Insurers Offering Discounts on Tornado-Resilient Homes in Oklahoma

Dozens of insurance companies are now offering discounts to Oklahomans who have built or retrofitted their homes to certain tornado-resilient standards, the Oklahoma Insurance Department announced.

A new law went into effect on April 1 requiring the discounts. Since then, multiple companies have notified the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) of their premium rate discount.

“Storm season is here, and we’ve got to be thinking proactively to save lives and property,” said Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak in the agency’s announcement. “I’m proud to see our insurance companies stepping up for Oklahomans. Homeowners will see the advantage of having a stronger home with more affordable insurance rates, higher resale value and can withstand up to an EF-2 tornado.”

Doak has been a proponent of stronger building codes since witnessing the devastating effects of tornadoes firsthand.

House Bill 1720, passed in 2017, requires an insurance company’s savings be passed on to the consumer. If a homeowner retrofits or builds a new home to certain specified standards, the bill requires the insurance company to factor the more resilient construction into the insurance premium for the home based on the insurance company’s own actuarial analysis.

Gov. Mary Fallin signed it into law last spring.

The law does not mandate building codes or standards. It uses the FORTIFIED construction standards set by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.

The premium rate discount has begun for 17 insurance companies that notified OID they are offering a discount.

Multiple other insurance companies will also be offering the discount because the two advisory organizations to which they subscribe, the American Association of Insurance Services and Insurance Services Office, have filed discounts with OID.

Source: Oklahoma Insurance Department

Topics Catastrophe Carriers Natural Disasters Windstorm Homeowners Oklahoma