Flood survey request have become more frequent the last couple years due to the updated FEMA mapping in the area and as result the pricing has become pretty competitive. In the past when a home has end up being above the BFE and the client wants to apply for a LOMA (MT-EZ), I've provided both an elevation certificate and a LOMA application and charged for both. To become a little more competitive I've been contemplating only providing just the EC or just the MT-EZ depending on if the client wishes to carry insurance or not. This way if it's just a straight forward MT-EZ LOMA and I don't feel an EC is need to support the LOMA request I can just charge for the preparation of one form. What do you guys provide and how do you approach the pricing? I'm not looking for what is charged, just if you provide both forms or not.
Kelly Dunford
You might consider an eLOMA.
http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=2230
eLOMA: Electronic Letters of Map Amendment
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in association with the National Service Provider (NSP), designed a new interactive online determination tool for requests for Letters of Map Amendment (LOMAs) called eLOMA. eLOMA is a web-based application within the FEMA Mapping Information Platform that provides Licensed Professionals (i.e., licensed land surveyors and professional engineers) with a system to submit simple LOMA requests to FEMA. This tool is designed to make determinations based on the information submitted by the Licensed Professionals and allow them to generate a determination from FEMA in minutes. These documents are current as of November 2010.
DDSM
I absolutely despise these forms and the process that goes along with it. I'm repeatedly asked to complete Elevation Certificates for flood insurance purposes. They eventually all get rejected by the insurance company or bank, and then I'm asked to file a LOMA instead. It seems that EC's are worthless and I wonder why they even exist if no one will utilize them for what they are intended.
We always do a EC in support of all LOMA requests. I just tell the people that while it is not required it limits requests for additional info (which I believe it does). I simply quote them a straight fee for completing the field and office work for both forms, if they just want an EC it is a bit less.
I love the idea of the eLOMA but the area we do most of these in seems to have mainly Zone A's so we can't usually use it and every time we do we seem to get audited.
VERY IMPORTANT
Strongly advise 99 percent of your clients requesting LOMA's to consider purchasing flood insurance anyway as it will be very inexpensive compared to finding out what happens when the actual flood level exceeds the magic numbers being used to qualify for a LOMA. We did a LOMA for a school principal who was tired of being told what to do by his lender. His house was about 1.2 feet above the magic number. He neglected to tell the river that, because, about three months later, he had 11 inches of water in his house (above the actual floor) for three days before going down.
VERY IMPORTANT
I always tell them to keep their insurance, problem is nobody wants to hear it. They just don't want to pay however may thousands of dollars for the insurance. Most of the people I deal with are in Zone A so they end up way above the BFE anyway.