Many residential property insurance carriers in Florida are requiring policyholders with asphalt shingle roofs to replace those roofs every ten years, regardless of the roof’s condition, or face the loss of their homeowner’s insurance. This requirement causes unnecessary financial burden on homeowners and doubles the amount of waste sent to Florida landfills from homes with asphalt shingle roofs.
The primary cause of this relatively new requirement by Florida insurance companies arises from the activity of unscrupulous roofing contractors who convince unsuspecting homeowners that their roof has been damaged – typically by hail or wind – and that insurance coverage is available to them to replace the roof “for free.” These activities are widespread and well organized. Many tactics are used to entice Florida roofing contractors to participate with the promise of lucrative profits. Contractors are taught, step by step, how to work every aspect of the system: from pitching “free roofs,” to leveraging insurance adjusters and threatening inflated attorneys’ fees. All intended to extract as much money as possible from insurance companies. Fully 76 percent of all residential property insurance litigation throughout the United States occurs within Florida as a result of this organized activity.
Faced with the overwhelming threat of lawsuits, property insurance companies have chosen to pay the roof claims, even when the roof may not need to be replaced, rather than face crippling litigation cost. At the same time, most insurance companies have reacted to the “free roof” onslaught by arbitrarily requiring premature replacement of shingle roofs every ten years even though the lifespan of such a roof in Florida is typically 20 years. This requirement potentially doubles homeowners’ costs to keep a roof over their head and doubles the amount of asphalt shingle waste deposited in Florida landfills. It also doubles the other environmental impacts of producing, shipping and installing the roofing products.
■ The average lifespan of an asphalt shingle roof in Florida is about 20 years.
■ The average roof area of a Florida home is approximately 3,000 square feet or 30 “squares.”
■ The current cost of asphalt shingle roofing is roughly $500 per square or $15,000 for the average roof.
■ The average waste material produced when an asphalt shingle roof is replaced is four tons or 8,000 pounds. Each time a shingle roof must be replaced, four tons of waste are headed to the landfill.
A first-time homeowner at the age of 30 is required by the property insurer to reroof their asphalt shingle roof every ten years. If the homeowner moves out of the house at 80 years of age, their roof will have been replaced five times. The result will be 40,000 pounds of
landfill waste from this single home. The homeowner will need to put aside $125 every month for the entire 50 years they own the home just to pay for a new roof every ten years. An unintended consequence of this unnecessary and burdensome requirement is that it makes the promise of a “free roof” all the more enticing to the homeowner.
The needless tear off and replacement of asphalt shingle roofs at an arbitrary ten years is very detrimental to Florida’s environment, a waste of materials and resources and a burden to Florida residents. For some Floridians, the excessive cost of roof replacements
combined with ever-increasing homeowner’s insurance will place the dream of home ownership out of reach.
FRSA believes that any reform efforts in Florida’s property insurance market should realistically reflect the average lifespan of 20 years for an asphalt shingle roof that is professionally installed in compliance with the Florida Building Code. Utilizing the full lifespan of an asphalt shingle roof is in the best interests of Florida citizens. Doing so prevents economic and environmental waste and furthers the state’s compelling interest to provide safe, affordable housing.
The Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA) is a Florida trade association that has represented the industry for 100 years. The purpose of the FRSA is to foster and encourage a high standard of business ethics among members and to inform the public of the importance of doing business with Florida certified licensed and insured roofing professionals. Additionally, the Association seeks to improve the quality of the industries it represents through research, education and certification. The Association represents the interest of the members before government and code regulatory bodies and strives to improve the industry.
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