Hurricane resilience should be a key consideration for people buying property in the Cayman Islands, according to insights from ERA Cayman.
The experience of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 led to changes in Cayman’s building standards and planning practices that continue to shape how properties are assessed today.
The Cayman Islands Government overhauled its disaster response and building regulations following the storm, ERA real estate agent Janet Chisholm said.
The changes included the introduction of the 2006 Building Code Regulations and more comprehensive inspections by the Planning Department’s Building Control Unit.
Among the changes were requirements for hurricane straps to connect rafters directly to wall plates to help prevent roof uplift during high winds. Metal roofing systems designed to withstand severe weather also became more widely used.
Cayman’s building codes have since been updated several times.
ERA real estate agent Rick Burgos said the Cayman Islands Building Code is designed “to meet modern international standards and address local conditions”.
Cayman also used the Miami-Dade County Building Code as a reference point for home construction.
Chisholm said this helped increase structural confidence in relation to flooding and the ability of doors, windows and structures to withstand hurricane-force winds.
For buyers, ERA recommends looking beyond the appearance of a property.
Chisholm points to impact glass, hurricane shutters, hip roofs, reinforced concrete and elevated foundations, while Burgos recommends checking site and foundation elevation as well as hurricane impact-rated windows and doors.
Burgos also advises buyers to consider energy-efficient construction and insulation and to “stay away from wood construction”.
He said most banks will not finance wooden construction, making the type of construction relevant to both financing and future marketability.
A property’s construction date can provide a starting point for determining whether it was built after Ivan.
Chisholm recommends obtaining the Certificate of Occupancy date from the Planning Department and checking the attic for hurricane straps connecting the roof structure to the walls.
ERA agent Kristina King said post-Ivan requirements included finished-floor levels of seven feet above mean sea level near the sea or canals and five feet elsewhere.
She said “most builders are going above and beyond those minimum requirements to further reduce flood risk”.
ERA recommends professional due diligence before a purchase.
Burgos advises “attorney pre-contract inquiries and inspection surveys”, while luxury property specialist EJ Bodden recommends reviewing the property survey and finished-floor elevation and, where appropriate, having “an engineer or other qualified professional assess the site”.
ERA also cautions against assuming that newer properties are automatically safer.
King said older properties can be as safe as newer ones if they have been properly maintained and upgraded, including with hurricane-rated windows and doors.
Structural issues may not always be visible.
Chisholm warns that “cosmetic fixes often hide deeply expensive structural liabilities” and advises buyers to look for concrete spalling, structural cracks and rust stains that could indicate corrosion of reinforcing steel.
Location is another consideration, but ERA says there is no single neighbourhood on Grand Cayman that can be considered hurricane-proof.
Bodden advises buyers to assess “elevation, finished-floor height, surrounding topography, drainage, shoreline exposure, and the building’s construction” rather than judging risk by distance from the water alone.
ERA identifies Red Bay, Prospect, South Sound and canal-front communities including Snug Harbour, Canal Point and Governor’s Harbour as areas where flooding and storm surge require particular attention.
Cayman Kai, Rum Point, Seven Mile Beach and coastal areas of West Bay also have different forms of exposure.
Elevation can be particularly important when assessing flood risk. Burgos recommends a level “greater than 8 to 10 feet”, while Chisholm said: “Water cannot flow uphill. Higher ground should therefore be the first choice.”
For buyers, ERA’s guidance is to assess the individual property rather than rely on its age or proximity to the coast.
Construction, elevation, location, maintenance history and previous upgrades all form part of that assessment.
