TAMPA, Florida — As more Florida homeowners get dropped from their insurance policies, face non-renewals or experience rising premiums, the demand for home inspections is also rising.
Kenny McLaurin, owner of McLaurin Inspections in Tampa, has been inspecting homes for roughly 10 years and has never been busier than he is right now.
“The past six months to a year I've seen [demand] go up quite a bit. Insurance companies dropping and then all of sudden everyone's scrambling to get their insurance,” McLaurin said.
It’s likely a new insurer will require you to get a "four-point home inspection" before they offer you coverage, which in part is keeping inspectors busy. The inspection includes checks of a home’s electrical, plumbing, roof and structure and HVAC system. McLaurin says he does about five insurance inspections a day, on top of new home builds and other inspections.
“Everybody wants to live here and insurance is obviously a requirement unless you're paying cash. So we've been very, very busy, very high demand out here,” McLaurin added.
On top of a four-point inspection, a “wind mitigation inspection,” to determine how well your home is suited to hold up against high winds caused by major storms is not required by most insurance companies but could qualify homeowners for discounts and save them money while premiums rise.
It’s often roofs that give homeowners the most trouble when securing insurance in this market and it’s something McLaurin says people need to keep in mind.
“We might go on a roof and say, 'Hey, this is satisfactory in our professional opinion,' but some insurance companies are stopping it at like 10 years or 15 years, even if we say it’s satisfactory," McLaurin said. "So [there is] a lot of roof issues with that, especially with the amount of wind and things we go through with hurricanes."
That’s why it’s important you have a good, licensed and insured inspector to make sure you know what to expect and you get a detailed list of potential fixes your home may need.
“We're going to make that list and obviously be as picky as we can just so you know what to do and make sure [insurers] are not coming back and dropping you later on,” McLaurin said.
Keep in mind, the My Safe Florida Home Program is available for single-family and townhome homeowners to apply for a free home inspection. Afterward, folks can even apply for available grant money available to make home-strengthening improvements.
Last week, 10 Tampa Bay spoke with Kathy Walsh, agency owner at Coast to Coast Insurance in Tampa, who said folks need to get their inspections before she can shop the market for them.
"First thing to do is know the age of the roof," Walsh said. "If the home is 20 years or older, they should get a four-point inspection and wind mitigation inspection. They need those things in order for us to go ahead and look at the market for them."
She says homeowners should act quickly and don't expect to shop around.
"The market's slim," Walsh added. "It's not where can I get the price, it’s where can I get coverage for my home."
The state's Insurance Consumer Advocate is also available to help Floridians with insurance issues and even has resources to show you what fair rates are in your area. Granted, you will be paying a lot more than the national average.