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Inspections ยท Biscayne Gardens

Roof inspections in Biscayne Gardens, FL

In Biscayne Gardens, 16.9 percent of residents are 65 or older, and many of them live in homes built long ago. The median home here dates to 1965, which suggests plenty of roofs have been replaced at least once. Florida's 15-year insurance rule makes the age of that roof matter.

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Updated October 2026

Top-down drone view of a gray-blend shingle roof with ridges, valleys and roof vents, lawn on both sides and a white fence at the left edge.

Biscayne Gardens figures this page uses

Share of homes built before 1980
77.8%
Median year homes were built
1965
Mobile homes, share of housing units
0.7%
Owner-occupied share of occupied homes
52.9%

Housing age

Roof age across a neighborhood built mostly before 1980

Here, 77.8 percent of housing units were built before 1980, against 49.6 percent across Miami-Dade County. The median year built is 1965, while the county median is 1980. A home that old has likely had its roof replaced, but the date of that work is what an insurer will ask about.

Only 0.7 percent of units here are mobile homes. Nearly every roof is therefore judged under the Florida Building Code and its High Velocity Hurricane Zone rules, which Miami-Dade County falls under. Owners hold 5,913 of the 11,187 occupied homes, so many roof decisions belong to the people who live under them.

The 15-year rule

The 15-year rule and the roof section of the 4-point form

Under Florida Statute 627.7011(5), a roof under 15 years old cannot be the sole reason for a refusal to issue or renew your homeowner's policy. Once the roof reaches 15 years, your insurer must allow you to hire an authorized inspector, paid for by you, before it requires replacement. A report showing 5 or more years of useful life left bars refusal or non-renewal for age alone.

For a Biscayne Gardens home, the 4-point form's roof section asks for the covering material, roof age, remaining life, date of the last roofing permit, and overall condition. Citizens requires that inspection for properties more than 20 years old. It also wants proof of five years of remaining life on soft roofs older than 25 years and hard roofs older than 50.

What a policy pays is between you and your insurer or agent. An inspection report describes the roof and does not decide that.

Inspection basics

Inspection contents and the moments that call for one

An inspector works through the damage list insurers use: cracking, curling, heavy granule loss, exposed felt, loose or missing tabs and tiles, soft decking, and leaks in the attic or on ceilings. For a wind mitigation form, the inspector also records attic items you cannot see, such as deck nailing and roof-to-wall connectors, with photos.

  • Buying or selling a home from the 1965-era housing stock here, so roof age and condition are on paper.
  • Receiving an insurer letter that questions the roof's age.
  • After a storm, to document damage before any repair.
  • Wanting the wind mitigation form, which stays valid for up to five years if nothing changes.
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Questions

Roof inspections in Biscayne Gardens: questions

Does my insurer have to accept my roof inspection in Biscayne Gardens?

For a roof 15 years or older, Florida law says the insurer must allow you to have an authorized inspector check it at your expense. With 5 or more years of useful life shown, the insurer may not refuse or non-renew over roof age alone. With 77.8 percent of local homes built before 1980, many owners here may reach this point. Ask your insurer or agent who counts as an authorized inspector.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Who can sign a roof inspection for my insurer?

The Citizens roof inspection form must be signed by a general, residential, building or roofing contractor, a building code inspector, or a Florida-licensed home inspector, with photos of each roof slope. For the 15-year rule, the inspector must also be recognized by your insurer. In Biscayne Gardens, where the median home dates to 1965, confirm your insurer's requirements before you hire anyone, since the insurer decides who qualifies.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

How long is a wind mitigation inspection good for?

The current form, OIR-B1-1802, is valid for up to five years provided no material changes are made to the structure and no inaccuracies are found. It records items such as roof covering, deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections and opening protection. Homes in Miami-Dade County sit in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, which the form treats as its own wind region. Your insurer's website lists its own hurricane mitigation discounts.

Source: Florida Building Commission, 'Setting New Standards for Safety: The Florida Building Code' (2004 publication; wind-speed figures in it are outdated and not used), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Can a roofer tell me to file an insurance claim after a storm?

No. Florida Statute 489.147 bars roofing contractors from urging a roof-damage claim in advertisements, from offering anything of value for an inspection or claim, and from advising on coverage unless licensed as a public adjuster. A new claim must also reach your insurer within 1 year of the date of loss. If a storm like Hurricane Irma in 2017 hits Miami-Dade again, talk to your insurer or agent about coverage and deadlines.

Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Nearby

Roof inspections near Biscayne Gardens

Sources for this page(35)
  1. 1.Share of homes built before 1980: 77.8%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  2. 2.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  3. 3.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  4. 4.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, B25034, B25024, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  5. 5.Median year homes were built: 1965. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  6. 6.Mobile homes, share of housing units: 0.7%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25024, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  7. 7.Florida Building Commission, 'Setting New Standards for Safety: The Florida Building Code' (2004 publication; wind-speed figures in it are outdated and not used). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  8. 8.Owner-occupied share of occupied homes: 52.9% (5,913 of 11,187). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25003, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  9. 9.Residents 65 and older: 16.9%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B01001, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  10. 10.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25004, B01001, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  11. 11.Hurricane Irma (2017). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  12. 12.Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  13. 13.Insp4pt 03 25. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  14. 14.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  15. 15.Citizens 4-Point Inspection Form, Sample Form Insp4pt 03 25. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  16. 16.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  17. 17.OIR form. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  18. 18.Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  19. 19.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  20. 20.Florida Statutes, section 627.0629 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  21. 21.Florida Statutes, section 489.147 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  22. 22.Florida Statutes, section 627.70132 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  23. 23.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  24. 24.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  25. 25.FRSA, "New 2023 FBC Eighth Edition is Now in Effect", 2024-02-13, floridaroof.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  26. 26.Miami-Dade County RER notice, Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  27. 27.Miami-Dade County Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) - Building & Permits, Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  28. 28.miamidade.gov, miamidade.gov. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  29. 29.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 1 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  30. 30.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  31. 31.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  32. 32.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Climatology, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  33. 33.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Biscayne Gardens 2020 Census internal point (25.9130, -80.2007), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  34. 34.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration 24-hour depth estimates at the Biscayne Gardens 2020 Census internal point (25.9130, -80.2007), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  35. 35.Wikipedia, 'Biscayne Gardens, Florida' (revision 1374140430), Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.

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Roof inspections in Biscayne Gardens

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