Roof inspections in Cocoa Beach, FL

Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5) sets the line at 15 years. An insurer may not refuse to write or renew a homeowner's policy solely because the roof is under that age. Once a roof reaches 15 years, you may hire an authorized inspector, at your own expense, before the insurer requires replacement. A report of 5 or more years of useful life left limits the insurer's ability to refuse or non-renew for age alone. Policies issued or renewed since July 1, 2022 fall under this wording, which matters for a Cocoa Beach house with a 1975 median build year.

The insurer must accept the inspector. State law names licensed home inspectors, building code inspectors, licensed contractors, engineers and architects, plus anyone else the insurer recognizes. The 4-point form's roof section records the covering, roof age, remaining useful life, last permit date, any partial replacement and the condition. Citizens Property Insurance, a state-backed insurer, wants documented remaining life for shingle roofs older than 25 years.

Questions about what your own Cocoa Beach policy covers belong with your agent or carrier. We can describe the roof's condition. How an insurer treats that condition is its decision.

An inspector looks at what the forms ask about: cracking, curling, granule loss, exposed asphalt or felt, missing or loose tabs, soft decking and leaks in the attic or on ceilings. For a wind mitigation form, the inspector also photographs attic items you cannot see, such as deck nailing and roof-to-wall connectors. The current form, OIR-B1-1802, stays valid for up to five years if the structure has not materially changed.

• Buying or selling, so both sides know the roof's remaining life.
• You receive an insurer letter citing roof age.
• A storm passes. An EF-1 tornado hit Cocoa Beach on Oct. 9, 2024, with partial roof loss in a residential area at 80 to 90 mph.
• Your wind mitigation form is near the end of its five years.

Roof permits are handled by the City of Cocoa Beach Building Division. Ask it for your address's permit history, which helps date the roof. Brevard County also publishes address-level wind speed maps that tell you the design wind speed for your home.