1. Why Get A Wind Mitigation Inspection?
There are a number of reasons why homeowner’s get wind mitigation inspections. In Florida, the results of your inspection may make you eligible to receive wind mitigation credits. These credits allow you to save money on your homeowner’s insurance. Even if you don’t qualify for any wind mitigation credits, you’ll benefit from a better understanding of your home and how to protect it from damaging storms.
2. When’s The Best Time To Get A Wind Mitigation Inspection?
The sooner the better. It’s not a good idea to wait until hurricane season rolls around before you get an inspection. It takes time to implement the changes that are required to safeguard your home against wind. The more time you have to prepare the better off you’ll be when hurricane season does come. The sooner you do it the sooner you’ll start saving on your homeowner’s insurance as well, so don’t forget that!
3. Do I Need To Be Present For The Inspection?
Yes, ideally someone should be present during the inspection. Your inspector will need access to areas of your home like the attic and possibly certain areas of the crawl space. It’s also a benefit to you to be there during the inspection to ask questions. When it comes to wind mitigation, knowledge is power and the more you know about your home and its strengths and weaknesses the better.
4. What Will My Inspector Look For?
With wind mitigation inspections the areas of greatest concern are your roof and your openings (windows, doors, garages) Your inspector will look at a number of things including:
- Roof shape
- Roof age
- Opening protection
- Roof to wall attachments
They’ll document these features of your home and evaluate how wind resistant it is based on these features. How much you save will depend on exactly how wind resistant your home is, but newer homes generally have at least some features that qualify for wind mitigation credits.
5. How Should I Prepare For The Inspection?
In truth, there’s not all that much you can do before the inspection to make a major difference. Most changes that would result in more wind mitigation credits would require a serious investment of time and money. One thing that can often result in savings is adding hurricane-resistant features to your doors and openings — features like impact resistant glass, hurricane braces and hurricane shutters. All openings and doors (including your garage, if you have one) must have these features in order to qualify for further wind mitigation credits.
When it comes to wind, it’s never too early to start preparing. If there are any weaknesses that open your home up to wind damage a thorough wind mitigation inspection from Super Inspection Pros will find them and make your home that much safer. Please, contact us today to schedule a wind mitigation inspection for your home or to learn more about our other home inspection services.
