What is Home Hardening
• Build resistant materials and home features that protect a home from catching fire.
• Cal Fire and Cannon Inspection Services urges all homeowners within fire hazards to make needed home hardening retro-fits.
Flying embers can and will destroy a home up to a mile away from an active wildfire
Cannon Home Inspections recommend Home Hardening Steps
• Replace wood shingle roof
• Cover eaves with metal mesh
• Remove combustible landscaping within 5 feet of home
• Install dual paned tempered glass windows
• Walls made of resistant materials, not boards or shingles
• Decks and patio covers made of resistant materials
• Screen or enclosed rain gutters to preventer debris from enter home or settling on rain gutters
• Chimney outlet covered with a metal screen
• Fix loose or missing bird stop or eave closures
Home Hardening Law Disclosure
• Created by Assembly Bill 38 (AB-38) in 2019
•Effective as if January 1st, 2021
• Applies to -
• Residential 1 to 4 unit properties, including manufactured homes and condos
• Built before 2010
* Same cancellation rights and exemptions as TDS (Transfer Disclosure Statement) including sales involving prorate, REO's, foreclosures, bankruptcies and some types of trusts
What does the disclosure include?
• Required general notice about home hardening
• Seller must answer questions specifying which home hardening features the home lacks that make the home vulnerable to wildfire and flying embers
•Disclosure is based on the seller's actual knowledge
• Use C.A.R for HHDA
Home Hardening Disclosure & Advisory Form
Determining Whether The Property Is In A High Or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone
Option #1 -
• View the NHD (Natural Hazard Disclosure) statement to see if either of the boxes pertaining to fire zones have been checked
• If either of the boxes has been checked, it is safe to presume the property qualifies. and an agent may recommend seller fill out the home hardening disclosure
Option #2 -
• Seek the guidance of a reputable NHD (Natural Hazard Disclosure) company
• A representative of such a company may be able to point out to specifically where within the NHD report it states which type of fire hazard severity zone, if any, that the property is located in
Option #3 -
• Cal Fire has a made a available a "Fire Hazard Severity Zone Viewer" (FHSZ Viewer) to allow anyone to input the property address and determine which fire hazard severity zone, if any, the property is located in
• FHSZ Viewer is a available at
https://egisfire.ca.gov/FHSZ/
* Note: Agents should not check the maps, or draw conclusions based upon those maps, for the seller. Limit help to providing the FHSZ link.
Considerations
• Form HHDA (Home Hardening Disclosure Advisory) should be delivered with other seller disclosures. It carries the same cancelation rights to TDS
• Even if the property is not located in one of the fire zones, if the property is located in or near a mountainous area, forest-covered lands, brush covered lands, grass-covered lands or land that is covered with flammable material, the seller may want to provide the HHDA (Home Hardening Disclosure Advisory) to disclose material facts
• Seller may also want to provide the disclosure if they are unable to determine if the property is in a fire zone
For all your Home Hardening and Defensible Space needs in Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, San Diego, Inland Empire, Orange County or surrounding areas contact Cannon Inspection Services, we look forward to keep your properties safe and out of harms way.