Roof Age and Florida Insurance: What the Law Actually Says in 2026
If you have searched this topic recently, you have probably read that House Bill 815 took effect on July 1, 2026, and expanded Florida’s roof age protections.
It did not. HB 815 and its identical Senate companion, SB 808, died in the Insurance and Banking Subcommittee on March 13, 2026. Neither became law. Several insurance and roofing industry sites published articles describing the new protections as active, apparently working from the bill’s proposed effective date rather than its final disposition.
This matters because a homeowner acting on protections that do not exist is in a worse position than one who knows exactly what the law provides. The existing protections are real and useful. They are also narrower than what HB 815 would have created, and the gap falls in a place that affects high-value property owners specifically.
What Florida Law Actually Provides
The protections that exist today came out of the 2022 and 2023 insurance reform sessions and are found in Florida Statute 627.7011. They remain unchanged.
The 15-year floor. An insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowner’s policy solely because the roof is less than 15 years old. A twelve-year-old roof in sound condition is not, by itself, grounds for non-renewal.
The useful life certification. For roofs 15 years or older, the homeowner has the right to obtain an inspection. If an authorized inspector determines the roof has at least five years of useful life remaining, that certification can be used to maintain coverage rather than accepting a demand for replacement.
How age is calculated. Roof age runs from the date the surface was completely replaced, not from the original construction of the home. For a property that has had a full re-roof, that distinction can matter considerably.
Those three provisions are the working tools. They are worth knowing precisely, because they are frequently the difference between replacing a functional roof and keeping coverage on it.
The Gap That HB 815 Would Have Closed
Here is the part that matters most to owners of multiple or high-value properties.
The 15-year protection in current law applies to homeowner’s policies. It does not explicitly extend to every residential property insurance form — condominium association policies, condo unit owner policies, landlord and rental dwelling policies, and other residential coverage forms are not clearly reached by the statute.
Some carriers have used that gap. Non-renewal actions based on roof age alone that would not be permitted on a standard homeowner’s policy have been taken on condo and rental property policies.
HB 815 would have extended the 15-year protection to all property insurance policies covering residential structures, closing that gap. It also would have created a separate standard for low-slope roofs, common on condominium buildings, allowing a roof that an inspector certified could be restored with a coating system extending its life by five or more years to qualify for continued coverage.
Neither happened. For an owner with a Brickell condominium, a rental portfolio, or a seasonal property held under a landlord form, the roof age protection available on the primary residence may not extend to those other policies.
That is worth confirming policy by policy rather than assuming uniform treatment across a portfolio. Our guide to Rental Property Insurance and Condo Insurance covers how these forms differ in other respects as well.
Roof Age on High-Value Property
For a luxury home, the roof question carries different weight than it does on an average property.
Replacement is a major expense. Tile, metal, slate, and architectural systems on a large custom home represent a substantial capital decision, and carriers applying asphalt shingle life expectancy to materials that routinely last thirty to fifty years are making an argument worth contesting with a proper inspection.
The stakes on the coverage side are also higher, because owners above the Citizens eligibility thresholds have no residual market. A roof-driven non-renewal on a home too valuable for Citizens means the property has to be placed in the private client or surplus lines market, where roof condition is one of the primary underwriting inputs.
And the documentation carries more weight. A current inspection certifying remaining useful life, paired with a wind mitigation report on form OIR-B1-1802, changes how an underwriter reads a file. Roof shape, deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, opening protection, and secondary water resistance all affect both insurability and price on coastal high-value property.
If You Receive a Roof-Age Non-Renewal
The sequence is straightforward and the timing is generous if you start early. Florida requires 120 days’ written notice of non-renewal, with the reason stated.
Confirm the roof’s actual age from the date of the last complete surface replacement or the final permit, not from the home’s construction date. Carriers sometimes work from the wrong figure.
Order an inspection from an authorized inspector documenting remaining useful life. If the roof has five or more years, that certification is your evidence.
Pull a current wind mitigation inspection at the same time. If yours is more than a few years old, redo it.
Check which policy form is involved. If the non-renewal is on a condo or landlord policy rather than a homeowner’s policy, the statutory protection may not apply, which changes the strategy from asserting a right to shopping the risk.
Then market the risk with the complete file assembled. A roof approaching or past fifteen years is not automatically a problem, but an undocumented one usually is.
A Note on Reading Legislative News
The confusion around HB 815 is a useful reminder. Florida runs an active legislative session on insurance every year, and bills that would meaningfully change homeowner protections are filed, debated, covered in the press, and then frequently die in committee.
Coverage of a proposed bill often reads identically to coverage of an enacted one. Before relying on a protection you read about, it is worth confirming the bill’s final action. The Florida Senate publishes the disposition of every bill on its site.
Discuss Roof Age and Coverage With Prestige Insurance Group
Prestige Insurance Group works with homeowners throughout Miami, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, Palm Beach, the Treasure Coast, and across Florida on property placements where roof age is a factor, including homes and portfolios the standard market has declined.
If you have received a non-renewal citing roof age, the first useful step is confirming which protections apply to the specific policy form involved.
Miami: 305-969-8776 Orlando: 407-993-2331 Stuart: 561-983-4333
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This article describes Florida law as of publication and is not legal advice. Legislative provisions change and specific disputes with a carrier should be reviewed with an attorney.
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