As catastrophes are on the rise, and with it, catastrophic losses, insurance departments, insurance companies, and insurance consumers are looking for ways to mitigate and prevent losses. One such method is the FORTIFIED Program developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).
IBHS is an independent nonprofit scientific research and communications organization whose building safety research leads to real-world solutions for home and business owners. FORTIFIED is a voluntary construction and re-roofing program designed to strengthen homes and commercial buildings against severe weather such as high winds, hail, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Research has shown that the roof is the most vulnerable part of a house during high winds. FORTIFIED standards go beyond typical building codes and as a result, deliver better protection during severe weather. They offer the following programs: FORTIFIED Home™, FORTIFIED Commercial™, and FORTIFIED Multifamily™.
FORTIFIED Home is a program for homeowners looking to strengthen and protect their homes against severe weather. Eligible homes include single-family detached homes, two-family dwelling units (duplex), manufactured homes built after 1994, and townhouses where each unit extends from foundation to roof ("stacked" dwellings excluded).
To get started with the program, a homeowner should select a contractor and an evaluator from the FORTIFIED network. Evaluators are independent, third-party contractors who have been trained in the FORTIFIED program requirements. They will apply the FORTIFIED standards as your home is being built or reroofed. The evaluator will collect documentation that shows standards are being met throughout the process, and submit the documentation to IBHS for review. A team of specially-trained auditors at IBHS then review the documentation and determine if FORTIFIED standards have been met. If so, they will issue a FORTIFIED designation certificate and send it to the evaluator. In addition to the protection offered by the program, the designation may make you eligible for financial incentives.
Financial incentives can come in the form of insurance discounts, reduced deductibles, and/or tax credits. In some states, insurers offer specific discounts to homes with a FORTIFIED designation, which can be as high as 55%. In other states, discounts are offered for specific upgrades that happen to coincide with the FORTIFIED standard, like use of impact-resistant shingles, hurricane shutters, or pressure-rated garage doors. Some states offer tax credits, which can be as high as $5000, to homeowners who strengthen their homes against storms.
States that offer incentives specifically for a FORTIFIED designation include Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. States where FORTIFIED upgrades happen to qualify for other incentives include Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas. Further details for incentives offered by each state can be found here.
FORTIFIED Commercial is a program for businesses and helps them to re-open more quickly following severe weather. Eligible Commercial properties include multi-family residential buildings, franchises, hotels, convenience stores and gas stations, pharmacies and retail stores, business services, and schools. IBHS is currently only offering FORTIFIED Commercial designations in Alabama. For other states, a third-party compliance letter is available instead.
Through strengthening the roof systems, elevating vulnerable mechanical systems, and having backup power, this program reduces the risk of financial loss that comes from damaged property, lost inventory, and lost revenue due to business interruption. A study by the National Institute of Building Science found that for every $1 spent on FORTIFIED Commercial construction, approximately $4 is saved in disaster recovery expenses.
FORTIFIED Multifamily is a program for multifamily housing. Eligible buildings include new and existing construction, and can include apartment buildings, condominiums, and townhomes when the occupants own or lease only the interior, or when operated as commercial properties. The FORTIFIED Multifamily designation is available anywhere in the US.
The program can help decrease risk while increasing value of the property. A study by the Alabama Center for Insurance Information and Research (ACCIR) found that the return on investing in FORTIFIED Multifamily can be as high as 72%. The study also found that 74% of tenants surveyed would pay an average of 2.17% more to live in a FORTIFIED Multifamily home.
All three programs offer three levels of protection: FORTIFIED Roof, FORTIFIED Silver, and FORTIFIED Gold. FORTIFIED Roof is the first level, and it is specifically designed to prevent damage that commonly occurs to the roof during severe weather. FORTIFIED Silver includes the protection of FORTIFIED Roof and adds additional protection to vulnerable components such as parapets, doors, and windows. FORTIFIED Gold includes the protection of FORTIFIED Roof and Silver and requires that your home or business's entire structure be tied together, forming a continuous load path.
The details on what is included in the Roof, Silver, and Gold protection levels for the Home, Commercial, and Multifamily programs can be found here:
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