TAMPA, Fla. — Tanner Jenkins with Jenkins Roofing Tampa has been in the roofing business since he was a teenager.
Jenkins said he’s never seen homeowners insurance cause people so much stress.
“It seems like it's getting worse, and it’s very unfortunate," said Jenkins
Florida’s homeowners insurance crisis has been a huge problem for so many people, caused by fraudulent roofing schemes, frivolous lawsuits, and severe storms.
Homeowners in Florida were being dropped from their insurers because of the age of their roofs.
However, legislation passed in 2022 required companies to allow inspections of roofs older than 15 years. The insurer must continue coverage if that inspection shows a minimum of a five-year life span.
“If we can offer a letter to buy them more time with the insurance company, we try and do that at all costs, and a lot of time these days, it’s not working. It used to," said Jenkins.
Mark Friedlander, Florida spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute, said while age is not supposed to be a factor anymore, insurers can deny coverage because of condition.
“And it’s really important they you keep up on the condition of your roof, and if an inspector tells you your roof is starting to show significant wear and tear, making you vulnerable to storm damage, you need to make the decision is it time to replace the roof," said Friedlander.
Friedlander said a new roof could lower your premium by 20%, but there are other steps that might save you money.
“If your roof still has a lifespan of several years and it’s not quite at the replacement level yet, you can do hurricane straps, what we call roof tie downs. Steps you can take to reinforce your roof to wind damage and that’s not real expensive investment.”
Meanwhile, Jenkins Roofing is busy in the Tampa Bay area as people try to avoid getting dropped because of their roof’s condition.
“Usually, it’s a rush thing. They have a date when they are going to get dropped, so we have to squeeze it into the schedule. We try to accommodate everyone so they don’t have further problems," said Jenkins.
Experts say homeowners should contact their insurers to ask what their policy is about roof condition so they don’t get an expensive surprise.
