Louisiana homeowners could get premium discounts with this inspection

METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) — As insurance rates skyrocket in Louisiana, there’s a little-known option to help homeowners save money.

A wind mitigation inspection takes about an hour and costs around $300.

Ashley van der Muelen, a licensed wind mitigation surveyor with Compass Inspection Services, LLC, spoke with a Metairie homeowner on Wednesday before he performed a wind mitigation inspection.

The purpose of the inspection is to improve a homeowner’s insurance premium and potentially make the house more wind-resilient.

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“These are a newer architectural roof shingle,” van der Meulen explained while inspecting the house. “The homeowner said that the roof was replaced after [Hurricane] Ida, so most shingles after Ida, if not all, would meet the standard that wind mitigation is looking for.”

During the inspection, van der Muelen looked at the roof, windows and attic before filling out a survey that homeowners must give to their insurance carrier.

Van der Muelen looks for qualifying construction techniques, like roof bracing, secondary water barriers and opening protection.

Some homeowners have saved thousands of dollars as a result of the inspection.

“In my case, personally, I was with [Louisiana Citizens], and I had an $18,000 premium, and after I did the survey, it went to 11 [thousand dollars],” van der Meulen explained. “I’ve done a lot where [property owners] save $1,000 or $2,000.”

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Louisiana law dictates admitted insurers must offer discounts to those who have constructed their homes to better withstand hurricanes, but discounts aren’t always guaranteed.

“Unadmitted carriers, or what we may call surplus lines, they don’t have to follow those laws, but the carrier chooses the discount,” said van der Meulen. “They do not have to do it.”

Once the survey is completed, van der Muelen will inform the homeowner about upgrades that could be made to their house.

“I think Louisianians are very resilient, and if the insurance commissioner would offer some sort of printed discount for wind mitigation, I think homeowners could justify the [return on investment] because nobody wants to spend money if you’re not going to get anything back.”

According to van der Meulen, the homeowner called his insurance carrier, USAA, and learned he will save more than $1,700 on his $6,500 premium because of the inspection.

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