A bill supported by Gov. Jeff Landry advanced from the House Ways and Means Committee and is now due to be considered by lawmakers in the House. The proposal, from state Sen. Kirk Talbot (R-River Ridge), would give homeowners a $10,000 tax credit for retrofitting their home with a fortified roof.
If Louisiana can increase the number of homes with fortified roofs, Talbot said, property owners across the state could see lower home insurance rates.
“Not only does it secure that home, but when you have insurance companies that build portfolios that have a lot of fortified roofs in their portfolio, it allows them to take risks on other properties,” said Talbot.
Talbot said this incentive for homeowners who are able to front the expense is a needed complement to the Louisiana Fortified Homes Program, through which the state uses a lottery system to award grants of up to $10,000 to help homeowners pay for roof upgrades. Still less than two years old, the fortified homes program has so far awarded about 4,100 grants, mostly to homeowners in coastal parishes, according to data on the Louisiana Department of Insurance website.
Modeled after a successful program in Alabama that was launched in 2011, Louisiana Fortified Homes Program aims to increase the number of roofs in the state that are capable of withstanding significant storm damage. Officials hope that by doing so, they can decrease the costs of hurricanes and stop insurers from leaving the state.
“I can’t stress enough what the fortified roof program is doing for the state of Louisiana,” said Talbot.
According to a University of Alabama study, homes with fortified roofs had 73% fewer claims and significantly lower claim amounts in two coastal counties in Alabama affected by Hurricane Sally in 2020.
“Let’s face it, we have 22 parishes in the coastal hurricane zone. The vast majority of our population lives below I-10, so we need to do everything we can get to get these roofs on as humanly possible,” said Talbot.
Some insurance companies offer rate discounts upward of 30% to homeowners who upgrade their roofs to certain specifications.
