Posted on March 25, 2010.
/ Certificate WIFO FEMA flood elevation? In 2005, I bought a house that was near a stream. However, in the communications receiver for the property, it was said, the city had renovated the creek and the property was outside the FEMA floodplain. I have a letter from FEMA and a report from an agency states that it was outside the flood zone.
Recently I refi my house and the new mortgage company is now saying FEMA list my house in the area of special flood hazards and I am required to purchase insurance against floods. I sent them all the documents of the advertising, but they say the flood maps from FEMA in 2009 supersedes the previous maps.
The mortgage company said I can ask FEMA to review their flood map, but looking at the application, it seems too complicated.
Does anyone have experience with this?
Can someone guide me through the steps I should take?
Thank you in advance!
Communities get remapped few years. It is very likey that your property, in fact, was not in a flood zone at high risk before, but it is now.
You will not be able to get FEMA to revise their flood hazard maps in the near future. It is much easier - and cheaper - to just pay a surveyor to survey your own home, and you get a new certificate altitude. It is still going to cost you maybe $ 1,000 to $ 1,500, but it will be cheaper than years of insurance against floods.
Not to say, being near a stream, it is a bad idea to actually insurance against floods CARRY. It's probably a good idea - but you will get a much lower rate, if your house is higher than most FEMA believes it is now.
Step 1 - you hire a surveyor for a new elevation certificate.
Step 2 - add this certificate to your agent
Step 3 - have them turn it in to the NFIP for a zoning application to your local flood.
Go to your county office of the City / dealing planing floods and ask to see the current FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for your community. The staff can help you locate your specific property and see what is in the area by map.
If the material you have been based on a card that is being replaced, you must request a new letter of map amendment. This happens sometimes when a new business is issued for a community.
