Roofing for Realtors

Tactical Roofing Company works with real estate professionals across Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough counties on the one problem agents actually have, which is not the shingles. A bad covering enters a Florida transaction as a deal risk with a deadline attached, and the contractor's job is to remove that risk inside the window you have, with paperwork an underwriter will accept. If you are still at the pre-listing stage, start with should I replace my roof before listing.

How old can a roof be before a Florida insurer refuses to write it?

Fifteen years is the line. Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5) bars a carrier from declining a homeowner's policy solely because of age when the covering is under 15 years old.

Past that mark, the carrier may require an inspection before it will write, and that is where transactions start slipping. The Florida Legislature states it directly:

"An insurer may not refuse to issue or refuse to renew a homeowner's policy insuring a residential structure with a roof that is less than 15 years old solely because of the age of the roof."

Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5)

Can a buyer still get coverage on an older roof?

Usually yes, and it hinges on one documented finding: 5 or more years of remaining useful life, certified by an authorized inspector. The same statute is explicit about it.

According to Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5), a carrier may not refuse "solely because of roof age if an inspection of the residential structure performed by an authorized inspector indicates that the roof has 5 years or more of useful life remaining." That one sentence is the most useful thing a Florida listing agent can know here. An 18 year old covering is not a dead deal. It is a deal waiting on an inspection result.

What does Citizens require when the covering is past its age limit?

Documentation of remaining useful life, with a 5 year minimum. Citizens updated its rules under SB 2-D, effective May 1, 2023 for new business, raising the eligible minimum from 3 years to 5. Source: Citizens roof rule changes.

Citizens also publishes who may perform that inspection. Before promising a seller anything, check the current authorized inspector list, because the person who signs the form determines whether the carrier accepts it.

Does the whole roof have to be replaced if only part is damaged?

Not always. Under SB 4-D, if a system was built, repaired, or replaced to the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, only the affected portion must meet current code, even when 25 percent or more is involved. Older systems can still trigger full replacement.

The effect on a negotiation is large. A 2011 installation with storm damage over the back slope is a repair conversation. A 1998 one with identical damage may be a replacement. The Florida Senate analysis of HB 3D is the primary source, and it is what a contractor should cite to you instead of "the 25 percent rule says replace it."

What part of a 4-point inspection kills the most Florida deals?

The roof section. Carriers typically require a 4-point inspection on homes roughly 30 years or older, covering roofing, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, and the covering is the item that most often stops a policy from being issued.

Electrical panels and polybutylene plumbing get the headlines, but they are usually known before the contract. The overhead finding tends to arrive mid-transaction, which is what makes it expensive.

How fast can a realtor get a number during the inspection period?

Within 24 hours on business days, through the Tactical realtor program. The FR/BAR AS IS contract gives the buyer a short window, commonly 15 days, and Paragraph 12 lets the buyer terminate in their sole discretion.

An estimate that lands on day 12 is not an estimate, it is a cancellation. The 24 hour commitment exists so a scope and a number sit in the file while the buyer still has a reason to negotiate instead of walk.

Who pays when the roof comes up mid-transaction?

Whoever can, without stopping the closing. Paid at closing on roofing and repairs is offered through the Tactical realtor program with our sister company Tactical Construction Group, and the terms, the contracting party, and the lien release are set out on the realtor partnership page. It keeps a repair credit from becoming a price reduction.

The common failure is a seller who agrees to the work and does not have cash before funding. A paid at closing option changes what an agent can propose at the table. The negotiation stops being about who has money today and becomes about what the property actually needs.

Will an underwriter accept a repair, or does it have to be a replacement?

It depends on remaining useful life, not on the word "repair." The carrier's question is whether an authorized inspector can document 5 or more years left, per Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5). A repair that gets the covering there is usually enough.

This is the distinction agents most often miss. A buyer's inspection objection asks whether the defect is fixed. Underwriting asks whether the system is bindable. Those are different tests, and the second one is the one that decides whether the loan closes. Ask your roofing contractor which test the proposed scope is meant to pass.

Will an open permit stop the closing?

It can, and it is avoidable. An unclosed or expired permit from a previous job surfaces late, often during title work, and the party who has to resolve it is rarely the party who pulled it.

Permitting and compliance management is part of the realtor program, alongside 4-point inspection corrections and addendum repair lists. The fix is timing. Ask about permit history at the pre-listing walk, not after the buyer's lender asks.

Does a wind mitigation inspection help the sale?

It lowers the buyer's premium, which helps the deal survive. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802, documents covering type, deck attachment, and roof to wall connection, and is generally valid up to 5 years absent material changes.

One caution worth stating plainly. That form is completed by an authorized inspector, and Tactical Roofing Company does not present itself as the wind mitigation inspector on your transaction. What a licensed contractor contributes is the underlying work and the documentation the inspector and the underwriter end up reading.

How can I tell whether a contractor has actually worked in my farm area?

Ask to see the addresses. We publish our own job records rather than describing them, including installation dates and exact materials, across documented recent projects and county pages such as Pasco County.

For a listing agent that is a due diligence shortcut. You can drive past finished work in the subdivision you are about to list in, before putting a contractor in front of your client.

What should a realtor send to get a usable number back?

Three things: the inspection or addendum scope, the property address, and the deadline. That is enough to price from, and it is what makes the 24 hour turnaround possible. Send it through our contact page.

Submitting the buyer's repair list as a document, rather than relaying it by phone, also keeps the scope that gets quoted identical to the scope that was demanded. That single habit prevents most re-quotes.

Where the risk shows up in a Florida transaction

Moment	What goes wrong	What removes the risk
Pre-listing	Age makes the home hard to insure	Condition assessment and a repair or replace decision before listing
Inspection period	Buyer's report flags the covering, clock is running	Written scope and pricing inside the window
Underwriting	Carrier demands proof of remaining useful life	Inspection by an authorized inspector, documented work behind it
Closing	Open permit or unfunded repair	Permit resolution, paid at closing option

Frequently asked questions

Is a covering under 15 years old automatically insurable in Florida?

No. The statute prevents refusal based solely on age under 15 years. A carrier can still decline for condition, prior claims, or other findings.

Does a repair void the ability to insure the home?

No. A properly permitted repair that meets code is normally acceptable. What underwriters react to is undocumented work and open permits.

Can Tactical Roofing work on both sides of a transaction?

Yes. The scope, the pricing, and the timeline are identical whether the listing side or the buying side asks.

What areas does Tactical Roofing serve?

Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough, and surrounding counties, from an Odessa base.

How does a realtor relationship start?

Send a scope through our contact page or the realtor partnership page, or call the office directly at (727) 404-8989.

Sources

• Fla. Stat. 627.7011, age and refusal to insure
• Citizens Property Insurance, roof rule changes
• Citizens Property Insurance, authorized inspectors
• Florida Senate, HB 3D bill analysis, SB 4-D repair provisions
• Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, wind mitigation resources
• 4-point inspection requirements overview
• FR/BAR AS IS contract, inspection period and Paragraph 12

Florida insurance and building code requirements change by legislative session. The statutory and carrier claims on this page were verified against the sources above on August 8, 2026. Confirm current requirements with the carrier on your transaction.