An older roof can cost a homeowner their insurance in three ways — an insurer may decline or not renew the policy, pay a roof claim at a depreciated value instead of the cost of a new roof, or charge more — and states including Florida, Texas and Arkansas now set rules on each. For a roofing rep, that makes insurance one of the few honest reasons a homeowner with no leak and no storm might replace a roof this year. It also makes it the easiest conversation in roofing to get wrong.
This page is for reps who meet the homeowner holding a renewal letter: what insurers actually do with roof age, which state rules a rep should know by heart, how to open the subject without scaring anyone, and the lines a contractor may never cross. Every rule below is taken from the statute or the regulator’s or insurer’s own page and carries its date; rules change, so check the current text before quoting one.
What insurers do with an old roof
The Texas Department of Insurance describes all three moves on its consumer page “Replacing your roof” (last updated April 1, 2026): an insurer that inspects a roof “may charge you more or refuse to insure you based on what they see”; “as roofs age, some companies will switch to actual cash value”; and “if your roof is in poor condition, your company might not cover your roof at all.” The same page tells homeowners to check for roof coverage changes at every renewal.
The switch to actual cash value is the one homeowners rarely notice until a claim. Replacement cost pays what a new roof costs today; actual cash value subtracts depreciation for age and condition. TDI’s worked example (page last updated January 24, 2024) uses a $10,000 roof on a house insured for $200,000 with a 2% ($4,000) deductible:
| Roof age at the storm | Actual cash value policy pays | Replacement cost policy pays |
|---|---|---|
| 5 years | $4,500 | $6,000 |
| 10 years | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| 20 years | $0 | $6,000 |
Kentucky’s Department of Insurance makes the same point in its June 2022 consumer announcement on wind and hail deductibles: on a 12-year-old shingle roof rated for 20 years, an insurer paying actual cash value applies 60 percent depreciation to a $14,000 replacement and pays $5,600 less the deductible.
The third form is the roof payment schedule — an endorsement that pays roof wind and hail losses at a percentage of replacement cost that falls with the roof’s age. Arkansas Insurance Department Bulletin No. 17-2023 (November 2, 2023) allows insurers to make a roof schedule endorsement mandatory for roofs 7 years or older, with proper notice to the insured, and requires that notice to be submitted to the department for approval.
State rules a rep should know
| State | Rule | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | An insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowner’s policy solely because of roof age if the roof is under 15 years old. At 15 or older, the homeowner may have an authorized inspector check the roof at their own expense before the insurer requires a replacement; 5 or more years of useful life left gives the same protection. Applies to policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2022. | Fla. Stat. § 627.7011(5), 2025 Florida Statutes |
| Florida (Citizens) | Shingle and other soft roofs older than 25 years, and tile, slate, concrete or metal roofs older than 50, need proof of replacement (a finalized permit or paid-in-full contract) or an inspection form showing at least five years of remaining useful life. Effective May 1, 2023 for new business and September 1, 2023 for renewals. | Citizens Property Insurance Corporation bulletin, March 31, 2023 |
| Texas | Insurers can’t decline or non-renew a home policy based on the age of the house or its roof; they may base decisions on the physical condition of the roof and other components. Its consumer page still notes that some companies switch aging roofs to actual cash value. | TDI news release, September 29, 2026; TDI “Replacing your roof,” April 1, 2026 |
| Arkansas | Insurers may make a roof schedule endorsement mandatory for roofs 7 years or older, with department-approved notice to the insured. | Arkansas Insurance Department Bulletin No. 17-2023, November 2, 2023 |
Two details in the Florida statute matter at the door. The inspection is by an “authorized inspector” the insurer approves — the statute’s list includes licensed roofing contractors, home inspectors, building code inspectors, engineers and architects — so whether your company’s report counts is the insurer’s call, not yours. And the statute counts a roof’s age from the last date the whole surface was built or replaced, so a patched roof keeps its original age. Why that number is hard to pin down on any single house is in how to tell how old a roof is.
Opening the conversation honestly
The honest version starts from something the homeowner already has, not something the rep predicts. Three openers that do that:
- The renewal letter. “Some insurers send renewal notices that mention the roof. Has yours said anything about it?” If it has, the homeowner brings up the subject; if not, the rep has lost nothing.
- The declarations page. “Do you know whether your policy covers the roof at replacement cost or actual cash value? It’s on the declarations page — worth a look whatever you decide about the roof.” Checking roof coverage at renewal is the Texas Department of Insurance’s own advice, and pointing to it is fine; reading the page for them and saying what it means is not.
- The written condition report. “If your insurer ever asks about the roof, a dated report on its condition helps. I can give you one either way.” Then write it truthfully — including when the answer is “years left.”
What makes this work is that the inspection is worth having even if the homeowner never buys. A roof with years of life left gets a report saying so, which is what a Florida homeowner with a 16-year-old roof may need for the insurer, if the insurer accepts the inspector. That homeowner tells neighbours, and the roof is a sale later. The no-storm sale that follows — options, price, follow-up — is in how to sell a roof without a storm.
What a rep must never say
Florida writes several of these into law for contractors in Fla. Stat. § 489.147 (2025 Florida Statutes), with fines of up to $10,000 per violation; other states have their own versions, and all of them are bad practice everywhere:
- “Your insurer is going to drop you.” The rep does not know, and in Florida and Texas age alone may not be the reason. Fear sells one roof and costs the street.
- “Your policy will pay for it,” or any reading of the policy. Interpreting policy provisions or advising an insured about coverage is prohibited for a Florida contractor who is not a licensed public adjuster (§ 489.147(2)(d)).
- “We’ll cover your deductible,” or any gift for an inspection or a claim. Florida prohibits offering a rebate, gift, cash or waiver of an insurance deductible in exchange for an inspection or for making a roof claim (§ 489.147(2)(b)).
- “Let’s file a claim and see.” Whether to call the insurer is the homeowner’s decision; an old, worn roof is not storm damage, and describing it as such is the homeowner’s risk and yours. Florida also requires any flyer, door hanger or email urging a roof claim to carry fraud and deductible warnings (§ 489.147(1)).
- A remaining-life number you would not sign. If the report says five years so the policy renews, and the roof leaks in two, the report is the first thing anyone reads.
When a storm is part of the story, the claim-side process — what the contractor documents and what stays with the homeowner and adjuster — is in insurance restoration sales process, and what happens when the approved scope misses items is in roofing insurance supplement basics.
Where Scout Data fits
Disclosure: Scout Data is our product. Scout Data builds lists of homes by roof age and roof condition in your territory, with homes that were already re-roofed taken out — the houses where an insurance-and-roof conversation is most likely to be real. Each home comes with one live mobile, matched by name to the owner on title and DNC-scrubbed before delivery. Ask for a free sample from the tens of thousands of roofs we have already read.
Frequently asked questions
Can my insurance company drop me because my roof is old?
It depends on the state. In Florida, an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowner’s policy solely because of roof age when the roof is under 15 years old, and for an older roof it must allow an inspection first (Fla. Stat. § 627.7011(5), 2025 Florida Statutes). In Texas, the Department of Insurance said on September 29, 2026 that insurers can’t decline or non-renew a home policy based on the age of the house or its roof, though they may act on its condition. Elsewhere, ask your agent and your state insurance department.
What is a roof payment schedule on a home insurance policy?
An endorsement that pays wind and hail damage to the roof at a percentage of replacement cost that falls as the roof ages, rather than the full cost of a new roof. The Arkansas Insurance Department’s Bulletin No. 17-2023 (November 2, 2023) allows insurers to make a roof schedule endorsement mandatory for roofs 7 years or older, with notice to the insured. The homeowner’s declarations page and endorsements show whether one applies.
How old can a roof be to get insurance in Florida?
There is no single cutoff. Under Fla. Stat. § 627.7011(5), age alone cannot be the reason for refusing a roof under 15 years old, or an older roof that an authorized inspector finds has 5 or more years of useful life left. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s bulletin of March 31, 2023 asks for proof of replacement, or an inspection showing at least five years of remaining useful life, once a shingle roof is older than 25 years or a tile, slate, concrete or metal roof older than 50. Private insurers set their own rules within the statute.
Can a roofer tell me whether my insurance will cover a new roof?
No. A roofer can tell you what condition the roof is in and put it in writing; what the policy pays is the insurer’s decision under the policy’s terms. In Florida, interpreting policy provisions or advising an insured on coverage is prohibited for a contractor who is not a licensed public adjuster (Fla. Stat. § 489.147(2)(d), 2025 Florida Statutes). Ask your agent or insurer, with the inspection report in hand.