Has Your Florida Home Had a Wind Mitigation Report?

Do you know how your roof is actually fastened to your house?

Most owners do not, and there is no reason they should. The nails, straps and clips that hold a roof down are hidden under shingles, tile and drywall, and nobody sees them after the builder leaves.

Yet those hidden details decide how a house behaves when a hurricane or a strong thunderstorm pushes wind against it. A roof does not just sit on the walls. In high wind it is being lifted, shoved sideways and pelted with debris, and the way it is connected matters more than almost anything you can see from the street.

A wind mitigation report is a written record of those features. I visit the home, look at the construction details that can be verified, photograph them and complete the inspection form so there is a clear, documented answer to the question of how the house is built to resist wind. This page explains what is checked, what you can do beforehand and how owners use the result. It makes no promises about what any insurer will do with it.

Want to skip ahead? The request page takes a couple of minutes, and I will call you back to talk through your house.

What exactly is a wind mitigation report?

In Florida the standard record of a home's wind-resistant features is the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, often called the OIR-B1-1802 form. It lists a set of construction features, and for each one the inspector marks which description fits the house, with photos and notes as support.

The report is about the house as built, not about its general condition. A roof can be old and worn yet strongly attached, or new yet attached in a way that earns a modest rating. The form does not judge which you should prefer; it records the facts so that whoever reads it can apply their own rules.

That separates it from a roof inspection, which describes the condition of the roof surface and its parts. The two are often ordered together, because the same visit puts me on the roof and in the attic, but they answer different questions and I keep them separate on paper.

Which features does the form look at?

The form walks through a fixed list. Here is what each item means in everyday terms, and what I look for.

• Building code and year built. Which wind standards applied when the house was permitted, shown by the construction date and any permit records.
• Roof covering. The material on the roof, its permit date where known, and whether it meets the standards the form refers to.
• Roof deck attachment. How the plywood or other sheathing is nailed to the rafters or trusses. This is checked in the attic by looking at nail size and spacing where it can be seen.
• Roof-to-wall connection. What ties the roof framing to the top of the walls: toenails, clips, single wraps or double wraps of metal strap.
• Roof shape. A hip roof, with four sloping sides, generally behaves differently in wind than a gable roof, with two sloping sides and vertical ends.
• Secondary water resistance. Whether there is a sealed layer under the covering that would limit water entry if the covering were lost.
• Opening protection. Whether windows, doors, garage doors and skylights have shutters, impact glass or other protection, and what level.

Each of these is a yes-or-no or a pick-from-a-list on the form, which is why photos matter. The reader of the form cannot see your attic, so the pictures are the proof.

Why is the attic so important in this inspection?

Two of the biggest items, roof deck attachment and roof-to-wall connection, are visible only from inside the roof structure. So if you can give safe attic access, the report is far more complete. If the attic cannot be entered, the form says so, and some items may be marked as unverified.

In the attic I look for nails along the sheathing edges to judge size and spacing. I look at where trusses or rafters meet the top plate of the wall and whether there are straps or clips. Insulation often covers these connections, so I may need to gently move some to see. I put it back as I found it.

Attics in Florida are hot and tight, and some have limited access through a small hatch in a closet or hallway. Clear the hatch before the visit if you can, and tell me if the space has stored items, wiring I should avoid or signs of pests. For homes with no practical access, say so up front and we will decide how to proceed honestly.

How should you prepare before the visit?

A little preparation makes the visit shorter and the form more complete.

1. Find your closing documents, building permits or any plans. The year the house was permitted and the date of the last roof replacement both matter on the form.
2. If you added shutters, impact windows or a garage door upgrade, find the receipts or product labels.
3. Clear the attic hatch and any path to it.
4. Unlock gates and make sure I can reach every side of the house, since opening protection is checked on all elevations.
5. Gather any earlier wind mitigation report. A new one can be compared with it, and differences are worth explaining.
6. Tell me why you want the report, and who will read it.

Please do not move or alter anything to make the house look better for the form. The point of the inspection is an accurate picture. If you plan to add shutters or straps in the future, tell me, and we can talk about timing the report after the work.

What happens on the day?

After you send a request on the contact page, I call you back and we set a date. On arrival I start outside, walking the house and photographing each side, with attention to windows, doors, garage doors and the roof shape. Then I look at the roof covering from the ground and, where safe, from above.

Next comes the attic, where I photograph the deck attachment and the roof-to-wall connections as best as can be seen. I may take simple measurements. I also photograph the permit information if you have it, and any labels on openings that show their rating.

I finish by reviewing the form items with you so there are no surprises. If you cannot be present, I still document everything and send the completed form afterward. The visit is a looking exercise and does not change anything on the house.

How do owners use the report?

Homeowners most often order a wind mitigation report because an insurer or an insurance agent asked for one, or because they want the facts about their own house on paper. Some buyers want one before closing. Some sellers prepare one so a buyer can see it. Others order a new report after finishing upgrades, so the paperwork matches the house as it stands today.

What an insurer does with the form is their decision. Each carrier applies its own rules, and I do not know what a given company will accept, require or offer. I make no promise that a report will change a policy or what is paid. If you want to know how your insurer treats these forms, ask them or your agent directly, and then call me with the answer so I can fill the form to match what is being asked.

A wind mitigation form can also help you decide where to spend improvement money. If the report shows a weakness, such as nail spacing that is wide or no straps at the roof-to-wall connection, you have the information to discuss options with a roofing contractor of your choice.

What are the common stumbling blocks?

A few situations come up often enough to mention.

• No attic access. Some homes have sealed or very small hatches. Without a view of the deck and connections, those items may be recorded as unverified.
• Missing permit dates. If the roof was replaced and no permit record is available, the form relies on what can be verified. Ask the building department of your city or county for a copy.
• Opening protection that is partial. A home with shutters on three sides but not the fourth is recorded as it is.
• Roof shape that is mixed. Many Florida houses have a hip main roof and a gabled addition, and the form has a way to record that.
• Old forms. An older report may no longer match the house if the roof or windows have changed.

None of these is a problem you caused. They are simply facts about the house, and a good report states them plainly.

How is a wind mitigation report different from a 4-point or a Citizens roof report?

People mix these up, and it is easy to see why. All of them are inspection reports, all of them can end up with an insurance agent, and all of them involve the roof.

The wind form says how a house was built. The others say what shape something is in. If you are not sure which one you need, ask whoever requested the paperwork what exact document they mean, then call me.

How does Florida's geography change the picture?

Wind exposure varies a lot across the state. Coastal homes on the Atlantic and the Gulf, in the Keys and in the Panhandle face open-water exposure that inland neighbors do not. Houses built before major code changes in the 1990s and early 2000s tend to have different connections than newer ones. Inland communities still see tornado-producing storms and powerful straight-line winds.

So I never assume. A house on the same street can be built two different ways depending on the year and the builder. I check each one on its own. If you have a home built in the last ten or fifteen years, it often has stronger connections than an older one, but I verify instead of guessing.

Condominiums and townhomes bring their own questions, because the roof may belong to an association and individual unit owners may not have attic access. If you own a unit, tell me early, and we will work out what can be documented.

To learn more about who is behind this site and how I work, read the about page, or go back to the home page to see all the report types together.

What does opening protection mean in practice?

Wind damage to a house often begins at an opening. If a window breaks or a garage door buckles, wind and rain get inside, pressure builds against the ceiling and walls, and the roof can be pushed upward from below. That is why the form asks about every opening on the house, not just the roof.

I look at windows, glass doors, entry doors, garage doors and skylights, on every side. For each I note whether there is protection, and what kind: rated shutters, impact-rated glass, temporary panels or nothing. Where the product carries a label or a stamp, I photograph it. Where it does not, the form has to record what can be shown.

Garage doors deserve a note of their own. A wide, light door is one of the weakest openings on many Florida homes. If yours was replaced or braced, any label inside the door frame or on the panel helps, so look for one before I arrive.

Plywood panels kept in the garage for storms are a common approach, but a panel that is not mounted does not count for much on paper. The form follows what is installed and verifiable, and I record it that way.

What should you do if the report shows weak points?

A report that lists weaker features is not a failure. It is a map. Plenty of houses, especially older ones, have nail spacing that is wide, or toenail connections at the roof-to-wall joint, or openings with no protection. Those are facts about construction methods of their era.

Once you have the form, you can decide what you want to do about it. Some owners add straps or clips in the attic. Some add shutters or upgrade garage doors. Some wait until a roof replacement, when the deck can be re-nailed and a sealed underlayment added at the same time. The roof repair and replacement page explains how I think through that choice.

I do not push upgrades, and I do not say any one will change a policy. I tell you what the form shows, and you take it from there. If you decide to improve something and want the paperwork updated afterward, I will come back and record the new state.

What does a typical attic look like during the visit?

A typical Florida attic is long, low and warm. Trusses run across in a regular pattern. Insulation lies between and over the bottom chords. Ducts, wiring and sometimes the air handler sit in the same space. I go carefully, stepping on framing, never on the ceiling drywall.

I start at the hatch and photograph the general layout. Then I move toward the eaves, where the roof deck and the top of the wall meet. Here I look at the sheathing nails, the truss ends and whatever straps or clips connect them. I take a close photo of the connection, usually with a ruler or a tape in the frame for scale.

If I see signs of water, rot, rodents or old repairs, I note them separately, since they are outside the wind form but useful for you to know. That kind of note is the sort of thing you would otherwise discover only when something fails.

Does the age of the house change what you should expect?

It does, in a general way. Homes built before the statewide building code took effect in the early 2000s were often framed with toenailed connections and thinner nailing on the deck. Homes built after that tend to show straps or clips and tighter nailing, because the rules asked for them. Between those years, and in homes that have been added to over time, the picture is mixed.

I never take a construction date as proof of any one feature. A newer addition may sit next to an older core, and a roof replaced ten years ago may have been re-nailed to a higher standard than the original. What I can do is look, photograph and record. If you are curious how your own house compares, the visit is the way to learn.

Ready to get the facts on paper?

Send your name, mobile number, address and a few lines through the contact page. Tell me the year the house was built if you know it, and whether the roof has been replaced. I will read it, call you back and talk through the visit.

No payment is taken on the form, and sending it does not commit you to anything. If you are unsure whether you need this report at all, ask, and I will tell you plainly.

Which credentials do I hold?

These are the credentials I hold, listed as issued. They are Florida credentials, listed as facts about me and not as a statement about any other state.

• Florida Home Inspector, HI4878

Ask me what any of them covers and I will tell you plainly.

Common questions