Hello: This is Joe, your friendly, handsome, neighborhood surveyor (o.k. I made that part up).
Caller: uh, yeah I need a copy of a flood certificate your office did in 1992
Me: 1992??!
Caller: Yeah, your office did it for 29 Main Street. I need a copy for flood insurance purposes.
Me: I see. Well, a couple things 1) We don't usually release flood certificates that are that old for a new flood policy, and to be honest I don't even know if we have a copy of it to give you and, 2) I'm not sure FEMA will accept a flood certificate that is from 1992.
Caller: Soooo you won't give me a copy?
Me: I'd like to help you out, but in this case I think I'd have to do the work necessary to complete a new certificate.
Caller: How much does that cost??
Me: Well, to complete a new one, which includes all field work and office time to fill it out is $x
Caller: Click...
Happens all the time...flood certs I do not get often because I charge $850 minimum and there's guys around here doing them for $300..
Some guy wanted me to do one of those for very little money and the county said I had to find the overland relief because the general area is low. The overland relief could be miles away.
I said no thanks find somebody else.
There are two issues here.
One is the 1992 issue.
"I'm sorry but 1992 certifications are expired."
That would be my simple response. No other explanation.
"well what do you mean 'expired'?"
"Well, if you had a physical, a dental x-ray, a credit report in 1992, it would be expired, right?"
That's how I would handle the 1992 issue. Full disclosure: I have only done reports as part of major public works projects, not for individuals. I'd handle it the same in any case.
Second is the money issue. You can play a lot of games but in the end the money issue is entirely up to you.
I was just told today that flood certificates in ft Myers can be had for $85. Un real.
??? $85 ???
That's not right.
> There are two issues here.
>
> One is the 1992 issue.
>
> "I'm sorry but 1992 certifications are expired."
>
> That would be my simple response. No other explanation.
>
> "well what do you mean 'expired'?"
>
> "Well, if you had a physical, a dental x-ray, a credit report in 1992, it would be expired, right?"
>
> That's how I would handle the 1992 issue. Full disclosure: I have only done reports as part of major public works projects, not for individuals. I'd handle it the same in any case.
>
> Second is the money issue. You can play a lot of games but in the end the money issue is entirely up to you.
The Elevation Cert from 1992 is not expired if the insurance agent is willing to accept it, to give them a flood policy. Just like a survey from 1992 is still be current. A Dentist could use the X-ray from 1992 to compare it to a current one to see how the teeth have changed.
You can tell him the FEMA Flood Maps in his area may have changed since 1992 and you may be in a different Flood Zone, the form is different than it was in 1992
"We don't usually release flood certificates that are that old for a new flood policy, "...
That is an interesting response. I am in the business of selling information, and if someone wants to buy some information from 1992 from me that's fine. If they want to submit it as current information that is none of my concern.
Elev. Certificates never expire. Let assume someone built to the required BFE in 1992. New maps now show the BFE is a foot higher so with a new certificate they would rated as a -1 instead of a 0, which would increase their insurance rates.
Because they built to the required BFE in 1992 FEMA does not want to penalize someone on insurance rates because of new maps so they allow the use of old certificates.
Of course all this assumes no improvments were done.
Any information in my office which I consider to be expired is expired. Period.
That holds pretty well until NEW FEMA maps are issued and the lenders all DEMAND new elevation certificates or they demand payoff of the mortgages ASAP. The lenders are the ones who force the issue, not FEMA.
We've done close to 50 elevation certificates in the past two years for that very reason. Many have been for situations where the house is very clearly not in the flood zone although some portions of the property are. When the mortgage was started, the lender knew the house wasn't a problem so chose to set aside the need for the borrower to get flood insurance. Suddenly, people who've been paying on a 30-year note for 27 years are being forced to have an elevation cert to determine whether or not flood insurance should be obtained to protect the lender just so the lender can check off a little box on their list of mandatory items.
Another clinker hits when a flood happens. The property owner who met the conditions in 1992, or some other distant year, cannot repair their damage without meeting today's rules. This problem is compounded by the necessity to spend no more than 50 percent of the home's pre-flood value.