Roof Age and Florida Insurance: What Palm Coast Homeowners Need to Know
In Palm Coast, the roof decides more home insurance outcomes than any other part of the house. I see it every week. A buyer finds the right house, and then the insurance quote stalls because the roof is 17 years old and nobody can find the permit. With hurricane season winding down, fall is a good time to understand where your roof stands before your renewal or your next sale.
What Florida law says about roof age
Florida has a specific law on this, section 627.7011 of the Florida Statutes. In plain terms:
If your roof is less than 15 years old, a homeowners insurer can't refuse to write or renew your policy solely because of the roof's age.
If your roof is 15 years or older, the insurer has to let you get a roof inspection from an authorized inspector, at your own expense, before it requires a new roof as a condition of coverage.
If that inspection shows the roof has 5 years or more of useful life left, the insurer can't refuse to write or renew your policy solely because of its age.
A Florida-licensed home inspector is one of the types of authorized inspectors listed in the law, along with contractors, roofers, engineers and architects. The insurer also has to approve the inspector.
There are limits. The law applies to homeowners policies, not mobile home policies, and insurers can still turn down a home for other lawful underwriting reasons. A roof with visible damage or active leaks is a condition problem, not just an age problem. And having 5 years of useful life left doesn't guarantee you a good price. It just means age alone can't be the reason you're turned down.
How roof age is counted
This is where Palm Coast owners get surprised. Under the same law, the roof's age is counted from the last date when 100 percent of the roof was built or replaced. If the roof was replaced in sections over the years, the clock starts on the date of the first partial replacement once the whole surface has been covered.
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation follows a similar approach. When the whole roof wasn't replaced at once, Citizens bases the roof age on the oldest part. So if a previous owner re-roofed the back slope after a storm but left the front alone, the front sets the age.
Citizens' roof rules
Many Flagler County homes end up with Citizens, so it helps to know its published roof rules. Citizens asks for proof of a full roof replacement when a shingle or other soft roof is more than 25 years old, or when a tile, slate, concrete or metal roof is more than 50 years old. Acceptable proof is a finalized roof permit or a paid-in-full roofing contract, work order or receipt.
If the roof is past those ages and hasn't been replaced, Citizens may still accept the home if a 4-point inspection or roof inspection form shows at least 5 years of remaining useful life. Citizens also says roof coatings and sealants don't count as a roof replacement.
Citizens also requires a 4-point inspection for applications on homes more than 20 years old, and the roof is one of the four systems on that report. That's one reason I include a free 4-point report with every full home inspection.
The 25 percent repair rule
After a storm, you may hear that if more than 25 percent of a roof is damaged, the whole thing has to be replaced. The Florida Building Code limits repairs to 25 percent of a roof section in any 12-month period unless the whole roof meets the current code. But Florida law (section 553.844) now makes an exception: if the existing roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition, only the part being repaired has to meet the current code. Roofs installed before that code took effect don't get the exception. Your roofer and the City of Palm Coast or Flagler County building department can tell you what applies to your roof.
What I look at on your roof
When I inspect a roof in Palm Coast, I'm documenting what an underwriter will ask about, and looking for problems that cost you money later. That includes:
The roof covering type and its overall condition: missing, lifted or cracked shingles, granule loss, and slipped or broken tiles.
Flashing at walls, chimneys, skylights and vents, along with the boots around plumbing vents.
Signs of past patches or partial replacements that can affect how the roof age is counted.
Staining, damp spots or daylight in the attic, and the condition of the roof decking I can see from inside.
Gutters, soffits and fascia, where water and pests tend to get in.
The free infrared scan that comes with every full inspection helps me spot temperature differences on ceilings that can point to moisture from a slow roof leak. I follow up with a moisture meter. I'll also give you an honest read on condition. If the roof needs a roofer's opinion, I'll tell you that too.
Practical steps before you buy, sell or renew
Find the roof permit. The City of Palm Coast and Flagler County both keep building permit records, and a finalized permit with a date is the strongest proof of roof age you can have.
Keep the roofer's contract and paid receipt with your house papers.
Buyers: get insurance quotes early in your inspection period, not the week of closing.
Sellers: if your roof is close to 15, 20 or 25 years old, gather the paperwork before you list so buyers' insurers have what they need.
After any storm, walk around the house and look for shingles or tiles on the ground, and check your ceilings for new stains.
Schedule your inspection with Pointer
Pointer Home Inspections is owned by John Brea, a Florida-licensed home inspector (HI16531) and InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspector with more than 30 years in construction. Every full home inspection includes a free whole-house infrared scan, a free wind mitigation report and a free 4-point report, and your report arrives the next morning. We serve Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Bunnell, Ormond Beach and the rest of Flagler and Volusia counties, in English or Spanish.
Call (386) 414-7500, email jbrea@pointerhomeinspections.com, or book on our Schedule Now page.
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