Mike Silvers, CPRC, Owner, Silver Systems Inc. and FRSA Director of Technical Services
It was often called the “Special Session on Property Insurance” but, as it unfolded, it was plain to see that it also dealt with roofing as a primary focus. In last month’s column, I touched on several issues that we thought would be addressed during the session. As it turned out, the effects of the legislation that was enacted could have impacts that go well beyond what we expected. As is typical with the work of our lawmakers, there are things that we like and a few things we think could have been done better.
Insurer Mandated Premature Roof Replacement
One issue that FRSA has been addressing was the insurance industry’s recent practice of canceling or non-renewing property insurance policies based solely on the age of the roof covering. This was taking place for roofs that were only 10 years old and, in some cases, newer than that. The practice forced property owners to prematurely replace roofs that had many more years of serviceable life remaining. We were, however, surprised when the legislation addressed
this in ways we certainly didn’t expect. Starting with homeowner’s policies issued or renewed after July 1, 2022:
■ Insurers cannot refuse to issue or renew a homeowner’s
policy on a residential roof that is less than
15 years old solely because of the age of the roof.
■ For roofs that are at least 15 years old, a homeowner
is allowed to have an authorized person
perform an inspection and if the inspection states
that the roof has 5 years of useful life remaining,
then the insured may not refuse to issue or renew
a homeowner’s policy solely because of the age of
the roof.
An authorized person means an inspector who is approved
by the insurer and who is:
■ A home inspector licensed under § 468.8324
■ A building code inspector certified under
§ 468.607
■ A general, building or residential contractor
licensed under § 489.111
■ A professional engineer licensed under § 471.015
■ A professional architect licensed under § 481.213
■ Any other individual or entity recognized by the
insurer as possessing the necessary qualifications
to properly complete a general inspection of a
residential structure insured with a homeowner’s
insurance policy. Read more.
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