Roof repair in Bloomingdale, FL

Under Florida's code, repairs within any 12-month period are limited to 25 percent of a roof or roof section. If the repairs you need grow past that limit, you have to replace the whole roof or the affected section. A Bloomingdale roof that was itself redone to the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition gets relief: only the repaired part must meet current code, and Hillsborough County cannot amend that by ordinance.

Your roof's age matters for insurance too. If your roof is 15 years or older, your insurer must allow an authorized inspector to examine it, and you cover the cost. When the inspector finds 5 or more years of useful life remaining, the insurer cannot refuse coverage or non-renew based only on age. Your insurer or agent can tell you how that rule fits your particular policy.

You pull permits through the Hillsborough County building office, since Bloomingdale is unincorporated. Minor repairs may go without a permit only if the building official agrees, so ask the county before you start.

• Stay off the roof and check from the ground for missing shingles or lifted ridge caps.
• Look at ceilings and the attic for stains, which show where water got in.
• Photograph damage before moving anything, then cover openings with tarps only from a safe position.
• Before signing anything, look up the contractor's license with the state.

If damage might be an insurance matter, call your insurer or agent first. Roofing contractors in Florida are barred by law from soliciting claims or giving advice about coverage. New or reopened claims must reach your insurer within 1 year of the date of loss.