These are the questions south Brevard homeowners ask most often when they call. Every answer starts with the answer.
Age alone is not enough under Florida law. Since 2022, a Florida insurer cannot refuse to renew solely because of roof age if the roof is under 15 years old, or if an inspection shows five or more years of useful life left. A written roof inspection with photos is usually what the carrier wants to see.
The re-roof permit is on the county record under the address, and the Brevard County Property Appraiser's site shows the permit history for most parcels. A wind-mitigation form from the last time the house was insured also lists it. If the roof is original, the year the house was built is the roof year.
Depends on where the house is and how long you plan to stay. On the beachside, standing-seam metal with coastal-grade fasteners has become the usual replacement because salt air shortens shingle life and eats ordinary hardware. Inland, architectural shingle is still common and costs less up front. The metal roofing page covers the trade-offs.
Salt. From Melbourne Beach to Satellite Beach the island is narrow enough that both sides of a house get salt air, and it corrodes nails, flashing, and cut panel edges years ahead of an inland roof. Beachside addresses also sit at a higher design wind speed on the county's maps, so fastening schedules are stricter.
It changes what the insurer knows about the roof. The state's OIR-B1-1802 form records roof covering, deck nailing, roof-to-wall connections, roof shape, and secondary water resistance, and carriers apply credits for each documented feature. A new roof that is not on the form earns nothing. The wind mitigation page explains it.
A re-roof needs a permit everywhere in Brevard County. Inside Melbourne city limits it goes through the City of Melbourne Building Section. Palm Bay, West Melbourne, Satellite Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Malabar, Grant-Valkaria, and Palm Shores each run their own desk. Unincorporated addresses go through Brevard County. The contractor pulls it.
The HVHZ covers only Miami-Dade and Broward, so Melbourne sits outside it. Brevard County is a wind-borne debris region with its own published design wind speed maps, which still means product approvals, shingle fastening, and roof-to-wall connections are inspected items on every permit.
Take photos from the ground and inside before anything is moved. Get the opening tarped and keep the receipt. Then call your insurer to open the claim, and call for a storm damage contractor to document the roof in writing. Do not sign anything a door-knocker hands you.
Nobody on this site can tell you what your policy will pay. Sudden wind damage is usually the kind of loss a policy is written for. Age, wear, and salt corrosion usually are not. A hurricane deductible, often 2 to 5 percent of dwelling coverage, applies to named storms. The insurance claims page covers the steps.
One year from the date of loss for a new claim on policies issued or renewed since January 2023, and 18 months for a supplemental claim. Older policies may still carry the earlier two-year window. Your policy states the deadline that applies to you.
If the roof was built or replaced to the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, which for most Brevard homes means a permit from March 2009 on, only the repaired section has to meet current code. Older roofs are handled case by case. A roof repair contractor tells you which side of that line the house is on.
Often, with approval first. Many Suntree, Viera, and Bayside Lakes associations review visible roof choices, and some limit profile or color rather than material. Ask the contractor to send the product sheet to the architectural committee before a roof replacement estimate is written.
Contractors represent their own licensing and insurance. Florida requires a licensed roofing contractor for roof work, and you can verify any license at myfloridalicense.com before hiring. Ask for a certificate of insurance and a written scope as well.
Call (321) 490-1097. Tell the person who answers what the roof is made of, roughly what year it went on, where the stain or damage is, and whether water is coming in now.