Metal, tile or shingle
The insurance credit is mostly not about the material. It is about how the deck is nailed on, how the roof is tied to the walls, and what shape the roof is. OIR-B1-1802 (the “1802 form”)† has seven categories, and only one of them asks what the covering is made of.
Homeowners routinely pay a large premium for a material believing the insurer will reward it, then discover the saving came from the nailing pattern and the strapping — which any competent re-roof can deliver on any covering. Documenting those is worth roughly 20–30% of the total premium†. Choose the material for how long you intend to own the house and what the roof has to survive, not for a credit that is mostly earned elsewhere.
What the form actually scores
- Roof covering. Whether it meets the current code — the one category the material touches, and it is pass or fail rather than a ranking of materials.
- Roof deck attachment. Nail size and spacing. This is frequently the single largest credit and it is invisible once the covering is on.
- Roof-to-wall attachment. Toe nails, clips, single wraps or double wraps. Another large credit, and another thing nobody can see.
- Roof geometry. A hip roof scores better than a gable, because it sheds wind on all four sides. You cannot change this at re-roof time without rebuilding the structure.
- Secondary water resistance. A sealed deck under the covering, so a roof that loses tiles does not immediately become a flooded house.
- Opening protection. Not the roof at all, but scored on the same form.
- Building code compliance. When the structure was built or substantially reroofed.
Read that list twice before choosing a covering. Four of the seven are structural or fastening decisions your contractor makes during the job, and they are settled before the first tile or shingle is laid.
The materials, on their honest merits
| Strength | Weakness | |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural shingle | Cheapest to install, easy to repair, every roofer can do it well | Shortest life in Florida heat and UV; the material most often at the centre of an age-based insurance problem |
| Metal | Long life, sheds water well, performs strongly in wind when correctly fastened | High upfront cost; repairs need someone who works in metal; noise and denting are real if oversold as non-issues |
| Concrete or clay tile | Very long life, handles heat and UV, common on Florida architecture | Heavy, so the structure must carry it; individual tiles break and finding a match years later is difficult |
| Flat and low-slope systems | The only option on many Florida houses and additions | Judged entirely on installation and drainage; a flat roof fails at the details, not in the field |
Roof pricing in Florida moves with labour, insurance, tear-off layers, deck condition and the season, and any figure specific enough to plan with would be out of date before you read it. A number we have not measured is worth nothing to you. Get three written quotes on the same specification and compare those instead.
The rules that constrain the choice
- The 25% rule, and its exception. 25% of the roof damaged in any 12-month period triggers full replacement† — but not where the existing roof was built to the 2007 Florida Building Code or any later edition, in force from 1 March 2009†, and the statute prohibits local governments from amending away the exception†.
- Roof age is not by itself a reason to be dropped. An insurer may not refuse or non-renew solely on age under 15 years†, or where an inspection shows five years of remaining useful life†.
- Where you are changes the specification. In the Wind-Borne Debris Region and the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone† the requirements tighten, and in Miami-Dade and Broward† products installed in the HVHZ must carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance†.
- Your association may decide for you. Many Florida declarations specify covering type and colour, and approval is required before the work rather than after.
What to put in the contract whichever you choose
- Secondary water resistance, explicitly. It is a credit, and it is the difference between losing a covering and losing a ceiling.
- The deck nailing pattern, in writing, at the standard that earns the credit.
- Deck replacement terms — how rotten sheathing is priced, before it is discovered rather than after.
- A permit, pulled by the contractor, and closed. An open roof permit is a title and insurance problem years later.
- A wind mitigation inspection after completion, and give it to your insurer yourself. The work does not reduce your premium; the documented work does.
Related
Common questions
Does a metal roof lower insurance in Florida?
Less than people expect. The wind mitigation form has seven categories and only one concerns the covering — the large credits come from deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, geometry and secondary water resistance, which any covering can be installed over.
Which roof material lasts longest in Florida?
Tile and metal outlast shingle substantially, which is why shingle is the material most often at the centre of an age-based insurance problem. Whether the extra life is worth the cost depends on how long you intend to own the house.
What is the 25% roof rule in Florida?
Damage to more than 25% of a roof in any twelve-month period triggers full replacement to current code — except where the existing roof was built to the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, and local governments cannot amend that exception away.
Can I be dropped for having an old roof?
Not on age alone. An insurer may not refuse or non-renew solely because a roof is under fifteen years old, or where an inspection shows at least five years of remaining life.
What should I put in a re-roof contract?
Secondary water resistance, the deck nailing pattern, how rotten sheathing is priced, a permit pulled by the contractor and closed, and a wind mitigation inspection after completion that you give to your insurer yourself.
Wind mitigation credits are recorded on form OIR-B1-1802 and applied by each insurer under its own filed rates. Roof replacement requirements sit in §553.844 and the Florida Building Code; roof age underwriting limits in §627.7011. Local amendments and association rules may be stricter.