If a Florida homeowner has not submitted a wind mitigation inspection report to their insurer they pay an average of 20% too much for the windstorm portion of their policy, according to insurance industry experts. Florida Statute 627.711 (1), shown below, requires that insurance companies notify policyholders and new applicants of the discounts available for providing documentation of the hurricane-resistant features of their home with a Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802). 

    The statute does not require a homeowner to get the wind mitigation inspection in order to insure a home, but it is likely that your insurance agent will. You can provide the form after getting your policy and the company must grant you the discounts when you present it. Insurance agents ask for one because they want to give you the most competitive rate quote. 

    A wind mitigation inspection costs around $100, and some homeowners get amazing savings of over 40% on their premium. But the savings are based on storm-resistant features that the inspector finds and documents with photographs submitted with the form. Homes built before 1960 will get a minimal discount or none at all, unless storm-resistant features have been retrofitted. 

    If you are about to purchase a Florida home and plan on getting a home inspection, ask you inspector to estimate what discounts you are likely to get based on the construction details observed. It will only be a rough guess because each company offers different discounts and the wind mitigation inspection must to done separately to fully evaluate what discounts are available. So your inspector can only give you an approximation of what to expect. Also, your discount is calculated as a percentage of the premium, so a larger house will get a corresponding larger discount. 

    For an item-by-item listing of what is checked during a wind mitigation inspection, go to our blog post What is the wind mitigation inspection for homeowner's insurance? Also see our blog posts How do I get the hip roof discount for my homeowners windstorm insurance? and Why did I get no discounts or only a small discount from my wind mitigation inspection? 

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Here’s links to a collection of our other blog posts about INSURANCE:

* Could faulty work or lack of a building permit for home improvements cause an insurance company to deny a claim?

• Why is a fuse box/panel an insurance problem for homebuyers? 

• How is Citizens Property Insurance different from other Florida homeowners insurance companies?  

• Do I need a home inspection to get insurance? 

• Is the 4-point insurance inspection strictly pass or fail?

• Which building permit date is used for the Building Code section of the wind mitigation form? 

• What are the different roof deck attachment discount categories for a wind mitigation inspection? 

• What determines the year of a house? 

• What is the difference between a toe nail, clip, single wrap, and double wrap for the wind mitigation form?

• Should I give a copy of the home inspection report to the bank or insurance company? 

• How do I get my home ready for a four point inspection for insurance? 

• Can I do my own wind mitigation inspection?  

• Will a house without air conditioning pass a 4 point inspection?  

• What’s the difference between a gable and hip roof for my insurance? 

• Why does my homeowner's insurance want a four point inspection? 

• What is the wind mitigation inspection for homeowner's insurance? 

• Which water pipes are an insurance problem and possibly uninsurable? 

• Why does my homeowner's insurance want a roof inspection? 

• Is it common for an insurance company to require an inspection? 

• How do I get insurance if my home can't pass a 4-point inspection? 

    Visit our HOME INSPECTION and INSURANCE pages for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.