Florida law requires insurers to discount premiums for wind-resistant features. In Miami a great many properties qualify and have never filed the form.
Miami-Dade is the one market where wind mitigation is often already partly reflected in the premium, because so much of the post-1994 stock was built to the South Florida Building Code and later the HVHZ provisions of the Florida Building Code. The form still has to be filed for the credits to apply.
The building code compliance date is the item that matters most here. A property built to the 1994 code or later sits in a stronger category from the start, and in Miami-Dade that covers a very large share of the housing.
Opening protection is also more likely to be complete in Miami-Dade than anywhere else, because impact glazing and shutters have been required on new construction for years. Where a property has full protection across every opening including the garage, the credit is significant — and it is worth checking, because partial protection scores far lower and one replaced window without an impact rating can undo it.
Miami-Dade County sits in the HVHZ alongside the rest of the south-east coast. Envelope products need Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance or Florida Product Approval, roofing assemblies are tested to a higher standard, and permitting is more exacting than elsewhere in the state. Work done by a contractor unfamiliar with those requirements gets failed.
The state form is fixed. Every inspector records the same seven items, which is why the discount is predictable once you know what the building has.
1. Building code compliance. The date the permit was issued. Homes built to the 2002 Florida Building Code or later, and anything in Miami-Dade or Broward built to the 1994 South Florida Building Code, sit in a stronger category from the outset.
2. Roof covering. Whether each covering meets current code, evidenced by permit and product approval.
3. Roof deck attachment. What the deck is fixed down with. Staples score worst; 8d ring-shank nails at close spacing score best. This is checked from inside the attic.
4. Roof-to-wall attachment. The big one. Toe nails, clips, single wraps or double wraps, in ascending order of credit. The step from toe nails to clips is often the largest single discount available on an older house.
5. Roof geometry. A hip roof — sloping on all four sides — earns a credit that a gable does not, because it sheds wind rather than catching it.
6. Secondary water resistance. A sealed underlayment beneath the covering, so a roof stripped of tiles still keeps water out.
7. Opening protection. Impact-rated glazing or shutters across every opening, including the garage door. Partial protection scores far lower than full, and one unprotected opening can cost the whole credit.
Most of the value in a wind mitigation report comes from the attic. Roof-to-wall attachment cannot be seen from the ground, and it is the item where the difference between categories is worth the most money.
Plenty of Florida homes were re-roofed at some point and had clips or straps added during the work without the owner ever knowing, because it was a line on the roofer's invoice rather than something anyone explained. That upgrade is sitting in the attic unclaimed, and it stays unclaimed until an inspector goes up and photographs it.
The inspection has to be carried out by someone the statute authorises — a licensed home inspector, general contractor, building code inspector, registered architect or professional engineer. A report signed by anyone else will be rejected by the carrier.
A wind mitigation report is generally accepted for five years. It should be redone sooner if anything on the form changes: a new roof, new impact windows, new shutters, or a garage door replacement.
Re-roofing is the obvious trigger. If you have just spent money on a roof, the new deck attachment and any added straps are worth documenting immediately rather than at the next renewal, because the credit applies from when the carrier has the form.
In the High Velocity Hurricane Zone the underlying wind premium is high, so the credits are worth correspondingly more. On Miami property built to the 2002 Florida Building Code or later, or re-roofed in the last twenty years, there is usually something to claim. We will tell you honestly if there is not.
Yes — Miami and the surrounding area including Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah, Kendall, Doral. We cover the whole state, so if you are just outside, call and ask.
Yes. We give proper notice and work to a time that suits them. The utilities need to be on and we need access to the attic, the panel and the water heater, so a completely unattended visit does not usually work.
Not always, but often enough that it is worth doing. If the house has none of the features — gable roof, stapled deck, toe-nailed trusses, no shutters — there may be nothing to claim. On anything built to the 2002 code or later, or anything re-roofed in the last twenty years, there is usually something. We will tell you honestly what we found.
If it is under five years old and nothing has changed, usually yes. If you have re-roofed, replaced windows or fitted shutters since, a new one will be worth more than the old one.
Yes, for a report worth having. Deck attachment and roof-to-wall connection are the two highest-value items on the form and neither can be verified from outside. An inspector who does not open the attic hatch cannot complete those sections properly.
One call for the inspection and for whatever it turns up. Licensed, insured, and reporting in the format your carrier expects.