Roof inspections in Cape Canaveral, FL

Florida law bars an insurer from dropping or declining a homeowner's policy only because the roof is newer than 15 years. Once a roof reaches 15, you decide whether to hire an authorized inspector at your own cost. A report showing 5 or more years of useful life takes age off the table as the sole reason for refusal or non-renewal.

With 58.6 percent of occupied homes owner-occupied, many Cape Canaveral owners will meet the 4-point form directly. Citizens asks for it on properties over 20 years old, and the roof section lists material, age, remaining life, last permit and damage found. For shingle roofs past 25 years, Citizens wants documented proof of at least five years left.

The state's wind mitigation form, OIR-B1-1802, asks about attic items you cannot see from the ground: roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections and a sealed roof deck. A filled-in form holds for up to five years, as long as the structure is unchanged. What any discount or coverage means for you is a question for your insurer or agent.

The inspector walks every slope and the attic looking for curling, soft decking, exposed felt, heavy granule loss and stains from leaks. Each slope is photographed for the report. Those are the same items the insurer forms list, so one visit can serve more than one purpose.

• Before you buy or sell, so the roof condition is known up front.
• When an insurer letter questions the roof's age, as the 15-year rule allows.
• After a storm. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 damaged roof shingles and soffits across Brevard County.
• Before a repair, since the 25 percent rule can turn a patch into a full replacement.

A roof permit question goes to the City of Cape Canaveral Building Division. It also publishes a procedure for HB 803 permit-exemption requests, limited to qualifying single-family projects. Confirm there before any work starts.