This document describes the Terms and Conditions of the Strengthen Your Coastal Roof Grant Program for Participating Policyholders.
North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association (NCIUA) is a non-profit underwriting association engaged in writing essential property insurance established by Article 45 of Chapter 58 of the North Carolina General Statutes. NCIUA is not an agency or facility of the state of North Carolina. No federal, state or local funds are used to support or subsidize NCIUA operations.
NCIUA, in accordance with statute and its plan of operation and supported by the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance, pursues mitigation efforts in North Carolina's coastal region to increase the resiliency of property against catastrophic wind events. As such, NCIUA has implemented an affirmative Pilot Grant Mitigation Program titled Strengthen Your Coastal Roof ("Grant Program"). The Grant Program is designed to improve the resiliency and weather-resistance of properties insured by NCIUA. The Grant Program will provide money to offset some of the replacement costs for qualified roofs to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety ("IBHS") "FORTIFIED Home™ with new roof cover" standard.
IBHS is an organization that sets the standards required to obtain the IBHS designation FORTIFIED Roof™ that utilizes beyond code engineering and building standards to design a roof that is more resilient to the effects of severe weather. For more information, see the IBHS website at IBHS.org.
The Grant Program is available for policyholders (1) who have a HO2, HO3, or HO8 Homeowners policy, HW2, HW3, or HW8 Homeowners Wind policy, or WD1, WD2, or WD3 Dwelling Wind policy with the NCIUA that is currently effective and was effective on or before July 1, 2024 and (2) whose property is in certain areas of the North Carolina Coast (rating territories 130, 140, 150, and 160). A Participating Policyholder must meet both conditions to be eligible to apply for the Grant Program. Submission of an application does not guarantee program eligibility.
The Application Period shall begin July 31, 2024 and will be open until the total program fund is fully committed to eligible policyholders.
A qualified Participating Policyholder may receive only one grant with a maximum amount of up to $6,000 to go toward the installation of an IBHS FORTIFIED ROOF™ for each qualifying property location insured. The total fund amount of the Grant Program will be reserved on a “first come, first served” basis.
The Participating Policyholder acknowledges and agrees that NCIUA will review applicants for initial eligibility. Those applicants who meet NCIUA’s eligibility requirements will then be reviewed by IBHS and the FORTIFIED Evaluator, who, in their sole discretion, will determine whether the property meets the IBHS requirements to then be eligible for the Grant Program. Prior to receiving the 2024 Grant, approved Grant Program applicants who elect to install a roof must complete the roof replacement and receive the IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ designation by July 31, 2025.
The objective of this Grant Program is to assist eligible policyholders who have voluntarily decided to replace their current roof, and do not have an insured loss for damages requiring a roof replacement. No policyholder can benefit from both the coverage provided by their NCIUA policy for an IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ replacement and the Grant Program.
Therefore, if the policyholder experiences a covered loss under an NCIUA policy for roof damage, Association staff will contact the policyholder to discuss. The Grant Program may not apply.
The Grant Program provides the policyholder with a list of Participating Contractors who have experience in IBHS construction methods. For the policyholder's convenience, the list of Participating Contractors can be found on the website StrengthenYourCoastalRoof.com. Policyholders can also choose a contractor who is not listed as a Participating Contractor. NCIUA makes no representation or warranty of any kind as to the training, capability, work quality, work product or actual performance of any contractor, including those listed on the StrengthenYourCoastalRoof.com website.
Participating Policyholder acknowledges and agrees that IBHS is the organization that sets the standards required to obtain the IBHS designation "FORTIFIED Roof™" and that IBHS sets the standards for educating, certifying, and providing oversight to FORTIFIED Evaluators.
NCIUA will distribute grant funds to the Participating Policyholder only after the following have been submitted to the Association: (1) the IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ Certification, (2) a final invoice from the contractor, and (3) a completed W-9 which provides the Participating Policyholder's taxpayer identification number (or other necessary tax information). The Participating Policyholder is responsible for payment to the contractor for any work performed on the property. NCIUA shall have no payment liability to any contractor.
Grant funds may carry tax liability for the Participating Policyholder. The Participating Policyholder accepts responsibility for all tax liability that may be associated with the receipt of the grant. The Participating Policyholder should consult with a tax advisor regarding tax implications of receiving any grant funds.
The Participating Policyholder acknowledges that NCIUA is relying on the information provided in the Participating Policyholder's application for the Program.
The Participating Policyholder may not assign or transfer any of Participating Policyholder's rights, benefits, or obligations under the Grant Program without NCIUA's prior written consent.
The Participating Policyholder acknowledges and agrees that NCIUA does not guarantee any work by any contractor, IBHS, or the FORTIFIED Evaluator, and does not guarantee any products, materials, or methods used in the roof replacement. Participating Policyholder acknowledges that unknown, unexpected, or unforeseen problems, or hidden damage may arise during construction and agrees that NCIUA is not liable for any such problems, damage or associated costs. The Participating Policyholder agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless NCIUA of and from all loss, damage, and expense by reason of any claim, demand, or suit related to the performance of the roof replacement pursuant to the Grant Program, or otherwise related in any way to the Grant Program.
The Participating Policyholder acknowledges and agrees that NCIUA may use the policyholder's name and property images to assist NCIUA in connection with this or any future Grant Program.
Any dispute between a Participating Policyholder and NCIUA shall be resolved through the administrative process contained in NCIUA's Plan of Operation, N.C. Gen. Stat §58-45-50 and N.C. Gen. Stat. §58-2-75.