Buyer's guides / Storms and insurance
Hurricanes, roofs and insurance: questions to ask before you make an offer
In much of Florida, the insurance quote is now part of the price of the house. A roof that's a few years too old, or a home built before the modern building code, can change your monthly cost more than a few thousand dollars off the price. Find out early.
The roof comes first
Insurers care about the roof's age, material and shape. Many won't write a new policy on an older shingle roof without a recent inspection, and some won't write one at all past a certain age. Ask when the roof was replaced, and confirm it with the building permit: the permit date is what insurers trust. A hip roof (sloping on all four sides) generally performs better in wind than a gable roof and can earn a discount.
Two inspections that pay for themselves
- Four-point inspection: roof, electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling. Often required for older homes before an insurer will write a policy.
- Wind-mitigation inspection: documents features that resist wind, such as roof-to-wall connections (straps or clips), roof deck attachment, secondary water barrier and impact-rated windows or shutters. In Florida, insurers must offer discounts for these features, and the savings can be large.
A seller may already have a recent wind-mitigation report. Ask for it, and check its date.
When the house was built matters
The statewide Florida Building Code took effect in 2002, after Hurricane Andrew exposed weak construction. Homes permitted under it generally have stronger roofs, connections and opening protection, especially in the wind-borne debris region near the coast. An older home can still be well built or well upgraded; the inspections above are how you show it.
Look at the storm history
NOAA keeps the track of every recorded Atlantic hurricane. Looking at which storms passed near an address, and how strong they were, gives you a feel for the risk that a single "hurricane zone" label can't. Pair it with the National Hurricane Center's storm surge maps, which show how deep the water could get above the ground for storms of each category, and your county's evacuation zone.
Flood is separate
Standard homeowners policies don't cover flood, including storm surge. If the home is in a high-risk flood zone and you have a federally backed mortgage, flood insurance is required. Outside those zones it's optional, and often worth pricing anyway. See how to read a Florida flood zone.
The insurance market near the property
Florida's insurance market has changed quickly in recent years. Citizens Property Insurance, the state-created insurer of last resort, insures many homes where private insurers are scarce. If most homes near a property are insured by Citizens, private options there may be limited. A licensed agent can tell you which carriers are writing new policies in that area today.
Before your inspection period ends
- Get the roof permit date and material.
- Order, or ask for, a four-point and wind-mitigation inspection.
- Get at least two written quotes, wind and flood, with the deductibles you'd actually choose.
- Check sinkhole coverage if you're in west-central Florida, where sinkholes are most common.
This is general information, not insurance advice. Coverage and pricing depend on each insurer's underwriting; talk to a licensed Florida insurance agent.