Orange woman shares how home inspection got her free roof

ORLANDO, Fla. — With it officially being hurricane season, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando and Osceola County is encouraging homeowners in the Orlando area to take initiatives to prevent potential storm damage to their homes.

It offers home inspection and roof repair programs that can help some property owners with that process.

“The inspections that we are doing are also free of charge and open to the public. We’re taking applications right now, and you can get a free voucher for a wind mitigation inspection and a four-point inspection and then show that to your insurance company or go shop for new insurance,” said Jenny Babcock, the director of marketing and communications with Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando and Osceola County.

Babcock said on average, people that have joined these programs are saving an average $900 annually on their home insurance premiums after getting a roof repair.

Merlenda Senatus, a homeowner in Orange County, experienced this support firsthand. She became a homeowner in 2016 and was not affiliated with Habitat for Humanity at all until she decided to take part in one of its “Habitat U” classes this past November.

“I did a home maintenance class, and that’s how I kind of got introduced to a program that would actually, you know, help me replace my roof,” she said.

Senatus said after Hurricane Irma, she began to notice roof leakage in her home.

“I said, for me, I know that I had that moisture, and I know that I was getting like some moldy spots and I’m like, ‘I just I know getting this roof repaired would eliminate all of these issues’,” she said.

However, Senatus said she had multiple insurance claims denials, and getting a new roof did not seem feasible for her.

Senatus said, “I really kind of gave up. I was like, ‘I’m just going to have to save up enough money, probably go in debt, trying to get my roof replaced’.”

However, through taking part in the Habitat U classes, she was able to get connected to a counselor through the nonprofit.

“So, while being in the class, I actually, I was explaining, ‘Hey, I got this problem. I’m going to have some roof leakage.’ I was very interested in the program because not only did I have moisture coming into my house, like I have a child that has asthma. So, it affected us in a family all in whole,” Senatus said.

She continued, “When the moisture started to arise, I noticed that he was starting to do more sniffling and stuffing and having a lot of, like, respiration kind of like issues: breathing hard, always seeming like he was sick.”

Senatus said these factors opened doors for her to get a free home inspection through the Habitat program, which revealed that she needed a new roof.

In Senatus’ case alone, she said she is saving roughly $1,500 now on her insurance premiums. Additionally, she was given a new roof for free. The construction on this project wrapped up early summer.

“It’s just made a big impact on me, my family, my kids,” Senatus said. “Just us all in general to be able to, you know, come home to a home where it feels like a home, and nothing is like leaking or having the moisture.

The inspections and roof repair programs are not only for Habitat for Humanity clients. They are for anyone in the public who qualifies, just like Senatus.

“So, it’s really important to get your home assessed now, see if you have any underlying issues that you need to correct and also apply for those free inspections. So, we’re taking applications right now. There’s some income criteria that you have to meet and the place that you live has to be within our coverage area, but you can apply,” Babcock said.

“Housing really is the cornerstone of community progress and how where you live really affects other aspects of your life, such as your health that we saw with Merenda’s son.”