When our clients contact us looking for ways to save money on their home insurance the first thing we tell them is to have a wind mitigation inspection completed for their home. This is an inspection performed by a licensed professional who examines your home to see what features it has that strengthen it against windstorms & hurricanes. Hip roofs, storm shutters and impact resistant windows are a few examples of features that earn you credits.
Once they have inspected the home they give you a report outlining what insurance discounts you may be eligible for and you submit this for to your insurance agent, who in turns processes it with the insurance carrier. The inspection costs about $150 and the savings can be significant. We've had clients save anywhere from $200 up to $1400!
This program has been in effect for seven years now and everyone agrees that people who take measures to protect their homes from hurricane damage should receive discounts on their home insurance. Unfortunately the program is being taken advantage of by some private inspectors with questionable credentials who guarantee savings for everyone. They produce reports that indicate the homeowner is eligible for far more credits than they should actually receive, essentially turning the program into an insurance giveaway.
Citizens Property Insurance has already begun a small scale audit of their policyholders to verify that the credits that have been given are warranted. If they find enough evidence of fraud in this initial audit, they will launch a full-fledged investigation.
If your home was built before 2002 and you have not had a wind mitigation inspection performed, please check this Web site to find a reputable inspector in your area: http://www.ashi.org/find/default.aspx. (If your home was built in 2002 or later, you automatically receive the credits from your insurance carrier.) We also keep a list of inspectors on file so feel free to contact us directly for a referral at 866.786.4613.
We support this program and hope that our Insurance Commissioner, Kevin McCarty, will find a solution to eliminate the fraud. It would be a shame to see a few bad apples ruin it for the rest of us.
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Sun Insurance Services, Inc. is a family-owned and operated insurance agency located in Orlando, Florida. We write with twenty of Florida's most prestigious insurance carriers and offer our clients a broad range of choice and customization for their insurance needs. Find us on the Web at www.suninsuranceservices.com.
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