Roof inspections in Mulberry, FL

Florida Statute 627.7011(5) bars an insurer from refusing to write or renew your homeowner's policy only because the roof is under 15 years old. After the roof reaches 15 years, the insurer must let you hire an authorized inspector at your own expense. Age alone then cannot end your coverage when the report shows 5 or more years of life remaining.

The inspector has to be accepted by your insurer. Florida's list includes licensed home inspectors, building code inspectors, roofing contractors, professional engineers and architects. With 79.2 percent of Mulberry's occupied homes owner-occupied, most households will pay for this inspection themselves, so call your insurer or agent for their list before you pay anyone.

Citizens Property Insurance requires a 4-point inspection on properties over 20 years old. Its roof section records the covering, age, remaining useful life and last permit. Citizens wants documented remaining life for shingle roofs older than 25 years and for hard roofs older than 50. To learn what your own policy covers, contact your insurer or agent.

An inspector looks for cracking, curling, heavy granule loss, exposed felt, loose or missing tabs or tiles, soft decking and leaks in the attic or on ceilings. For a wind mitigation form, the attic items matter too: deck nailing, roof-to-wall connectors and any sealed roof deck.

• Ahead of a purchase or sale, so everyone knows how much life the roof has left.
• If a letter from your insurer arrives asking about the age of your roof.
• After a storm, even if the ceiling looks dry.
• Before a repair, since the 25 percent rule can require a full reroof when more than a quarter of the roof is repaired in 12 months.

Florida law bars roofers from offering anything of value for a roof inspection or soliciting an insurance claim. Be careful with anyone who knocks after a storm and offers one.