Selling a House With a Roof Too Old to Insure in Florida
4 min read · Last updated 2026-08-03 · Reviewed by Joseph Mena, CFO of Cash Flow Deals. · Reviewed by Camilo Palacio, Licensed Florida Real Estate Professional (License #3280644, REALTOR®)
Cash Flow Deals gives you a choice: the Fast Cash Offer, where we buy your house as-is and close, or the Premium Cash Offer, where a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you. You choose. With either offer, the number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. Cash Flow Deals addresses roof age upfront so you can compare your options before financing or insurance becomes an issue. If a policy denial comes three weeks before closing, we work through what it means for your sale.
| Factor | Traditional Listing | Cash Flow Deals |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | A buyer's insurance quote can fall through late in underwriting once the roof's age is flagged, resetting the closing date | You compare the Fast Cash Offer and Premium Cash Offer with roof age considered upfront. The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. |
| Repairs | Sellers are often asked to replace or partially replace the roof before a buyer's lender will fund the loan | You sell as-is with the Fast Cash Offer, or choose the Premium Cash Offer, where only roof work required by your buyer's lender gets done. We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket; Premium repair costs are settled from the sale proceeds, from our share. |
| Fees / Costs | A full reroof commonly runs several thousand dollars to over $20,000 depending on size and material, usually on the seller's dime to save the deal | With your Premium Cash Offer, Cash Flow Deals is paid as a separate line item on the closing statement, from what remains after amounts owed are settled and you receive your agreed number. The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. |
Why a 20-Year-Old Florida Roof Scares Off a Buyer's Insurer, Not the Buyer
Most Florida buyers using a mortgage need a bound homeowners insurance policy before their lender will fund the loan. Insurance carriers set their own roof-age cutoffs for writing new coverage, and those cutoffs are separate from what a home inspector says about the roof's actual condition. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Florida's state-backed insurer of last resort, generally wants shingle and composition roofs under 25 years old and tile, slate, concrete, or metal roofs under 50 years old to write new coverage, and many private carriers set similar or tighter lines of their own. A roof can be watertight and still fall outside a specific carrier's age window.
The Florida Law That's Supposed to Protect You, and Where It Stops
Under Florida Statutes § 627.7011, for policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2022, an insurer cannot refuse to issue or renew a homeowner's policy solely because the roof is under 15 years old. For roofs 15 years or older, the law requires insurers to allow the homeowner to get an inspection from an authorized inspector, and if that inspection shows the roof has at least 5 years of useful life remaining, the insurer can't refuse coverage based on age alone. That protects an existing or renewing policyholder from a pure age cutoff. It does not force a carrier to write a brand-new policy for a first-time buyer on a much older roof, and it does not override a specific carrier's own underwriting guidelines beyond what the statute requires.
What Happens When Your Buyer's Financing Falls Through Over the Roof
A typical mortgage closing depends on the buyer having a bound insurance policy in place before funding. If an insurer declines to write that policy once its own inspection flags the roof, the buyer either has to find another carrier, walk away, or the seller has to fund a repair or reroof to save the deal, often after weeks of loan processing are already sunk into the file. A seller listing traditionally usually doesn't find out which of these happens until a specific buyer's specific insurer weighs in late in the process.
Cash Flow Deals' Process for a House With an Old Roof
Cash Flow Deals walks you through the process. At step 1, you request a walkthrough to discuss roof age and compare the Fast Cash Offer with the Premium Cash Offer. At step 2, Cash Flow Deals checks your roof's actual age and condition, separately from any later decision by a buyer's insurance underwriter. At step 3, Cash Flow Deals explains the repair plan: we buy as-is with the Fast Cash Offer; with the Premium Cash Offer, only what your buyer's lender requires gets fixed. We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. Premium repair costs are settled from the sale proceeds, from our share. The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. At step 4, you close on the offer you chose. With Premium, title transfers once, directly from you to your buyer, whose lender funds the purchase. If your buyer's loan falls through, that is our problem, not yours, and you can still take the Fast Cash Offer at its own number instead of the Premium Cash Offer.
Your Agreed Number and the One Exception
With Cash Flow Deals, you choose between the Fast Cash Offer, where we buy your house as-is and close, and the Premium Cash Offer, where a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you. For Premium, your home may be listed through Silver Door Realty, a licensed Florida brokerage, with a licensed agent and scheduled showings. Ordinary roof age and wear are considered upfront. The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. That could include hidden foundation issues, moisture damage, old wiring, or cast-iron drain failure. We disclose what we know when you receive your offers. With Premium, only what your buyer's lender requires gets fixed. We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket; those costs are settled from the sale proceeds, from our share. Cash Flow Deals is paid as a separate line item on the closing statement. If your buyer's loan falls through, that is our problem, not yours, and you can still choose the Fast Cash Offer at its own number instead of the Premium Cash Offer.
Common questions
How old can a roof be and still get insured in Florida?
Under Florida Statutes § 627.7011, an insurer can't refuse a policy solely because a roof is under 15 years old, and for roofs 15 or older, an inspection showing at least 5 years of remaining life protects against a pure age-based refusal. Beyond that, many carriers set their own limits, commonly around 25 years for shingle roofs and up to 50 years for tile or metal, so confirm with a licensed Florida agent for a specific roof.
Will my buyer's FHA or conventional loan fall through over roof age?
It can, since most lenders require the buyer to have a bound insurance policy before funding. If no carrier will write a policy on that specific roof, financing can stall or fail, though this depends on the specific lender and insurer involved.
Do I have to replace the roof before selling to Cash Flow Deals?
No. Ordinary roof age and wear are considered upfront when you compare your Fast Cash Offer and Premium Cash Offer. The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens.
What's the difference between a roof that's old and one that's failing?
Age is just a number. Condition is what an inspector or an insurance adjuster actually finds when they get on it. A roof can be old and still sound, or newer and already leaking, which is why Florida law requires an inspection option for roofs 15 years and older instead of an automatic age-based decline.