In certain areas of Brevard County where older homes are present, areas such as Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach, Merritt Island, and certain areas of Melbourne and West Melbourne, we often find older homes with flat roofs.
Insurance companies aren’t big fans of flat roofs. The reason is they’ve found that due to constant direct sunlight the roofing materials common to flat roofs can degrade more quickly. This degradation reduces the lifespan of the flat roof. But probably the biggest fear, however, is water pooling. Water pooling on the roof decking can significantly shorten the lifespan of the roof. This can result in roof leaks which, in turn, results in a higher claim frequency when compared to other roof shapes. When insurance companies experience high frequency of claims, they make guidelines to mitigate their risk.
If you’re looking to purchase flat roofed home, here’s what you need to know.
Some carriers don’t accept flat roofs, period. Other carriers will accept flat roofs so long as the flat roofs aren’t over living areas. And still other carriers accept flat roofs but only if it’s a small percentage of the total roof deck – like 10-20%. There are only a few carriers that will insure homes if the entire roof is flat. My point here is that the number of carriers willing to insure flat roofed homes in Brevard is limited. However, those that do insure flat roofed homes all agree on one thing – it can’t be an old flat roof. In fact, most carriers want to see the flat roof less than 10 years old if the flat roof is over a living area.
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