What If My Roof Is Older? Is It Harder To Insure

Unfortunately, due to a lot of insurance fraud, companies are very strict on roof age and condition, and it is getting very difficult to insure older roofs no matter what condition they are in.

People with shingle roofs over 12 years old may find it difficult to shop insurance because options are getting limited. A few companies will still consider insuring an older roof if the client can get a roof inspection (usually costs around $100) that states the roof has at least 5 years remaining life.

However, the list of companies that will accept a roof inspection is getting smaller, so it may be best to stay with your current insurance company until the roof has been replaced. We have seen a few cases where a client has moved to another insurance company due to a better price only to be canceled by the new insurance company due to the “condition of the roof”. So now they may be stuck with a higher price because the previous company will likely not reinstate unless a new application is completed, and, due to “adverse selection”, they may have changed their roof requirements and the home is no longer eligible.

What about older metal roofs or clay tiles roofs?

Most companies prefer a metal or clay roof and allow them to be older. At the moment, a steel roof is probably your best option. They are accepted up to 25 years or more with most companies.

Like shingle roofs, older clay roofs are starting to get harder to insure with a few insurance companies and may become the next “trend”. This is because older clay roofs are getting hard to match and HOA’s have sometimes required a homeowner to replace a whole clay tile roof, even though only a few tiles were damaged after a storm. This means the insurance companies are paying more for the repairs than they intend, so pricing and age qualifications on clay tile roofs may change over time if this trend continues.