Inspections ยท Kendall West
Roof inspections in Kendall West, FL
About 21 percent of Kendall West residents are 65 or older, and many of them own homes with roofs they did not choose. The median home here dates to 1986, which suggests a good share of original roofs are well past 15 years. Florida insurers begin raising questions once a roof reaches that age.
Updated October 2026
Kendall West figures this page uses
- Median year homes were built
- 1986
- Share of homes built before 1980
- 17.7%
- Residents 65 and older
- 21%
Roof age
How the 15-year rule applies to your roof
Homes in Kendall West have a median build year of 1986, and 17.7 percent were built before 1980. Those figures describe houses, not roofs. Many roofs have been replaced since. Still, any roof that is 15 years or older is in the range where Florida law gives you a specific right.
Under Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5), your insurer must let you hire an authorized inspector at your own expense before it requires a replacement. If that inspection shows 5 or more years of useful life left, the insurer may not refuse or non-renew you solely because of the roof's age. To learn what your own policy says, ask your insurer or agent.
Citizens Property Insurance sets its own lines. Shingle roofs older than 25 years, or hard roofs such as tile and metal older than 50 years, need documentation of at least five years of remaining life.
Inspection scope
The things an inspector looks at on a roof in Kendall West
On the 4-point form, the roof section lists the covering material, the roof's age, its remaining useful life, the date of the last roofing permit, and whether any replacement was full or partial. Citizens requires a 4-point inspection for properties more than 20 years old, so many homes built around 1986 may be asked for one.
- Cracking, curling or cupping of the covering
- Exposed asphalt or felt along with heavy granule loss
- Missing, loose or cracked tabs or tiles
- Soft spots in the decking
- Some leaks show up as stains on your ceilings, while others are visible only when you look up in the attic.
A separate wind mitigation inspection, on form OIR-B1-1802, looks at attic items you cannot see: deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections and a sealed roof deck. Miami-Dade is in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, so the form's HVHZ category applies here.
Timing
When to order a roof inspection in Kendall West
Order one when an insurer letter questions your roof's age, before you buy or sell, and after a hurricane. Irma left about 1,000 Miami-Dade homes with major damage in 2017, and roof damage is not always visible from the ground. A claim notice must reach your insurer within 1 year of the date of loss.
Roof work here goes through the Miami-Dade County Regulatory and Economic Resources building office, since Kendall West is unincorporated. A roofer may not offer you anything of value for an inspection or advise you on coverage. Fla. Stat. 489.147 sets that limit. Your insurer is the place to ask about coverage.
Questions
Roof inspections in Kendall West: questions
How old is too old for a roof in Kendall West?
Florida law has no single cutoff, but 15 years is the line in Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5). With a roof that old, your insurer must let you have it inspected at your expense. An insurer may not refuse or non-renew solely because of age when the inspection shows 5 or more years of useful life. Kendall West's median home was built in 1986, so many owners should check their roof's actual age and permit history.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API, read Oct 5, 2026
Who can perform the inspection my insurer will accept?
Florida lists an authorized inspector as someone the insurer approves who is a licensed home inspector, a certified building code inspector, a licensed contractor, a professional engineer or an architect. Other professionals may also be accepted by the insurer as qualified. Confirm with your insurer or agent before you pay anyone. A contractor, a building code inspector or a Florida-licensed home inspector must sign Citizens' roof form. Roof age matters here, since the median home in our area was built in 1986, so many roofs have already been replaced once and the inspector will be reading a mix of newer and older work.
Source: Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026), read Oct 5, 2026
Does a roof inspection replace a wind mitigation inspection?
No, a roof inspection does not replace a wind mitigation inspection, because they answer different questions. The roof inspection reports condition, age and remaining life. The wind mitigation form, OIR-B1-1802, records construction features such as roof deck attachment and roof-to-wall connections. As long as nothing material changes, it remains valid for up to five years. Miami-Dade falls in the HVHZ category on that form. Keep in mind that the median home in this area was built in 1986, so the age of the roof and the original construction details are both worth documenting. Ask your insurer how it uses each document.
Source: OIR form, read Oct 4, 2026
What is the 25% rule if an inspection finds damage?
If more than 25 percent of a roof section is repaired or replaced in 12 months, the whole section must be brought to current code. An exception applies when the roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later. In Miami-Dade you also work under the HVHZ provisions. Permits for Kendall West come from the county building office.
Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), read Oct 5, 2026
Sources for this page(32)
- 1.Median year homes were built: 1986. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 2.Share of homes built before 1980: 17.7%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 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.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.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25024, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 6.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.
- 7.Hurricane Irma (2017). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 8.Permit office: Miami-Dade County Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) - Building & Permits. Miami-Dade County Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) - Building & Permits. Read Oct 10, 2026.
- 9.Residents 65 and older: 21%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B01001, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 10.Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 11.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 12.Insp4pt 03 25. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 13.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 14.Citizens 4-Point Inspection Form, Sample Form Insp4pt 03 25. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 15.OIR form. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 16.Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 17.Florida Statutes, section 627.70132 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 18.Florida Statutes, section 489.147 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 19.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 20.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7).
- 21.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B01001, via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 22.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 23.Miami-Dade County Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) - Building & Permits, Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 24.Fla. Stat. 489.147-, Florida Legislature. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 25.FRSA, "New 2023 FBC Eighth Edition is Now in Effect", 2024-02-13, floridaroof.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 26.Miami-Dade County RER notice, Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 27.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Dorian (AL052019), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 28.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Climatology, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 29.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 30.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration 24-hour depth estimates at the Kendall West 2020 Census internal point (25.7068, -80.4379), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 31.Wikipedia, 'Kendall West, Florida' (revision 1374451119), Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 32.U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census counts (POP100, HU100) via TIGERweb tigerWMS_Census2020 layer 28 (Census Designated Places), U.S. Census Bureau. Read Oct 5, 2026.
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Roof inspections in Kendall West
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