Dear Agent,
Windstorm Certificates of Compliance (WPI-8s/WPI-8-Cs) are an important eligibility requirement for TWIA as well as some private insurance companies. As shared in March, the process for coastal property owners to certify completed structural improvements will change next month. The process to certify new and ongoing improvements will not change.
We hope you will share this information with your clients, fellow agents, and others in your community who may be impacted by this change, such as real estate agents.
What’s changing?
Beginning June 1, 2020, the windstorm certification process, the process that produces a Certificate of Compliance (WPI-8), will be administered solely by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). At that time:
- TWIA will stop accepting applications for Certificates of Compliance for completed improvements.
- May 31, 2020 is the last day TWIA will accept applications for Certificates of Compliance. Paper applications mailed to TWIA must be postmarked on or before that date for them to be processed by TWIA.
- TDI will begin issuing Certificates of Compliance for completed improvements. TDI will continue to issue Certificates of Compliance for new and ongoing improvements.
This change and its effective date are required by legislation passed in 2019 by the Texas Legislature (Senate Bill 615 and House Bill 1900).
How will this benefit property owners?
TDI already administers the Windstorm Inspection Program and is a regulatory agency. Consolidating the certification process under TDI will:
- Reduce property owner confusion on where to obtain a Certificate of Compliance.
- Provide additional oversight to the certification process for completed improvements.
- Make all future Certificates of Compliance searchable on the TDI online database. Property owners with a Certificate of Compliance issued by TWIA (WPI-8-C) can contact us for a copy.
- Offer property owners local assistance for certifying completed improvements through TDI’s field offices in Beaumont, La Marque, Angleton, and Corpus Christi.
Will TWIA Certificates of Compliance (WPI-8-C) still be valid after June 1?
Yes. Certificates of Compliance issued by TWIA will remain valid and property owners will not have to re-certify those same structures to remain eligible for TWIA insurance, unless they update the structures after being certified.
Questions?
To learn more, please read these frequently asked questions, available on the TWIA website. You may also visit our Changes at TWIA webpage for additional details about this and other legislative changes affecting TWIA.
If you have any questions or concerns not answered on these webpages, our Agent Services team is here to help. Email us at agentservices@twia.org or call us at (800) 231-5360. Due to higher than usual call volume associated with the COVID-19 crisis, please email us for fastest service.
Sincerely,
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association
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