FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 April 20, 2017

Three Ways to Protect Your Home Before Storm Season (and Save Money Too)

As spring approaches and homeowners turn their attention to home improvement projects, the Louisiana Department of Insurance is reminding consumers about incentives that are available for increasing the storm resilience of their property.

“With the type of severe weather events we’ve seen over the last few months, protecting our families and properties is something weighing heavily on the people of this state,” said Insurance Commissioner Donelon. “If folks are rebuilding or just doing some home improvement this year, I encourage them to keep storm mitigation efforts at the top of their lists.”

Three Ways to Protect Your Home for Less

The Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) offers the following tips for preparing your home for hurricane season:

• Consider storm mitigation projects to protect your property and receive a premium discount. Mitigations such as roof bracing, secondary water barriers and window, door and skylight strength can increase the structural integrity of a home and if performed to certain standards may be eligible for a premium discount. Discounts apply to one or two-family owner occupied homes and modular homes. They vary by company and by geography – with a more significant discount in coastal than non-coastal areas.
• Purchase and install storm shutters with a sales tax exclusion. Purchases of storm shutter devices for hurricane protection are excluded from local sales and use taxes.
• Retrofit your existing home and receive tax deductions for up to 50 percent of the cost incurred. The retrofitting deduction is available to taxpayers who have brought a property into compliance with the State Uniform Construction Code and claimed a homestead exemption. It is not available for rental properties.

There may be other mitigation improvements and/or construction techniques that the insurer may determine to reduce the risk of loss due to wind. For more information on the types of improvements and properties that qualify for storm mitigation incentives, see the LDI’s Residential Property Storm Mitigation Incentives brochure or visit our FAQs online.

In order to learn more about how to qualify for premium discounts, you can find a wind mitigation surveyor on the Louisiana State Fire Marshal Code Enforcement webpage. In some cases the cost of the survey may be recovered through premium discounts over time, but the mitigation may also help lessen damage to the home during a storm or hurricane.

Consumers can also visit www.ldi.la.gov/stormmitigation or contact their insurance company or agent for more information.

About the Louisiana Department of Insurance: The Louisiana Department of Insurance works to improve competition in the state’s insurance market while assisting individuals and businesses with the information and resources they need to be informed consumers of insurance. As a regulator, the LDI enforces the laws that provide a fair and stable marketplace and makes certain that insurers comply with the laws in place to protect policyholders. You can contact the LDI by calling 1-800-259-5300 or visiting www.ldi.la.gov.