June 1 – November 30
The First 48 Hours Decide the Claim
After a named storm, everything happens at once: every roofer in the county is booked, and every driveway gets a knock from someone who was not here last week. That is exactly when expensive decisions get made badly.
Photographs and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, you will get that answer.
In order
The first 48 hours
- 01Photograph everything, fast. Inside and out, wide and close, before anything is covered or cleared. Dated photographs are what a claim is actually decided on.
- 02Stop the water. Tarp it if you can do so safely, or get someone who can. Emergency mitigation is usually covered, and preventable further damage often is not.
- 03Keep receipts. Tarps, a hotel night, a generator. Mitigation costs are frequently reimbursable and almost always forgotten.
- 04Decide whether to file at all. Below your deductible, or wear rather than storm damage? A denied claim still sits on your loss history.
- 05Do not sign anything on the doorstep. Not an assignment of benefits, not a large deposit, not a contract you have not read in daylight.
- 06Get a real assessment. The damage that matters is often not the damage you can see.
Not always obvious
What storm damage actually looks like
Uplift without visible loss
Wind can break the bond and the fasteners without displacing a single tile. The roof looks perfect from the street and is no longer attached.
A stain that was not there
New interior staining dated after the event is among the more persuasive evidence a carrier will see.
What was already failing
A storm often exposes deterioration that predates it. Carriers distinguish sudden damage from wear, and so should you.
Changed in 2022
The deadline nobody mentions
Florida law now requires notice of a new or reopened property claim within one year of the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within eighteen months. Both windows were shortened in 2022.
This catches people out constantly, because a leak that seemed minor in September becomes a significant problem the following summer — by which point the window may have closed. If a storm touched your roof, get it looked at while the clock is still running.
Warning signs
Two sentences that should end a conversation
"We can cover your deductible."
This is insurance fraud in Florida, and accepting it makes you a party to it. It is also a reliable indicator of how the rest of the job will be run.
"Just sign here so we can start today."
An assignment of benefits signed under pressure, without reading, in the week after a storm. Read it in daylight, or do not sign it.
Spring
Or get ahead of it
A pre-season inspection in March or April costs a fraction of what a rushed decision costs in September. It also produces a dated record of your roof's condition before the season, which is exactly the document that makes a later claim straightforward instead of contested.
FAQ
Common questions
- How long do I have to file a roof claim?
- Under current Florida law, one year from the date of loss for a new or reopened claim, and eighteen months for a supplemental claim. These windows were shortened in 2022, so guidance you read a few years ago is wrong.
- Should I tarp before documenting?
- Photograph fast, then tarp. Stopping water beats a perfect record, and photographs of the tarped roof plus photographs of the damage before tarping are what a carrier needs.
- Is a missing tile worth a claim?
- Usually not. Wind deductibles in Florida are often a percentage of the dwelling value rather than a flat sum, and a claim below the deductible costs you and recovers nothing.
- What is an assignment of benefits?
- It transfers your claim rights to a contractor. Florida law around these has changed substantially. Read anything you are asked to sign, and do not sign one on a doorstep during a power cut.
- Someone offered to cover my deductible. Is that allowed?
- No. Waiving or absorbing a deductible on an insurance claim is fraud in Florida, and it makes you a party to it. Anyone offering it is telling you exactly what kind of company they are.
- When should I get the pre-season inspection?
- Spring. By June everyone is booking, and after a storm the queue is measured in weeks rather than days.
Next step
Get it looked at while the clock is running.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.