{"id":12346,"date":"2025-10-06T08:07:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T12:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/?p=12346"},"modified":"2026-04-16T16:13:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T20:13:13","slug":"florida-roof-age-rules-and-insurance-nonrenewals-what-homeowners-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/2025\/florida-roof-age-rules-and-insurance-nonrenewals-what-homeowners-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Roof Age Rules and Insurance Nonrenewals: What Homeowners Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re a Florida homeowner, the age of your roof could affect your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-homeowners-insurance\">home insurance<\/a> renewal. As insurers tighten their underwriting criteria, older roofs are facing new scrutiny. But what exactly are the rules? What rights do you have? And what can you do to protect your coverage?<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Florida Law Says About Roof Age<\/h3>\n<p>Florida law offers some protection for homeowners. According to <strong>Florida Statute 627.7011<\/strong>, insurers <strong>cannot deny or nonrenew<\/strong> a homeowners policy <strong>solely because the roof is less than 15 years old<\/strong>. If your roof is <strong>15 years or older<\/strong>, you have the right to submit a roof inspection showing at least <strong>5 years of remaining useful life (RUL)<\/strong>. If that report is accepted, the insurer must continue coverage.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>This inspection can be conducted by an \u201cauthorized inspector,\u201d now including licensed roofing contractors under <strong>House Bill 1611<\/strong>, effective July 2024.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Nonrenewals Are Playing Out in Practice<\/h3>\n<p>Recent reporting from <strong>Tampa Bay Times<\/strong> (Aug 2025) and <strong>WPTV<\/strong> (2024) shows many homeowners are being pushed to replace roofs earlier than expected. Some receive nonrenewal letters or are warned their aging roof may impact future coverage\u2014even when the roof is still functional.<\/p>\n<p>A report by <strong>Axios Tampa Bay<\/strong> (June 2025) noted that <strong>Citizens <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-commercial-property-insurance\">Property Insurance<\/a><\/strong> dropped 90,000 policies in the Tampa Bay area alone. While not all were due to roof age, many involved risk exposure factors tied to older roofs.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Changed in the Past Year?<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Florida Roof Rule Updates: Last 12 Months<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Citizens adopted a one-time <strong>Roof Age Eligibility Exception<\/strong> for commercial properties (Jun 2024)<\/li>\n<li>HB 1611 expanded inspector options and increased insurer reporting requirements (Jul 2024)<\/li>\n<li>Tampa Bay media spotlighted rising homeowner concern over older roofs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Roof Age Matters to Insurers<\/h3>\n<p>Roofs are one of the largest claims drivers during hurricane season. Older roofs\u2014especially those with asphalt shingles\u2014may not meet modern wind resistance standards. Insurers factor this into their underwriting decisions.<\/p>\n<p>Insurify and WUSF reported in July 2025 that <strong>Florida leads the U.S. in home insurance nonrenewals<\/strong>, with a 280% increase since 2018. Though roof age isn\u2019t always the main factor, it\u2019s commonly cited.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Homeowners Can Do<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Know your roof\u2019s age<\/strong> and keep records of replacements or major repairs<\/li>\n<li><strong>Get an inspection<\/strong> if your roof is 15+ years old<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use a licensed roofing contractor<\/strong> to document remaining useful life<\/li>\n<li><strong>Upgrade roofing materials<\/strong> where possible to meet Florida Building Code<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check Citizens\u2019 roof age exception<\/strong> rules if you\u2019re a policyholder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Consumer Rights and Protection<\/h3>\n<p>Under current law, your insurer must provide a <strong>reason<\/strong> for any nonrenewal. If your roof is under 15 years old, and you receive a nonrenewal notice citing roof age, you may have legal grounds to challenge it.<\/p>\n<p>The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) requires insurers to notify the state when nonrenewing more than 10,000 policies\u2014but these notices don\u2019t break down reasons publicly.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Word: Stay Ahead of Roof Age Issues<\/h3>\n<p>In Florida, roof age is no longer just a maintenance issue\u2026 it\u2019s a key part of insurance eligibility. Don\u2019t wait for a nonrenewal letter. Talk to your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-insurance-agent-search\">insurance agent<\/a>, check your roof\u2019s age, and get ahead of any inspection needs.<\/p>\n<p>For help understanding your policy or setting up a roof inspection, contact your local <strong>GreatFlorida Insurance<\/strong> agent today.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<p><strong>Florida Compliance Note:<\/strong> This article provides general guidance. For exact policy terms or legal interpretations, refer to your policy documents or visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.floir.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.floir.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)<\/h3>\n<p><strong>1. What is Florida\u2019s 15-year roof rule?<\/strong><br \/>It prevents insurers from refusing to cover a home solely because the roof is under 15 years old. For roofs 15+ years old, homeowners can get an inspection to show 5+ years of remaining life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Can my insurance be canceled because my roof is old?<\/strong><br \/>Yes, but only if the roof is 15+ years old and does not pass a certified inspection showing sufficient remaining life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. What is a roof\u2019s Remaining Useful Life (RUL)?<\/strong><br \/>RUL is the estimated number of years your roof will last based on a certified inspection.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Who can inspect my roof for insurance in Florida?<\/strong><br \/>Licensed roofing or general contractors, home inspectors, or engineers\u2014per HB 1611 passed in 2024.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. What should I do if I get a nonrenewal notice?<\/strong><br \/>Contact your agent, request the reason in writing, and if it\u2019s due to roof age, consider submitting an RUL inspection.<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\n\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n\"mainEntity\": [\n{\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What is Florida's 15-year roof rule?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"It prevents insurers from refusing to cover a home solely because the roof is under 15 years old. 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As insurers tighten their underwriting criteria, older roofs are facing new scrutiny. But what exactly are the rules? What rights do you have? And what can you do to protect your coverage? What Florida Law Says About Roof Age [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1219,"featured_media":12356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12346","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-homeowners-insurance","8":"category-floridainsurance"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1219"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12346"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13574,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12346\/revisions\/13574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}