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By Ezra Amacher
There will soon be grants available to Louisiana homeowners who retrofit their roofs to meet beyond-code construction roof repair standards, reducing their insurance rates.
After establishing the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP) last year without funding, lawmakers approved a budget bill earlier this month that allocated $30 million to the program. The LFHP will offer homeowners the opportunity to apply for up to $10,000 in grants to fortify their roofing to meet the Fortified roof standard of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS).
At a June 14 press conference, Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said the application process would open in October.
Additionally, lawmakers passed legislation that requires insurance companies to offer actuarially justified discounts to policyholders who build or retrofit structures that meet the IBHS Fortified standard.
Smart Home America estimates that Louisianans who retrofit or build their homes to the standard can save anywhere from 20-52% on their wind portion of their homeowners insurance.
Whether the property is commercial or residential, it will qualify for a discount if it has been built or retrofitted to meet the Fortified standard. The legislation, according to Mike Huval, will encourage more property owners to build to Fortified standards outside of the grant program.
A bill passed by lawmakers requires insurers to provide an endorsement to homeowners’ policies that upgrades the policyholder’s nonfortified roof to the Fortified roof standard if the home sustains damage.
When writing a new policy or renewing an existing policy on a nonfortified home after Dec. 31, the endorsement offer will be made.
Providing a long-term solution
In Fortified, roof edges are locked down, a roof deck is sealed, ring-shank nails are used, and impact-resistant shingles are installed. This method of construction and re-roofing strengthens homes beyond code. Lab tests and real-world events show that Fortified structures can withstand winds up to 130 mph, torrential rain, and hail up to 2 inches in diameter.
“Fortified is our long-term solution,” Donelon said.
Alabama’s Fortified endorsement program, unlike Louisiana, is funded by the insurance industry, not the state’s general budget. In 2020, Alabama legislators passed a law requiring every homeowner to have a Fortified endorsement.
Over 35,000 homes have been built to Fortified standards in Alabama so far, 6,000 of which were funded by grants.
“Within eight seconds of going live, (Alabama) was out of funds,” Donelon said. “They broke Taylor Swift’s record.”
Until this year, when Louisiana lawmakers entered the legislative session with a $1.6 billion surplus, Fortified could not be funded in Louisiana due to tight budgets.
Similarly to Alabama, Louisiana will offer a first-come, first-served application process.
The home must be an owner-occupied, primary residence with a homestead exemption and cannot be a condominium or mobile home.
LFHP requires proof of wind insurance and flood insurance, if the home is in a flood zone, unless damaged by a hurricane, non-hurricane wind, or hail.
A homeowner who has been approved for a grant may contract with an LFHP-approved contractor to fortify the roof.
All required evaluations will be performed by an evaluator, and the IBHS will review the evaluation and issue a Fortified certification.
Grant recipients will likely have to pay out-of-pocket expenses if their roof needs to be replaced. The average roof replacement costs more than $11,000.
A Louisiana homeowner can expect to pay an additional $1,200 to $2,200 for evaluator fees, according to Fred Malik, managing director of FORTIFIED at IBHS.
Insurers will be reassured that Louisiana takes windstorm and hurricane mitigation seriously if properties are strengthened to the fortified standard.
As insurance companies around the country look at Louisiana, Kirk Talbot said, “From the outside looking in, we have really stepped up our building codes, showing them that we recognize there is a problem.” We recognize that we are a big target for hurricanes and named storms making landfall, and we are doing something about it.”
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