If you own a home in Florida, a wind mitigation inspection is one of the easiest ways to lower your insurance bill. It is a short inspection that documents the features protecting your home from hurricane winds, and Florida law requires insurers to give you credits for them. For a small upfront cost, it can knock a meaningful amount off your premium every year. Here is how it works and how to get one.
General information, not insurance advice
The savings figures here are typical ranges, not guarantees. Your actual credit depends on your home, your carrier, and your location. Confirm with your insurer or agent.
What a wind mitigation inspection is
It is an inspection that records your home's hurricane-resistant construction features on a single standardized state form, the OIR-B1-1802, which every Florida insurer has to accept. It must be completed and signed by an authorized professional, such as a licensed home inspector, a licensed contractor, an engineer, or an architect, and once filed it is valid for up to 5 years. You can find the official form and details on the Florida insurance regulator's site.
The features it documents
The inspection looks at seven things, and stronger features earn bigger credits:
- The building code the home was built to, based on its age.
- The roof covering, and whether it meets Florida Building Code or Miami-Dade wind approval.
- The roof deck attachment, meaning the nails holding the decking down. Longer nails, closer together, score higher.
- The roof-to-wall connection, which is the single biggest credit. It runs from weak toe nails up through clips and single wraps to the strongest double wraps.
- The roof shape. A hip roof, sloped on all four sides, sheds wind better than a gable and scores higher.
- Secondary water resistance, a sealed membrane under the covering that limits water intrusion if shingles blow off.
- Opening protection, meaning impact-rated windows, doors, and shutters. This one is all or nothing, so every opening has to qualify.
Why the savings can be large
In Florida, the windstorm part of your premium is huge, often 30 to 50 percent of the total and even higher near the coast. Wind mitigation credits reduce that windstorm portion, which is why the savings are so noticeable. Homeowners commonly see somewhere between 15 and 50 percent off the wind portion depending on their features, and a fully protected home lands at the high end. In dollars, that often works out to a few hundred to well over a thousand dollars a year.
A new roof can jump your credits
Because the roof covering, the deck attachment, and secondary water resistance are three of the seven features, installing a new code-compliant roof can raise your wind mitigation score substantially. If you are replacing your roof anyway, get a fresh inspection afterward to capture the credit.
What it costs, and that the credits are required
The inspection itself usually runs about 75 to 150 dollars, and it pays for itself quickly if it uncovers any credits. Florida law requires insurers to offer these discounts, so this is not a favor, it is your right as a policyholder. To get one, hire an authorized inspector and submit the completed form to your carrier or agent.
“In Florida, wind is most of your premium. A wind mitigation inspection is the cheapest way to prove your home fights back, and to get paid for it.”
Who benefits most
A wind mitigation inspection is worth it for almost any Florida homeowner, but especially:
- Older homes that have never been inspected.
- Newer homes built to modern code.
- Any home right after a new roof or a features upgrade.
The biggest wins often come from pairing a wind mitigation inspection with a roof upgrade. See how a new roof lowers your insurance, and if you are in a hail area too, whether impact-resistant shingles are worth it. Roof age also drives your insurability in Florida, which we cover in roof age and home insurance.
With Hommy you can post your job once and get quotes from vetted Florida roofers who understand wind mitigation credits, each with real ratings from other homeowners, so a new roof works as hard for your insurance as it does for your home.
