Roof age and your Florida homeowners insurance
The 15-year rule in s. 627.7011, how roof age is counted, and how an inspection can keep your policy.
In Florida, the age of your roof affects whether an insurer will write or renew your homeowners policy. Since 2022, state law puts limits on how insurers can use roof age. Here is what the statute says and what to do if your roof is getting old.
Roofs under 15 years old
Section 627.7011(5), Florida Statutes, says an insurer may not refuse to issue or refuse to renew a homeowner's policy on a residential structure with a roof less than 15 years old solely because of the age of the roof. The insurer may still decline for other reasons — condition, damage, underwriting guidelines unrelated to age — but age alone is not enough.
Roofs 15 years or older
For a roof at least 15 years old, the insurer must let you have the roof inspected, at your expense, by an authorized inspector before requiring replacement. If the inspection shows the roof has at least five years of useful life remaining, the insurer may not refuse to issue or renew the policy solely because of roof age.
These protections apply to homeowners' policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2022.
How roof age is counted
The statute says roof age is measured from the last date on which 100 percent of the roof's surface was built or replaced under the building code then in effect. If the roof was replaced in stages, age runs from the first partial replacement once the stages together covered the whole roof. That is why a patched roof does not "reset" its age, and why a permit record for a full re-roof is valuable.
What an inspection looks like
Insurers commonly ask for a four-point inspection (roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC) on older homes, and a roof condition certification for older roofs. Ask your insurer exactly which form and which kind of inspector they accept before you book one. Licensed home inspectors, general contractors, building contractors and roofing contractors are commonly accepted, but the insurer's guidelines decide.
The wind mitigation inspection is different
A wind mitigation inspection, recorded on the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802), documents features that reduce wind damage — roof covering, roof-deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, roof shape, secondary water barrier and opening protection. Under s. 627.0629, insurers must offer discounts for qualifying features. The form is valid for up to five years if the house isn't materially changed. A new roof is the best moment to get one, because the roofer's permit and nailing pattern are fresh.
Planning a replacement around insurance
- Find your last full re-roof permit date at your building department's permit search.
- If your roof is approaching 15 years, get an inspection early, before your renewal notice arrives, so you have time to act.
- If you replace the roof, keep the permit, the final inspection record, the contract and the product approval numbers. Send the permit and final inspection to your insurer and ask for a new wind mitigation inspection.
- Hire an actively licensed roofing contractor. Insurers and building departments both check.
Watch out for roof-claim pitches
Since policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, Florida homeowners can no longer assign post-loss property insurance benefits to a contractor (s. 627.7152(13)); any such assignment is void. Section 489.147 also bars roofers from offering gifts, cash or deductible waivers for letting them inspect your roof or file a claim, and from interpreting your policy or negotiating your claim unless they are licensed public adjusters. If someone knocks on your door offering a "free roof", those laws are worth remembering.
Sources
- s. 627.7011, Florida Statutes (roof age).
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation — wind mitigation resources.
- s. 627.7152 (assignment agreements) and s. 489.147 (prohibited property insurance practices).