Is an Elevation Certificate the best solution or even necessary at all?

Buildings constructed after 1975 require Elevation Certificates (ECs) for Flood Insurance rating under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). There are many scenarios where ECs aren’t advantageous for the property, and considering the average national cost of an EC is roughly $600, it is important to keep in mind the different situations where ECs aren’t necessary to avoid an unnecessary expense.

What to consider when contemplating an EC: 

1.   When was the building constructed? 

Typically, older buildings (Pre-FIRM Buildings) were built much lower than newer buildings, so they would be too low for an EC to make a difference in many cases. With data, we can predict these situations and investigate alternative cost-saving solutions. 

 2.   Does the structure have a basement? 

Generally speaking, if a flood-zone property has a basement, the basement will likely be several feet under the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). When provided with certain property-specific documents, we can perform a complimentary engineering review to try and save you from the unnecessary expense.

 3.   Have you considered private flood insurance? 

Most companies compute their rates using lidar data instead of ECs. Depending on the property and other factors, private market policies may be a good fit.

 4.   Is there a potential miscalculation in the flood map data for your property? 

Over 56% of the data we review qualifies properties for our Flood Zone Removal process certified by FEMA. After successful reclassification from a SFHA, you can get quotes without an EC, using X-Zone pricing. Our flood experts can help you understand these terms.

 5.   There may already be an existing EC for your property.

Properties change ownership all of the time, and documents like ECs get lost in the shuffle, often making it difficult for our partner agents to locate them. With an extensive database at our fingertips, we may have access to an older EC, which can help you save that cost.

 National Flood Experts is in the business of engineering flood zone cost-saving solutions. If you own property in the flood zone, absolutely get in touch with us to answer your flood questions and start exploring solutions for your property or portfolio. 

Edited by Jillian McClure.