If you own a home in Miami-Dade and you’ve never had a wind mitigation inspection, you may be leaving real money on the table every year. Here’s what it is and why it matters.
What a wind mitigation inspection is
It’s a short inspection — usually under an hour — by a licensed inspector who documents the storm-resistant features of your home. The results go on a state form (the OIR-B1-1802) that your insurer uses to apply credits to your premium.
The features that earn credits
Insurers reward construction that survives hurricanes. The big ones:
- Roof covering. Does it meet current Florida Building Code / HVHZ standards with the right product approvals (NOA)?
- Roof deck attachment. Nail type and spacing — ring-shank nails in a tight pattern score better than old staples.
- Roof-to-wall connection. Clips, single wraps and double wraps each earn progressively bigger credits than toe-nailing.
- Roof shape. A hip roof (sloped on all sides) resists wind better than a gable and earns a credit.
- Secondary water barrier (SWR). A sealed underlayment that keeps water out if the covering is lost.
Why a new roof multiplies the savings
When we replace a roof to current HVHZ code, we’re installing many of these credit-earning features by default — ring-shank nailing patterns, secondary water barrier, NOA-approved products. A code-compliant roof often resets your wind-mitigation credits to the maximum, which can drop a Florida premium by hundreds of dollars a year.
How to actually capture the savings
- Get the inspection after any roof work is complete.
- Send the signed 1802 form to your insurance agent and ask them to re-rate the policy.
- Keep the form — credits typically last about five years before re-inspection.
The bottom line
A wind mitigation inspection costs a fraction of one year’s potential savings. After a new roof, it’s one of the highest-return pieces of paperwork a Florida homeowner can file.
Replacing your roof or just want the wind-mitigation paperwork handled right? Get a free estimate — we build to HVHZ code and hand you everything your insurer needs.
