Insurance discounts and tax credits reward homeowners for making their homes more resilient. Endorsements and mitigation grants help homeowners pay to upgrade to the FORTIFIED standard. Because FORTIFIED homes meet a standard that is scientifically proven to be more resilient than homes built to ordinary building codes, they may provide financial benefits to homeowners. Find out if you might be eligible for these incentives.
Because FORTIFIED homes meet a standard that is scientifically proven to be more resilient than homes built to ordinary building codes, they may provide financial benefits to homeowners in more than a dozen states. In some, insurers offer specific discounts to homes with a FORTIFIED designation, and they can be as high 55%. In other states, discounts are offered for specific upgrades included in the FORTIFIED standard. Four states also offer tax credits – which can be as high as $10,000 – to homeowners who strengthen their homes against storms
Many of the incentives require not only that upgrades have been made, but also that the work has been documented by an evaluator. Making sure that you hire the right Evaluator is critical to ensure that you protect your home and qualify for all the financial benefits of the program.
In Louisiana, it pays to have the added protection of a FORTIFIED home. Incentives like insurance discounts, grants and/or tax credits are available to help offset the costs of upgrading to the standard. Additionally, FORTIFIED endorsements may be available, as well.
The upgrades required in the FORTIFIED standard may make homeowners eligible for insurance incentives. Items like impact-resistant shingles, hurricane shutters, or pressure-rated garage doors can result in insurance discounts, grants and/or tax credits.
Depending on where you live, there may be different opportunities to help you strengthen your home or to save money once you’ve done so.
Most insurers in Louisiana offer discounts when a homeowner builds or retrofits a structure to comply with the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code or installs mitigation improvements demonstrated to reduce the amount of loss from a windstorm or hurricane.
Louisiana provides a tax deduction of up to $10,000 (or 50% of the cost, whichever is lower) for retrofitting an existing residential structure to the updated codes. Some of the qualifying retrofits include a sealed roof deck, enhanced roof attachment, gable-end bracing, and opening protection—all of which are included in the FORTIFIED standard.