Homeowners Support Home Safety

NU Online News Service, June 9, 9:32 a.m. EDT ?A survey released by the Insurance Research Council found anoverwhelming majority of homeowners support regulations requiringnew homes to be built to withstand damage from natural disastersand would be willing to pay more for those homes.

The telephone survey of 1,000 homeowners across the countryshows that 75 percent said they support state and local buildingcodes for new homes to be built to withstand damage from naturaldisasters.

More than 62 percent said they would be very or somewhat willingto pay an additional 6 percent for a new home built to meet thecodes, IRC said.

"Homeowners value home safety," explained Elizabeth A. Sprinkel,senior vice president of the IRC, in a statement. "Homeownerssupport building codes that make their homes safer even when theyincrease the cost of a home. In addition, they often make safetyimprovements to their home that are not required by law."

The Malvern, Pa.-based association, which is a division of theAmerican Institute for CPCU and the Insurance Institute of America,said the report shows that support for stricter building codes isespecially strong in the South, where hurricane damage is ahistoric concern.

Four out of five southern homeowners say that stronger buildingcodes are an excellent or a good idea. When increased cost isfactored into the question, 68 percent said they would continue tosupport stronger building codes if it added 6 percent to the costof a new home.

The survey also found that 95 percent of homeowners carry ahomeowners or condominium owners insurance policy. Approximately 22percent have purchased additional water back-up coverage; 20percent have flood coverage; and 12 percent carry earthquakecoverage.

The figures for purchasing additional insurance rise slightlyfor homeowners who believe that a natural disaster will damagehomes in their area, increasing to 31 percent for flood insuranceand 25 percent for earthquake coverage.

The report, entitled "Public Attitude Monitor 2003, Issue 1,"found that homeowners are well versed in disaster-preparednessmeasures.

Almost 88 percent said they know how to turn off the electricityin a disaster, 87 percent said they knew how to turn off the water,and 74 percent knew how to turn off the gas in an emergency.Two-thirds of households reported that they have adisaster-preparedness kit, 57 percent said they have a fire escapeplan, and 42 percent said they had prepared an inventory of theirhousehold's contents.

The survey also found that a majority of homeowners say theirhomes have safety features. Ninety-seven percent of homeowners saidthey have a smoke detector, 85 percent said they have deadboltlocks on exterior doors, 83 percent have fire extinguishers, 68percent said they have exterior floodlights and/or motiondetectors, and 62 percent have ground fault circuit interruptersnear sinks and tubs.

The report is based on a telephone survey conducted by RoperASWbetween Oct. 24 and Nov. 13, 2002.

Information about obtaining copies of the report is available atwww.ircweb.org.