Your roof took a hit. Maybe it was a storm, a hurricane, or hail that you didn’t even realize was bad until you spotted water stains on your ceiling. Now you’re staring down an insurance claim and wondering where to even start.
Here’s the reality: Florida’s insurance claim process is one of the most complicated in the country. Broward County homeowners deal with specific local challenges, hurricane deductibles, strict filing deadlines, and insurance adjusters who are trained to minimize payouts. Knowing the right steps, in the right order, can mean the difference between a full roof replacement and a lowball settlement that leaves you paying thousands out of pocket.
This guide walks you through the entire process from the moment you discover damage to the day your repaired or replaced roof is complete.
Before you call your insurance company or touch your roof, you need to understand the legal landscape in Florida. These aren’t suggestions; they’re rules that affect whether your claim gets paid.
Filing Deadline: Under Florida Statute 627.70132, homeowners have one year from the date of loss to file a roof damage claim resulting from a hurricane or other weather event. However, this deadline is tight, and the earlier you act, the stronger your position.
Notice Requirement: Florida law requires you to notify your insurer promptly after discovering damage. Under SB 76, delays in notification can give your insurance company grounds to reduce or deny your claim entirely. Don’t wait weeks to report — act within days.
The 25% Rule (2022 Change): This is one of the most important things Broward County homeowners need to know. Before 2022, if more than 25% of your roof was damaged, insurers were required to pay for a full replacement. The law changed. Now, if your roof meets the 2007 Florida Building Code or newer standards and can be repaired, your insurer may only be required to pay for repairs — even if you’d prefer a full replacement. This change has made professional documentation more critical than ever.
Wind vs. Flood Coverage: Standard homeowners insurance covers wind damage. It does not cover flooding. If your roof leaked during a storm, your insurer may argue the water damage came from flooding (excluded) rather than wind-driven rain (covered). Having a professional inspector document the cause of damage is essential to counter this tactic.
Before you do anything else, make sure the immediate situation is safe. Do not climb onto a damaged roof. If the roof is actively leaking, place buckets and move valuables away from the water.
Your next priority is temporary protection. If there are large holes, missing shingles, or exposed decking, cover them with a tarp to prevent further water intrusion. Save every receipt for materials you purchase. Florida homeowners’ insurance policies typically reimburse reasonable costs for emergency temporary repairs, but only if you document them properly.
What to do in the first hour:
This is the most critical step in the entire process, and the one most homeowners rush through. Poor documentation is the single biggest reason roof claims get denied or underpaid.
Photo and Video Documentation
Grab your phone and document every inch of damage before anything is moved, covered, or repaired — with one exception: emergency tarping to prevent further damage is always acceptable.
Capture:
• Wide-angle shots of your entire roof from all four sides of the house
• Close-up shots of specific damage — missing shingles, cracked tiles, dented flashing, lifted edges
• Gutters and downspouts (storm damage often shows up here too)
• Interior damage — ceiling stains, wet drywall, water on floors, sagging ceilings
• Measurements of affected interior areas where possible
• Any storm debris still on your property or roof
• Enable timestamps on your phone’s camera before you shoot. Upload everything to cloud storage immediately as a backup.
Written Documentation
This step surprises most homeowners, but it’s one of the smartest moves you can make.
Do not call your insurance company first. Call a licensed roofing contractor to inspect the damage before you open a claim. Here’s why: once you open a claim, your insurance company sends its own adjuster, whose job is to assess damage from the insurer’s perspective. If you go into that meeting without your own professional assessment, you have nothing to counter their findings with.
A licensed roofing professional will:
At Roofing Consultant, LLC, we provide free storm damage inspections for Plantation and Broward County homeowners. Our inspection report gives you a professional, independent record that you can use throughout the claims process, including if you need to dispute an adjuster’s findings.
Before you file, spend 30 minutes understanding exactly what you’re working with. Pull out your declarations page and look for:
Deductible type: Florida policies commonly have two separate deductibles, a standard deductible and a separate hurricane deductible, which is often calculated as 1–2% of your dwelling coverage rather than a flat dollar amount. On a $400,000 home, that could mean a $4,000–$8,000 deductible for hurricane-related claims alone.
ACV vs. RCV coverage:
Ordinance and Law Coverage: This is often overlooked but very valuable. If your roof replacement requires bringing your home up to current Broward County building codes, which frequently happens with older homes, this coverage helps pay for those additional costs. Check if you have it and what the limits are.
Wind and Hail Coverage: Usually included in standard policies but sometimes listed separately. Confirm it’s in your policy before filing.
If you’re unsure about any of these terms, contact your insurance agent for clarification before opening a claim.
Now you’re ready to contact your insurance company. When you call:
After the call, follow up with a written confirmation, email is fine. This creates a paper trail of when you reported the damage and what you reported.
The insurance adjuster’s visit is where many Broward County homeowners lose money they’re entitled to. Adjusters handle dozens of claims per week. They may miss subtle storm damage, especially on tile or metal roofs, and they are not required to advocate for you.
Be present during the inspection. Never let an adjuster walk your property alone.
Have your roofing contractor present. This is one of the most impactful things you can do. Your contractor acts as your advocate — pointing out damage the adjuster might overlook, clarifying the cause of damage, and ensuring nothing gets missed. At Roofing Consultant, LLC, we routinely accompany our clients during adjuster visits in Plantation and across Broward County for exactly this reason.
Walk through the damage in order. Start with the roof, then move through each interior area affected. Present your documentation — photos, written logs, the National Weather Service report, and your contractor’s inspection report.
Don’t sign anything during the visit. Review any documents the adjuster presents carefully before signing. You are not required to agree to anything on the spot.
After the adjuster’s visit, your insurer will send a scope of loss, a document listing what damage they’re covering, the materials they’ll pay for, and the total claim amount.
Review this document against your contractor’s independent inspection report. Look for:
If anything looks off, your roofing contractor can prepare a supplemental claim, a formal request to add missed or undervalued items to the settlement. Supplemental claims are common in Florida and are a legitimate part of the process.
For straightforward small claims, you may not need additional help. But for significant damage, full roof replacements, or situations where your insurer is being uncooperative, a public adjuster, an independent claims professional who works for you, not the insurance company, can be worth the investment.
Florida law allows you to hire a public adjuster at any stage of the process, even after a settlement has been offered. Public adjusters typically charge 5–20% of the final claim payout.
Data from the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters suggests homeowners who use public adjusters often receive substantially higher settlements than those who negotiate alone. For large claims, that difference can easily offset the adjuster’s fee.
Once your claim is approved, you have the legal right to choose any licensed roofing contractor in Florida. You are not required to use a contractor recommended by your insurance company.
What to confirm before signing a roofing contract:
Warning: Be cautious of any contractor who approaches you unsolicited after a storm, pressures you to sign immediately, or offers to waive your deductible. Waiving deductibles is illegal in Florida. Door-to-door solicitation by roofing contractors is also now prohibited under Florida law.
Knowing what can go wrong helps you avoid it:
Signing an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) too quickly — AOBs transfer your claim rights to a contractor. Review any AOB document with your attorney or public adjuster before signing
Any permitted roofing work in Broward County requires a permit pulled through the Broward County Permitting, Licensing, and Consumer Protection Division. Your contractor is responsible for pulling permits. If they ask you to do it yourself or suggest skipping it, walk away. Unpermitted roofing work creates serious complications when you sell your home and may not be covered by your insurer.
Filing a roof insurance claim in Florida is not something you should have to figure out alone, especially with the stakes involved. At Roofing Consultant, LLC, we’ve helped Plantation homeowners through this process from start to finish — from free storm inspections and contractor-prepared documentation to being present at adjuster visits and reviewing scope of loss estimates.
We’re a Plantation-based roofing contractor. We know Broward County’s building codes, permit requirements, and the specific challenges local homeowners face with Florida’s insurance system.
If your roof has been damaged and you’re not sure where to start, call us first at (954) 507-5227 or request a free inspection online. We’ll assess your damage, give you an honest picture of what you’re dealing with, and help you move through the claims process with confidence.
