, 2002, or later receive the best credit on a wind mitigation form.
Roof Deck Attachment
The roof deck is the plywood under the shingles. This deck is attached to the trusses using nail fasteners. The nail fastener size and spacing needs to be verified.
The thickness of this deck must be verified as well. This roof deck should be a minimum of seven sixteenth inch thick.
8 D nails at 6 inch spacing will receive the best credit on a wind mitigation form.
Roof to Wall Connection
In the attic the roof to wall connection is inspected. This connection shows the insurance company how well the roof trusses are attached to the walls of the home. There are 4 common types of connections.
Toenail:
A toenail is simply a nail driven at an angle through the truss into the top plate of the wall.
Single wrap:
A single wrap is a metal bracket that is attached to the wall of the home and wrapped over the top of the truss and fastened to the truss on both sides of the truss.
Clip:
A clip is a metal bracket that is attached to the wall of the home and fastened to the truss.
Double wrap:
A double wrap is two metal brackets that are attached to the wall of the home and wrapped over the top of the truss and fastened to the truss on both sides of the truss.
Roof Shapes
There are two main types of roofs in residential homes. Hip roofs and gable roofs.
Hip Roof
HIP roofs have a horizontal roof edge on all sides of the home. A hip roof is the best roof shape when it comes to a wind mitigation. This roof shape resist wind better than any other roof shape. HIP roofs receive the best credit on a wind mitigation form.
Gable roof
A gable roof is a roof that have a vertical roof edge on the ends of the home. Gable roofs have a gable end wall that are more vulnerable to heavy winds. Field testing has shown that gable roofs receive up to 40% more pressure from wind than HIP roofs.
Secondary Water Resistance or SWR
Secondary Water Resistance is a self-adhering underlayment between the roof covering and roof deck. This is the material that is installed on the deck and the shingles are installed on top of the underlayment. Typically, underlayment’s are either felt paper or SWR. This underlayment is verified in the attic. An SWR underlayment will receive the best credit on a wind mitigation form.
Opening Protection
Opening protection credits are not common in Central Florida because Central Florida is not in the high velocity wind zone and homes are not usually built with impact rated openings.
To receive opening protection credits a home must have impact rated fixtures installed on all openings of the home. This includes exterior doors, garage door, windows, and skylights. Each fixture must have a notice of compliance label that can be verified. If all but one fixture is impact rated, then none of the openings will receive a credit.
The wind mitigation inspection report is good for 5 years if the homeowner does not change insurance companies and no updates were made to the home that would affect the wind mitigation credits. If you change insurance companies the new insurance company will not honor the previous wind mitigation report. If a new roof is installed, then additional credits may be applied to your premium and a new inspection would be needed to verify. Florida Statute 627.711 is a Notice of premium discounts for hurricane loss mitigation, uniform mitigation verification inspection form. Florida Statute 627.711 F.S. requires insurance companies to notify homeowners of premium discounts for hurricane loss mitigation and establishes a uniform mitigation verification inspection form.
To view a Wind Mitigation inspection report
Go To https://2020inspectionsolutions.com/samplereports/
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