Call (678) 365-3138
Most insurers in Tampa are going to ask for a 4-point inspection if your home is older than 15-20 years, and nine times out of ten, it's the roof that's going to be the problem. After the recent hurricanes hit the area, carriers have tightened up their standards quite a bit, and that means a roof that passed inspection just 2 years ago might not make the cut anymore - even if nothing about the roof itself has actually changed. Many homeowners learn during the application process that their 22-year-old roof needs replacement. We're not talking about a few repairs here and there - we're talking about a $20,000+ expense that most insurers are going to expect you to take care of within a 60-day window.
Tampa has its own inspection standards that set it apart from the rest of Florida, mostly because of the wind exposure zones and the local building codes that we have here. Citizens Property Insurance has its age cutoffs, and each private carrier has come up with its own standards for how much usable life your roof needs to have left, and it gets confusing pretty fast because no single standard applies to them all. You could have a roof that passes inspection for one carrier but doesn't meet the bar for another one - that's why you'll have to know which exact standards your insurance company uses before you set up an inspection - and it's what decides if they'll cover you or not.
Here's what Tampa homeowners should understand about roof inspections!
Old Roofs Need the 4-Point Check
Tampa insurance carriers have become a lot more picky about roof age over the last few years. Once your roof hits between 15 and 20 years old, most carriers are going to ask you to get a 4-point inspection done before they'll renew your policy. Some of them take it even further and want that inspection when your roof is only 10 years old.
The timeline you'll have to follow is going to be set by your insurance company. Every carrier out there has its own guidelines on when it wants an inspection report in its hands. Claims from hurricanes and other big weather events cost insurance carriers a whole lot more money now than they did just a few years ago, and because of that financial pressure, the windows for completing these inspections have turned much stricter almost everywhere.
Insurance carriers have their own way of measuring how old your roof is, and it's based on the installation date instead of when your house was built. This particular detail ends up mattering quite a bit because it means you'll need to hang onto the paperwork from whenever you get any roof work done.
Your home could have had the roof already installed, and that means you probably don't have the original installation paperwork. When this happens, your best bet is to track down the old permits or receipts from whoever handled the installation. You could also call a roofing company and ask them to estimate the age based on what they see up there - the materials and the condition can tell them quite a bit. But documentation is always going to mean more to your insurance company than an estimate does.
Age isn't the only factor that decides if your roof is going to need an inspection. A roof could be just 5 or 8 years old, and you might still need to get it looked at if a hurricane or any other big storm has come through your area since it was installed.
What Roof Inspectors Check For
Your inspector will go through a few main checkpoints to see if your roof still has some life left in it, or if it's time to replace it completely. Granule loss on asphalt shingles is one of the first items they'll check, and it tells you plenty about the condition of your roof. Once you've lost about 25% of the granules, your roof has most likely reached the point where it needs to be replaced.
After that first check, your inspector will look at the tiles to see if any of them have come loose or are missing completely. When tiles aren't secured as they should be (or are missing altogether), it leaves your roof vulnerable to leaks and even more damage as time goes on. The flashing around your chimneys and vents also gets a careful examination during this part of the inspection. That metal work has to create a tight seal, because if any gaps show up at all, water is going to find its way inside.
Tampa's climate is tough on roofs. But experienced inspectors can usually see the damage pretty fast. The sun beats down on them all of the time and breaks down the materials much faster than it would in other parts of the country. The humidity doesn't help either - it speeds up how fast everything starts to fall apart. A skilled inspector will be able to tell you what wear and tear to expect based on the type of roof you have.
Inside the attic, the inspector will check around for any signs that water has made it inside. Water stains on the underside of your roof deck usually show you where leaks have happened before. Even just a little bit of moisture up there can be a warning sign of bigger problems that need to be dealt with.
The inspector will record each finding with photos and measurements. Your insurance company needs this full record when they sit down to go through your claim.
The minor problems start piling up fast. A small section with granule loss might not be enough to fail your inspection on its own. Combine that with the damaged flashing and a couple of loose tiles, though, and the inspector might say your roof no longer meets what the insurance company needs. Each problem makes the other ones look worse than they would by themselves.
What Records to Keep After Storms
Hurricane Ian hit Florida, and the storm affected how roof inspectors in Tampa work.
Thousands of homes across the state got damaged during Ian, and it made insurance companies a lot more careful about roofs that have been repaired before. An inspector who comes to your home will ask you for the full records of any storm repairs that have been done to your roof over the years.
What this actually means is that you'll need to have all your paperwork organized before the inspector even arrives at your house. Permits are proof that the work was done legally and followed the building codes in your area. Invoices document which materials were used on your roof and show who performed the work. Before and after photos help fill in the picture for everyone - they give you a visual timeline of what the damage looked like originally and what your roof looks like after the repairs are finished.
Insurance companies are looking at any home that's had multiple claims filed for the same roof. Even if every contractor who touched it did great work, those repeated claims are going to make your insurer ask themselves if something bigger is wrong with the roof as a whole. Some insurance providers have actually started asking for signed affidavits from the contractors who performed the work. An affidavit is a sworn statement that confirms the repair work was done following building codes and met the industry standards that were in place at the time.
Inspectors will also look for temporary fixes. A tarp that was supposed to come down after a few weeks but ended up staying for years, or a quick patch job that seemed fine at the time - these bandage fixes can turn into legitimate problems once an inspector finds them. But temporary repairs create their own damage when they stay in place for too long. Anything that looks unfinished or cobbled together will make it into the inspector's report!
Those documents are going to prove that your roof received professional repairs after the storm damage. If any of the paperwork is missing, it can delay your inspection and might also make the inspector question whether the work was done correctly. My best advice is to hang onto all your repair records together in a single location where you can grab them quickly once the inspection gets scheduled.
Modern Tools That Find Hidden Damage
Insurance inspectors in Tampa have access to some pretty advanced equipment, and it can detect damage that goes far beyond what you'd ever see when you stand on the ground and look up at it. The technology that they're working with now can show problems that would stay hidden if an inspector just walked around your property and tried to do a visual inspection in the old-fashioned way.
Infrared thermal imaging has become a pretty standard part of the roof inspection process for a lot of companies. The technology picks up temperature differences across your entire roof surface, and those small variations can tell you quite a bit about what's going on underneath the shingles. When moisture gets trapped in your roofing materials, the camera will catch it pretty fast. Heat loss patterns show up on the thermal scan as well, and they usually point to some type of damage that would be impossible to see from the ground. It's a reliable way to find hidden problems before they turn into expensive repairs.
Drone inspections have changed the way inspectors handle steep roofs and tile installations. Some roofs are legitimately dangerous to walk on - tile can crack right under your feet, and sharp slopes are risky no matter how careful you are when you're up there. Drones take all that danger out of the equation. Inspectors can capture high-resolution aerial footage and photos, and they never have to set foot on the roof itself. What you get is many more images and videos compared to what an inspector can realistically manage from a ladder propped up against the side of the house.
Moisture meters are another tool that can make the inspection process a lot more detailed. An inspector will use these to measure how much water is actually in your roof decking, and the best part is that they don't have to tear up any of the shingles to get an accurate reading. They'll take measurements from a few different places on your roof, and this information helps to show if water has leaked through your roofing system.
These advanced inspection tools can cut both ways. Small problems might get spotted early enough that you can take care of them before they become expensive repairs. At the same time, the inspection could also find damage that nobody knew was there - hidden problems that would have gone unnoticed otherwise. Whatever the tools find, you'll walk away with a much more thorough picture of your roof's condition instead of just a quick visual inspection from the ground level.
What Happens After a Failed Inspection
Most insurers are going to give you a window to get the repairs completed after a failed inspection - usually between 30 and 60 days, depending on your policy and carrier. The age can make this pretty expensive once your roof crosses the 20-year mark. Insurance companies get pretty strict at that point, and they'll usually want a full replacement instead of just a repair on it. Even when the damage seems minor or like something that could have been fixed easily, the age of your roof carries more weight in what they decide. How bad the problem is matters less to them than how old the roof is.
Most insurers work with approved lists of contractors and materials that they'll accept for roof work. You can't simply hire any roofer who seems competent or pick out shingles because they look nice. The work needs to meet their standards, and if it doesn't line up with what they want, they're not going to approve it.
Extensions on these deadlines are extremely hard to get. Most insurers won't budge on the date, and this holds true even if you have a real reason for needing more time. Missing that deadline means you're looking at either an immediate cancellation or a non-renewal once your term ends.
From there, you'll need to find new coverage very quickly. Shopping for insurance with a recent cancellation on your record makes the whole process much harder. Other insurers will pull up that cancellation history, and when they see it, they'll either charge you way higher premiums or just turn you down flat.
The financial pressure builds up fast with the replacement costs on top of the chance of losing your coverage altogether. You'll have to make sure that the work gets done within the timeframe they give you - it's necessary if you want to keep your policy active. Once the inspection comes back and shows problems, you don't have a lot of options left. Most insurers won't give you much room to negotiate or find alternative ways out at that stage.
Protect The Roof Over Your Head
Insurance inspectors have a checklist of items they look for when they review your roof. Some homeowners get to stay with their existing insurance company, and others have to shop around for more expensive options. The difference usually depends on how well you've maintained your roof and if you've taken care of any problems before the inspection.
Florida's insurance market continues to change, and the roof inspection standards will probably change right along with it. Weather patterns across the state have become far less predictable, and this has pushed insurers to tighten up their standards quite a bit. Standards get updated all of the time. A roof that passes inspection today might not meet what insurers are looking for just a few years later, and this is why homeowners need to stay on top of their roof's condition. Detailed records of any repair work or replacements are worth keeping, too - they can really help when it comes time to file a claim or renew your policy.
Colony Roofers does all kinds of roofing work for homes and businesses, and we work across Georgia, Florida and Texas. Our crews have the experience to repair or replace your roof if you have a small leak or if you need an overhaul. Give us a call, and we'll come out for a free inspection to see what you're working with and so you can choose the best option for your property.
