How Exterior Upgrades Can Affect Your Homeowners Insurance Premium

Homeowners insurance is expensive, especially in Florida. If you own a home in Florida, you've probably opened an insurance renewal notice and winced. Some of what drives your premium is beyond your control. Hurricanes are a part of life here, and they often leave costly repairs in their wake. 

You may have heard there are things you can do to your home to lower your premium. There is truth to this rumor, especially when it comes to your home's exterior. Upgrades to your roof, windows, and doors can do more than improve curb appeal. In some cases, they can qualify you for insurance discounts and make your home easier to insure.

Why Insurers Care About Your Home’s Exterior

The exterior of your home is what protects the contents. Your roof, windows, and doors are the first line of defense against wind and water. Insurers look at these features to determine how well they protect your home, because they affect how likely you are to file a claim after a storm.

Florida takes homeowners insurance seriously because insurers aren’t always known for being fair unless they have to be. Florida state law requires insurers to include discounts, credits, and rate adjustments for residential properties with features that reduce windstorm damage. Insurers must explain these wind mitigation discounts on their website.

Exterior Features That Can Qualify for Wind Mitigation Discounts

In Florida, a wind mitigation inspection documents these features. Inspectors look at six main areas:

• Roof covering. Whether your roofing materials meet current building code standards.
• Roof deck attachment. How securely the roof decking is fastened to your home's frame.
• Roof-to-wall connections. How well your roof is tied to your walls, using clips or straps, for example.
• Roof shape. Hip roofs, which slope on all sides, typically withstand wind better than gable roofs.
• Secondary water resistance. An added barrier under your roof covering that helps keep water out if shingles are damaged.
• Opening protection. Impact-rated windows, doors, and garage doors, or approved shutters, that protect your home's openings from wind-borne debris.

Several of these are tied to your roof and openings, so a roof replacement or a window and door upgrade is a natural time to improve your home's rating.

A Newer Roof Can Make Your Home Easier to Insure

Florida insurers care about roof age. So much so that there is a state law that prohibits an insurance company from refusing to renew or issue a policy solely because a roof is less than 15 years old. If your roof passes that 15-year mark, you can have it inspected. If an inspector gauges that your roof has at least 5 more years of life in it, the insurer can’t refuse coverage based on roof age alone. 

If your roof is getting older, replacing it before it becomes an insurance issue can give you peace of mind, as well as more options and better prices. 

Impact Windows and Doors

Windows, entry doors, and garage doors are some of the most vulnerable parts of a home during a storm. According to FEMA, hurricane winds can blow doors in or tear them from their hinges, letting water into the home, and garage doors are especially vulnerable because of their size. Upgrading to impact-rated products can strengthen your home and may count toward the opening protection category on your wind mitigation inspection.

Get Credit for Your Upgrades With a Wind Mitigation Inspection

Your insurer won't automatically know about the improvements you've made. Here's how to help make sure they count:

1. Schedule an inspection for wind mitigation with a qualified inspector after your upgrade.
2. Get the official form. Florida uses the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, which is valid for up to five years as long as you make no major changes to the home.
3. Send it to your insurance agent or insurer and ask which discounts you qualify for.

Every policy is different, so the exact savings will depend on your insurer and your home. Your agent is the best person to explain what applies to you.

Help Paying for Upgrades: My Safe Florida Home

The state's My Safe Florida Home program offers free wind mitigation inspections and grants of up to $10,000 for approved upgrades, including roof improvements, impact windows and doors, garage doors, and secondary water barriers. Eligibility requirements apply, so visit mysafeflhome.com to check whether your home qualifies.

Build a Stronger Home With TSpark

At TSpark, we help Tallahassee homeowners protect what matters most. Our Good, Better, and Best packages make it easy to choose the right upgrade for your home and budget. For homeowners who want extra peace of mind, we offer Atlas Pinnacle® Impact Shingles. They carry a Class 4 impact rating, the highest available for asphalt shingles, and a wind warranty of up to 160 mph when installed as part of an Atlas Signature Select® Roofing System.

Thinking about a new roof, windows, or doors? Contact TSpark today to schedule your free estimate and find the right exterior upgrade for your home.