The Florida insurance discount most homeowners never claim

There is a discount available on almost every Florida homeowners policy that a large number of people never claim, and the reason is simple: nobody tells them it exists.

It is called a wind mitigation credit. Florida law requires insurers to offer premium discounts for specific construction features that make a home more likely to survive a hurricane. The features have to be documented by a licensed inspector on a standard form, and without that form, you get no credit — even if your house has every single one of them.

What the inspector is actually looking for

The form covers seven areas. Some matter far more than others.

Roof-to-wall attachment

This is usually the largest single credit. The inspector is checking how the roof is fastened to the walls — toe nails, clips, single wraps or double wraps. Toe nails are the weakest and earn nothing. Double wraps are the strongest and earn the most.

On an older home this is often the difference between a modest discount and a substantial one, and it is not something you can tell by looking at the house from the street.

Roof covering

Whether the roof meets the current Florida Building Code, and when it was installed or last replaced. A roof permitted after March 2002 generally qualifies; older ones may not.

Roof deck attachment

How the plywood is fastened to the trusses. Nail size and spacing. Again, invisible without an inspection.

Opening protection

Impact-rated windows and doors, or shutters that meet the standard. Partial protection earns partial credit — if you have shutters on some openings but not all, you may be leaving money on the table for the sake of one window.

Roof geometry

A hip roof, which slopes on all four sides, performs better in high wind than a gable. This one you cannot change, but it is worth knowing whether you have it.

Secondary water resistance

A barrier under the roof covering that limits water intrusion if the shingles come off.

Building code compliance

When the home was built or substantially improved, and against which version of the code.

Why so many people never get one

Three reasons come up repeatedly.

Nobody mentioned it. If your agent never raised it and your carrier never asked, the subject simply never came up. There is no automatic prompt at renewal.

They assume an old house will not qualify. Often wrong. A 1970s home with a roof replaced in 2019 and hurricane shutters can earn meaningful credits. The age of the house is not the same as the age of the roof.

They had one done years ago and forgot. Reports expire after five years, and plenty of people are paying a rate that no longer reflects work they have had done since.

The part that catches buyers out

The report attaches to the property, not the owner. When a house sells, the existing report generally transfers with it — so a buyer can inherit the discounts the seller was getting.

In practice this often goes unclaimed. The buyer's new policy is written without the form, they pay the undiscounted rate, and nobody notices. If you have bought a Florida home in the past five years, it is worth asking the seller or your agent whether a wind mitigation report exists.

What to do

If you have never had one, or your last one is more than five years old, an inspection costs in the region of $150 and takes under an hour. A licensed inspector, a home inspector, or a contractor with the right qualification can perform it.

The report goes to your agent, who submits it to the carrier. Credits are usually applied at the next renewal, and some carriers will apply them mid-term.

Worth checking three things before you book one:

Whether a report already exists on the property. Whether your current policy shows any wind mitigation credits at all — the declarations page will say. And whether anything has changed since the last inspection, such as a new roof or new windows.

One more thing

Credits vary by carrier. Two companies looking at the same wind mitigation report can price the same house very differently, because they weight the features differently.

Which means the inspection is worth having, and then it is worth seeing what several carriers make of it.