The practical questions people actually have once they own one — where it went, whether it is still good, and whether it is worth redoing.
People call it a wind mitigation certificate, a wind mit report, a windstorm mitigation form or an 1802. It is all the same document: the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802, completed and signed by an authorised inspector.
There is no separate certificate issued by anyone. The completed form is the certificate, which is why getting a copy means going back to whoever did the inspection or to whoever you sent it to.
Generally five years from the date of inspection. That is the standard most carriers work to.
But the five years is a ceiling, not a guarantee. The form should be redone sooner whenever anything recorded on it changes — and one of those changes is very common and very valuable.
If you have re-roofed since your last mitigation inspection, your existing certificate is almost certainly understating the property.
Modern re-roofing brings the deck attachment to a current standard as a matter of course, frequently adds a sealed secondary water barrier, and sometimes improves the roof-to-wall connection while the structure is open. All three are scored on the form. Your old certificate records none of them.
The credit applies from the date your carrier has the current form. Every month you carry an out-of-date certificate after a re-roof is a month of premium you did not need to pay.
From the inspector. Whoever carried it out will normally hold it and can reissue. This is the quickest route if you remember who they were.
From your insurer or agent. If the discount is being applied, they have the form on file. Asking your agent is usually faster than anything else.
From the previous owner or their agent. On a recent purchase, the form may have been completed for the seller and be transferable if it is still within its five years and nothing has changed.
Have it redone. If none of those work, a fresh inspection is inexpensive relative to what it claims back — and if anything has changed since the last one, it will be worth more than the copy you were looking for.
Be wary of anyone quoting you a specific figure, because it varies genuinely with the property and the carrier. What is consistent is where the value concentrates.
The largest credits sit with properties built to the 2002 Florida Building Code or later, hip roofs, current deck attachment, and complete opening protection across every opening. A property with several of those can carry a substantial discount. A gable-roofed house with a stapled deck and no shutters may have nothing to claim at all.
Which is worth saying plainly: sometimes the answer is that there is no discount available. A good inspector tells you that rather than selling you a report, and the information still has value — it tells you what to change at the next re-roof.
Generally after five years. It should be redone sooner if anything on it changes, most importantly a new roof.
Often yes, if it is still within five years and nothing has changed since. Check it against what you know about the property — if the seller re-roofed after the inspection, a fresh one will be worth more.
Ask your agent to check the underwriting file, then go back to the inspector who completed it. If neither has it, a fresh inspection is usually cheaper than the time spent chasing the old one.
If it is under five years old and nothing has changed, no. If it is approaching five years, or you have re-roofed, or you have fitted protection since, yes.
A licensed home inspector, certified building code inspector, licensed general, building or residential contractor, professional engineer or registered architect. A form signed by anyone else gets rejected.
One call for the inspection, the repair, or just a straight answer about what applies to your property.