Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form

Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form

Roof Condition Verification Form

In 2010, Citizens Insurance implemented the Uniform Mitigation Verification Form that requires homeowners to report the existing condition of various areas of the house that affect the insurers risk in Hurricane Zones including Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The report includes a checklist of 7 items as follows:

1. Building Code – This section asks if the structure was built in compliance with the Florida Building Code of 2001 or later.

2. Roof Covering – This section lists 5 different types of roofs including Shingles, Tile, Metal, Built-Up, and Membrane roofing. In addition, the Miami-Dade Product Approval number must be filled in to ensure that the roof that was installed with a product approved and tested by the Miami-Dade County Product Control Division.

3. Roof Deck Attachment – This section asks for the weakest form of the roof deck attachment. Most roofs built after 2001 are composed of 5/8″ plywood decking attached to the roof trusses with 1 1/4″ ring shank nails. Roofs installed in this manner qualify as Option A, the best attachment possible in this category.

4. Roof To Wall Attachment – This section states the weakest roof to wall connection. Significant discounts are given to homes that have single or double strap attachments. The most significant consideration with regard to the roof to wall straps is the number of fasteners used on each strap. The number of fasteners needs to exceed 3 fasteners on the straps and the trusses for the category discount to apply.

5. Roof Geometry – Most roof strucutres are either flat, hip, or gable roofs. Hip and flat roofs have the highest discount because the shape of the roof causes the least resistance with high forced winds.

6. Secondary Water Resistance – SWR barriers are self-adhering strips of roofing membrane that are installed over the joints of the plywood decking before the roofing material. Its purpose is to prevent significant amounts of water to enter the home if the roofing materials were damaged during a wind storm.

7. Opening Protection – This is the only area of the Uniform Mitigation Inspection Form that does not have to do with roofing. The section asks what the weast form of wind borne debris protection is installed on the structure. Windows are the main component to consider and the best option to meet the maximum discount is impact resistant windows or skylights with 9-lb Large Missile testing approval.

If the home meets the highest possible option in each of these categories, a discount is issued on the yearly property insurance premium of the home. In most cases, if the structure does not meet any of these requirements and the roof is older than 20 years, Citizens Insurance will require the home to have its roof replaced before it can be insurable. Most property insurance carriers have followed Citizen’s path and now have similar requirements and request that the Uniform Mitigation Inspection Verification Form be filled out and certified by a licensed property inspector or licensed roofing or general contractor.