Roof repair in Fish Hawk, FL

In any 12-month period, patching in Florida is capped at 25 percent of a roof or roof section. If repairs need to go further than that, the whole roof or the affected section must be replaced or recovered. A Fish Hawk roof escapes that limit only if its own last build, repair or replacement followed the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition. Below that threshold, only the repaired portion has to meet current code.

Only 10.3 percent of Fish Hawk homes were built before 2000, so most roofs here are not from the 1990s. Still, a median build year does not tell you a roof's code edition. Ask your contractor to confirm when your roof was last built or replaced.

Look at insurance age separately. When your roof is 15 years old or more, your insurer must allow an authorized inspector to examine it, with you covering the cost. Age alone cannot be the reason an insurer refuses or non-renews, provided the inspection finds 5 or more years of useful life left.

• Stay off the roof and look from the ground for missing shingles, lifted ridge cap and open vents.
• Check ceilings and the attic for wet insulation, stains and soft spots.
• Before anyone puts a temporary cover on, photograph the damage.
• Keep any written estimate that names the work, the area repaired and the roof section.

Because Fish Hawk is unincorporated, you pull roof permits through the Hillsborough County building office. Ordinary minor repairs may go without a permit only with the building official's approval, so confirm with that office before starting. Florida also bars roofing contractors from soliciting insurance claims or advising on coverage. Ask your insurer or agent what your Fish Hawk policy says.