It is vital that a home inspector be knowledgeable concerning the evaluation and documentation of insurance related reports.

It is vital that a home inspector be knowledgeable concerning the evaluation and documentation of insurance related reports.

Wind Mitigation: A wind mitigation report is used by insurers to determine the dwellings ability to resist wind and wind borne debris and evaluates six specific items: roof material and age, secondary water resistance, decking and how it is attached to truss system, roof geometry, roof to wall attachment and the ability of windows and doors to resist wind and wind borne debris “missiles”. The presence of one or more features will result in “credits”, effectively reducing your insurance premiums. Be sure to visit http://www.floridadisaster.org/ and check out the wind savings calculator.

Four Point: A four point is required based on the age of the dwelling and is used by insurers to determine whether or not any defects or deficiencies exist in the major systems of the home. The standard used to include houses that were 50 years old or more. Last year, that standard changed to 30 years and some insurers have required four point inspections on even newer homes! The four point inspection evaluates the electrical system, plumbing system, Air conditioning and heating system and the roof system. Insurers consider certain condition to be “uninsurable”. These include:
Roofs with less than three (3) years remaining life.

• Electrical deficiencies and hazards.
• Plumbing leaks and defects.

Unsafe or inoperable heating and air conditioning

In many cases, if defects or deficiencies are present in any of the systems, repairs must be made before an insurance policy will be issued or renewed.

Roof certification: An inspection of the roof to determine roof condition, existence of leakage and remaining life. A roof certification is required when an insurer feels there is a need to have an inspector physically verify that a roof has not incurred damage due to being previously exposed to high winds and/or wind borne debris. The data used to determine this is typically related to when the last major wind event was reported in a particular area. For example; if a major wind/storm event moved through an area in 2005, an insurer may specify homes in that area built before 2005 must have a roof certification. Changing insurance companies may also generate the requirement for a roof certification.

Criteria for a roof certification include: no damaged or missing shingles, no visible evidence of leaking and at least three (3) years remaining life.