Roof age, four-point inspections, and Florida homeowners insurance in 2026

Last updated: July 2026

If you are buying or insuring a home in Miami, roof age is often the single variable that decides whether a carrier will write the policy and what you will pay. Florida law, specifically the reforms passed in the May 2022 special session (SB 2-D), says an insurer generally cannot refuse to issue or renew a homeowners policy solely because of roof age when the roof is less than 15 years old [1]. Once a roof reaches 15 years, the homeowner has the right to an inspection, and if that inspection shows five or more years of remaining useful life, the insurer still cannot refuse solely on age [1]. In practice, carriers document roof condition through two inspections: the four-point inspection, which covers roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, and the wind mitigation inspection, which unlocks statutory premium credits. Before writing an offer on an older-roof Miami home, get the roof's permitted replacement date, a recent four-point, and a wind mitigation report in hand, because those documents largely determine your insurance cost and carrying cost as an owner.

Why roof age drives insurability in Miami

Underwriters price Miami property risk around wind and water, and the roof is the component that governs both. After years of roof-related litigation and claim severity in Florida, carriers tightened roof underwriting across the state. That shows up in three ways: some carriers decline to quote past certain roof ages, some quote but require replacement as a condition of binding, and some write the policy at actual cash value on the roof rather than full replacement cost, which shifts depreciation onto the owner at claim time.

For a buyer, this is an underwriting question before it is a maintenance question. Two otherwise similar homes can carry materially different annual premiums, and materially different insurability, based on roof age and documentation alone. Lenders require insurance to close, so a roof no admitted carrier will accept can hold up a financed purchase; roof diligence belongs in the offer math, not the post-closing punch list.

The 15-year rule: what Florida law actually says

The roof-age protections live in section 627.7011 of the Florida Statutes, added by SB 2-D in 2022 [1]. The mechanics are worth knowing precisely, because the rule is narrower than the way it is often summarized.

For a roof less than 15 years old, an insurer may not refuse to issue or refuse to renew a homeowners policy solely because of the roof's age [1].
For a roof 15 years or older, the insurer must allow the homeowner to obtain a roof inspection by an authorized inspector, at the homeowner's expense, before requiring replacement as a condition of issuing or renewing the policy [1].
If that inspection shows the roof has five years or more of useful life remaining, the insurer may not refuse to issue or renew solely because of roof age [1].
Authorized inspectors include licensed home inspectors, certified building code inspectors, licensed professional engineers, and licensed architects [1].

Note the word solely. The statute stops a carrier from using age as an automatic disqualifier, but it does not force a carrier to accept a roof in poor condition, and it does not regulate how age is priced into the premium. A 16-year-old roof with a clean useful-life certification can still cost more to insure than a 3-year-old roof. The law converts an automatic no into a conversation backed by documentation. The later December 2022 reforms focused mainly on litigation and claims handling, so this 15-year framework is the one that matters here. Verify current statutory text before relying on it, since the Legislature has revisited property insurance nearly every session.

The four-point inspection, explained

A four-point inspection is a condition-and-age snapshot of the four systems insurers care about most: roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. It is not a full home inspection; it is shorter, cheaper, and written for an underwriting audience.

Roof: covering material, approximate age, visible condition, evidence of leaks or repairs, and the inspector's estimate of remaining useful life.
Electrical: panel brand and capacity, wiring type, and any hazards. Certain legacy panels and wiring types draw underwriting attention on their own.
Plumbing: supply and drain materials, water heater age, and signs of active leaks. Polybutylene supply lines are a common flag in homes of a certain vintage.
HVAC: system age and whether the home has central heat and air in working order.

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state-created insurer that functions as the market of last resort, requires a four-point inspection for property owner, dwelling, and mobile home applications on properties more than 20 years old [2]. Many private carriers apply similar thresholds. Citizens also applies roof-specific limits: shingle and other soft roofs generally must be younger than 25 years, hard roofs such as tile, slate, and metal younger than 50, and in either case the roof needs at least five years of remaining useful life or proof of full replacement [2]. Those material-based bands are useful shorthand for buyers even outside Citizens, because tile and metal, which dominate much of the older housing stock in areas like Coral Gables, age on a longer curve than shingle.

The wind mitigation inspection: the discount side

Where the four-point decides whether a carrier will write the risk, the wind mitigation inspection decides how much credit you get against the windstorm portion of the premium. Section 627.0629 of the Florida Statutes requires residential insurers to offer premium discounts for construction features that reduce hurricane loss [4]. The inspection is documented on the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802, published by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation [3].

The features that earn credits include roof shape (hip roofs perform better than gable), the method of roof-deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections such as clips or straps, a secondary water resistance barrier, opening protection such as impact glass or rated shutters, and the building code generation the roof was permitted under. A completed form is generally valid for up to five years absent material changes to the structure [3]. In Miami-Dade, where the wind portion is a large share of the total premium, a current wind mitigation report on a newer roof is often the difference between a difficult quote and a workable one. On the retrofit side, the state's My Safe Florida Home program has offered inspections and matching grants of up to $10,000 toward qualifying wind hardening for eligible homeowners, subject to funding and eligibility rules [5].

What buyers should check before writing an offer on an older-roof home

Treat the roof as a line item in your basis, the same way you would treat an assessment or a repair credit. Before or during your inspection period:

Pull the permit history. Miami-Dade and municipal permit portals show the roof replacement permit and final inspection date. That date, not the seller's recollection, is what underwriters use.
Ask the seller for their current four-point and wind mitigation reports, plus their declarations page. An insurable seller is useful evidence.
Order your own four-point and wind mitigation alongside the general inspection. The marginal cost is small relative to the information value.
Get real quotes before the contingency expires. Have an independent agent shop the actual property, with the reports, across admitted carriers and Citizens. A verbal ballpark is not a quote.
If the roof is 15 years or older, price both branches. Either a useful-life certification keeps the current roof insurable at a higher premium for a few years, or you model a full replacement, negotiate the price or a credit against that number, and capture the wind mitigation credits a new code-compliant roof earns.
Check the roof against the insurance timeline, not just the closing timeline. A roof with four years of useful life may bind today and become a renewal problem in year three.

This is the kind of underwriting math worth walking through before you write anything. If you want a second set of eyes on a specific property, a buyer consultation is the right starting point. And if you own a Miami home with an aging roof and are weighing replacement against selling as-is, the same analysis runs in reverse; a current valuation with both scenarios priced is the place to begin.

Frequently asked questions

Does Florida law require me to replace my roof at 15 years?

No. The 15-year mark is a protection threshold, not an expiration date. Under 15 years, age alone cannot be the reason a carrier refuses to issue or renew. At 15 years or older, you gain the right to an inspection, and a certification of five or more years of remaining useful life preserves the same protection [1]. Condition problems are a separate matter at any age.

Is a four-point inspection the same as a home inspection?

No. The four-point is a short underwriting document covering roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, typically required by carriers for older homes, including by Citizens for properties more than 20 years old [2]. A full home inspection is broader, deeper, and written for you rather than for an insurer. On an older Miami home, plan on both.

How long is a wind mitigation report good for?

The OIR-B1-1802 form is generally valid for up to five years, provided nothing material about the structure has changed [3]. If the seller's report is stale or predates a roof replacement, order a new one; a new roof usually earns credits the old report cannot capture.

Can I get insurance on a Miami home with a 20-year-old shingle roof?

Sometimes, but expect friction. Some carriers will decline, some will require a useful-life certification, and some will apply actual-cash-value roof terms. Citizens generally requires shingle roofs to be younger than 25 years with at least five years of useful life remaining, or proof of replacement [2]. Price the replacement into your offer rather than hoping the quote comes back clean.

Who pays for these inspections in a purchase?

Customarily the buyer orders and pays for their own inspections during the contingency period. Sellers with a newer roof are often well served by commissioning both reports before listing, since clean documentation removes an objection early.

Gabriel

Sources

Gabriel A. Moyers, PA. eXp Realty. Florida License #3407280. Equal Housing Opportunity. This article is general information as of July 2026 and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Verify current figures against authoritative sources before acting.