If you ask a Florida underwriter what matters most about a house, the answer is not the postcode, the square footage or the year it was built. It is the roof.
Roof age drives pricing, eligibility and, critically, how a claim gets paid. And most homeowners do not find out how much it matters until a renewal jumps or a carrier declines them.
Where carriers draw the lines
Different companies set different thresholds, but the pattern is consistent.
Under 10 years. Straightforward. Most carriers will write it, and you will see the best available rates.
10 to 15 years. Still insurable, but pricing tightens. Some carriers begin asking for an inspection.
15 to 20 years. This is where it gets difficult for shingle. Several Florida carriers will not write new business on a shingle roof over 15 years. Others will, with an inspection and a higher rate.
Over 20 years. Options narrow considerably, and you may be looking at surplus lines or Citizens.
15 years
The age at which many Florida carriers stop writing new shingle roofs. Tile and metal are treated far more generously.
Material matters as much as age
A 20-year-old tile roof and a 20-year-old shingle roof are not the same risk, and carriers price them accordingly.
Tile and metal roofs last longer and perform better in wind. A tile roof at 20 years may be treated the way a shingle roof at 10 is. If you have tile or metal, make sure the carrier knows — it gets recorded wrongly more often than you would think.
The part that matters most at claim time
There is a distinction on your policy that is easy to miss and expensive to discover late.
Replacement cost means the carrier pays what it costs to put a new roof on, less your deductible.
Actual cash value means they pay what your old roof was worth — replacement cost minus depreciation for its age.
On a 17-year-old shingle roof with a 20-year expected life, actual cash value can settle at a small fraction of what the work costs. The homeowner finds this out standing in the garden looking at a tarpaulin.
Many Florida carriers now write older roofs on an actual cash value basis by default. It will be on your declarations page, and it is worth reading before you need it.
When replacing is the cheaper option
A new roof is a significant expense, but the arithmetic sometimes favours it sooner than people expect.
Consider it if you are being priced out of the standard market and pushed toward Citizens or surplus lines. If your policy has moved to actual cash value on the roof. Or if you are close to a carrier's threshold and being declined by several companies.
A new roof also resets your wind mitigation credits, which compounds the saving.
What to do before your next renewal
Find out what your carrier thinks your roof age is. Recorded dates are wrong surprisingly often, particularly after a sale.
Check whether your roof is settled at replacement cost or actual cash value.
If the roof has been replaced and you have not had a wind mitigation inspection since, get one.
And if you are approaching a threshold, shop before you cross it rather than after. Carriers draw the line in different places, and the one that suits your roof is out there.
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