Florida Insurance Non-Renewal: Why Your Roof Age Matters and What to Do

If you own a home in Miami-Dade or Broward and your roof is 15 years old or older, there’s a real chance your insurance carrier is going to send you a non-renewal letter at some point in the next 24 months. Florida’s insurance market has been tightening for years, and an aging roof is now one of the single biggest reasons a homeowner gets dropped.

This post explains why it’s happening, what to expect, and exactly what to do if a non-renewal notice shows up in your mailbox — or, ideally, before it does.

Why are Florida insurers non-renewing homeowners with old roofs?

Three things have collided in the Florida property insurance market over the past few years:

• Hurricane risk has gotten more expensive to underwrite. Increases in storm frequency and severity have driven reinsurance costs up sharply, and carriers pass that cost back through stricter underwriting.
• Roof claim litigation surged. A wave of roof-related claims and lawsuits in the late 2010s and early 2020s pushed several major insurers out of Florida entirely. The remaining carriers responded by tightening rules around roof age and condition.
• Florida law changed. Florida Statute 627.7011 now allows insurers to deny coverage for roofs older than 15 years if the roof has less than five years of useful life remaining — and they can require a current inspection report to prove otherwise.

The practical result: if your roof was last replaced before 2010, your carrier likely views you as a higher-risk customer than they want to keep on the books.

What does an insurance non-renewal letter actually look like?

It typically arrives 90 to 120 days before your renewal date and reads something like: “We have determined that your property no longer meets our underwriting guidelines and your policy will not be renewed effective [date].” The letter often cites roof age, lack of recent inspection, or claim history as the reason.

What this means in practice:

• Your current coverage continues only until the renewal date.
• You have a window — usually 90 days — to find a new carrier or fix the underlying issue.
• If you can’t get coverage by your renewal date and your home has a mortgage, your lender will buy “force-placed” insurance for you, which is typically two to four times more expensive and offers worse coverage.
• Going without coverage on a Florida home with a mortgage is not an option.

What to do if you get a non-renewal letter

1. Don’t ignore it

The single biggest mistake is putting the letter aside and dealing with it later. By the time “later” comes, you’re often inside the 30-day window where finding a new carrier is genuinely hard. Open the letter the day it arrives.

2. Get a current roof inspection — fast

The fastest path to keeping coverage with your current carrier (or getting new coverage) is a current, written roof inspection report from a licensed and HAAG-certified contractor. The report should document:

• Roof age and material
• Visible condition (shingles, tile, flashing, vents, fascia)
• Estimated remaining useful life
• Any visible damage or deficiencies
• Photos with date/time stamps

Many Florida carriers will reverse a non-renewal — or quote new coverage — if you can produce a HAAG inspection showing five or more years of remaining life. BGI Roofing offers free, no-pressure inspections with a written report you can hand directly to your insurance agent.

3. If the inspection says your roof is at end of life, replace it before renewal

This sounds expensive, but consider the math: a Florida home replaced into the wrong insurance bracket can pay an extra $2,000 to $6,000 a year on premium. A new roof typically lasts 20 to 30 years. The roof pays for itself in premium savings within 5 to 7 years even if you weren’t going to need to replace soon anyway — and it removes the non-renewal risk entirely.

Most reputable Florida roofers (BGI Roofing included) offer financing so you don’t have to pay the full cost up front before the insurance deadline.

4. Shop carriers — but realistically

Florida’s carrier landscape is thin. The major remaining options for high-risk roofs are Citizens Property Insurance (the state-backed carrier of last resort) and a handful of surplus lines insurers. Citizens has its own roof age rules and may also require an inspection.

An independent insurance agent who works with multiple Florida carriers is going to be far more useful than any single carrier’s website. Find one early — before you’re inside the 30-day window.

5. Document everything

Save copies of the non-renewal letter, your inspection report, photos, and any correspondence with carriers. If you ever end up arguing about coverage later, this paper trail matters.

What to do before you get a non-renewal letter

If your roof is over 12 years old and you haven’t had it inspected in the last 24 months, do it now. The cost of being proactive is a free hour with a roofer; the cost of being reactive is paying premium increases or replacing under deadline pressure.

A few signs your roof is getting close to non-renewal territory:

• It was installed before 2012 (asphalt shingle) or before 2000 (tile / metal)
• You see curling, cracking, or missing shingles
• You’ve had any roof leak or stain inside the home
• Your premium has been creeping up year over year
• Your carrier asked for a roof inspection at last renewal

How BGI Roofing helps

We’re a Florida-licensed, HAAG-certified roofing contractor (License CCC1337074) based in Miami-Dade. We see this exact situation every week: a homeowner finds out their roof is the issue and needs answers fast.

What we’ll do:

• Free roof inspection with a written report you can hand to your insurance agent
• Honest answer about whether your roof needs replacement or has more useful life
• If replacement is needed: a clear quote, financing options, and we work with most major insurance adjusters if there’s a claim involved
• Service across Miami-Dade and Broward, including Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Aventura, Miami Springs, and surrounding areas

Don’t wait for the letter. Call (305) 894-6575 to schedule your free inspection or get an instant estimate at bgiroofing.com.