Has Citizens Asked You for a Roof Report?

Did a letter from Citizens just ask about the condition of your roof?

Or did your agent mention that the roof will need to be documented before your policy can be renewed or written? It is a stressful kind of request, because the roof is the most expensive part of a house, and the paperwork seems to come with a deadline.

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state-created insurer that many Florida homeowners turn to when they cannot find coverage elsewhere. Like any insurer it sets its own underwriting rules, and those rules include how the roof is described. They can change, and I do not speak for Citizens.

What I can do is visit your home, examine the roof carefully and write a clear, photographed report on its covering, age, condition and the details that matter on a Florida roof. You can then hand it to your agent or send it where it is needed. This page explains what the report contains, how to get ready for it and what I do not promise.

To get started, the request page takes a couple of minutes. Tell me you have a Citizens policy and what you were asked for, and I will call you back.

What is a Citizens roof report, exactly?

It is not a form issued by Citizens and I am not an agent of Citizens. It is my own written roof report, prepared for a homeowner who has, or is applying for, a Citizens policy and needs the roof documented. It is built around the questions a reader would reasonably ask of a roof: what covers it, how old is it, what shape is it in, and is there any sign of water getting in.

If Citizens or your agent has given you a specific form or a list of items, bring it. I can answer to that list, and where an item is outside what I can honestly observe, I will say so on the page. If there is no specific form, I use my regular roof report layout, which is detailed enough for most readers.

This is a different thing from a wind mitigation report, which records how the structure resists wind. It is also different from a 4-point inspection, which covers four systems. Many Citizens homeowners need more than one of these, and I can tell you which ones fit your request.

What information goes into the report?

The report is built from what I can verify at the house, supported by photographs. The core items are below.

• Property details. Address, date of the visit, building type and the sections of the roof I examined.
• Roof covering type. Asphalt shingle, concrete or clay tile, metal, flat membrane or a combination.
• Approximate age. Based on permit records, paperwork or physical signs, with my confidence in it stated.
• Condition by section. Surface wear, cracking, curling, missing or slipped pieces, ponding on low slopes and fastener condition.
• Details and penetrations. Flashing, vent boots, chimneys, skylights and valleys.
• Signs of water. Staining or damage inside the house that you point out, and any evidence of past or present leaks.
• Prior repairs. Patching, sealant and replaced sections, and whether they look sound.
• Photographs. Wide and close images of each slope and each notable detail.

I do not give the report a pass-or-fail stamp on behalf of any insurer. I describe what I saw. The reader applies their own rules.

How do I work out the age of the roof?

Roof age is the first question most readers ask and often the hardest to answer. Roofs do not carry a date. I combine several sources and tell you how firm the answer is.

A permit is the best evidence. Most Florida cities and counties keep records of roof permits, and your building department can often give you the date of the last replacement. Closing documents, invoices, warranty papers and earlier inspection reports are next. A previous insurance policy or an old wind mitigation form may carry a roof date too.

When paperwork is missing, I look at the roof. Wear patterns, the style of the shingles, the condition of the flashing, the type of underlayment at the edges and the age of attached equipment all offer clues. I write the estimate as a range and make clear that it is an estimate. I do not state a precise year when I cannot support one.

If you have any documents at all, gather them before the visit. A single permit number can answer a question that would otherwise stay open.

How should you prepare before the visit?

A little preparation helps me do a thorough job and helps the report stand up when somebody reads it.

1. Read the letter or message you received and note exactly what was requested, the deadline and who asked.
2. Gather roof paperwork: permits, invoices, warranties, closing documents and any earlier reports.
3. Write down every leak, stain or repair you know about, with dates and locations.
4. Clear the attic hatch if you want me to look for signs of water from underneath.
5. Unlock gates and make sure I can reach every side of the house.
6. Move vehicles and patio items away from the walls where a ladder may be placed.
7. If the home is a rental or vacant, tell me who can give access.

If the letter you received has a deadline, tell me the date when you call. I cannot promise to meet any particular date, but I will tell you honestly whether the visit and the report can be done in time, rather than leaving you to find out later.

What does the visit look like?

After you send your request on the contact page, I call you back and ask what you were told, what the deadline is and a few simple questions about the house. Then we pick a day.

On the day I start outside and look at the roof from the ground, since sags, waves and lifted lines are often easier to see from a distance. Then I go onto the roof where it is safe, or look from ladders and the eaves where it is not. I photograph each slope and each important detail.

If you give access, I look into the attic for signs of moisture around penetrations and along the underside of the deck. I note anything unusual I see inside the house that you pointed out, such as a stained ceiling.

Before I leave I tell you what I found, in plain words. The written report with photographs follows afterward.

What do I not promise?

This is where I want to be most direct. Insurance decisions belong to the insurer. I do not decide whether a policy is written, renewed or changed, and I do not know what Citizens will decide in your case.

• I do not promise that a report will be accepted by any insurer.
• I do not promise a result on coverage, eligibility or what anyone charges.
• I do not promise that a roof will last any set number of years.
• I do not speak for Citizens or its agents.
• I do not give a verdict that a roof meets or fails any insurer rule, because I do not set or apply those rules.

What I do commit to: the report states what I saw, in plain terms, with photographs that match the words. If I cannot verify something, I say so. If the roof looks fine, I write that. If it does not, I write that too.

What if the report shows a roof in poor shape?

It is better to learn it from a report than from a leak. A roof in poor shape does not mean disaster, and it does not always mean replacement. Many problems are local: a failed flashing, a split vent boot, a few slipped tiles. Others are widespread, and that is a different conversation.

I describe the findings and what they could mean, and I leave the decision with you. The roof repair and replacement page explains how I approach those choices. You are welcome to get opinions from other roofers, and I encourage you to compare.

If the roof needs work before your insurer will proceed, it is useful to know that early. You can ask your agent what documentation is needed after repairs, and I can come back to prepare an updated report once the work is done.

How does it relate to the other reports?

Homeowners with Citizens policies often hear several terms in the same week. Here is how they differ.

Which of them your agent needs is a question for your agent. Ask for the exact name of the document and any form number, then tell me. I will say honestly whether I can provide it.

Why does the roof matter so much for Florida policies?

The roof is the first line of defense against both wind and water, and it is the part of the house most exposed to the Florida climate. A roof that is in good shape protects everything below. A roof in poor shape can allow water into the structure, and water damage is among the most expensive things that happen to houses here.

That is why insurers pay such close attention to roofs, and why an honest, well-documented report is useful to everyone. For the owner, it is a record of the roof at a point in time. For a reader at an insurer, it is a way to see the roof without visiting. For you, it is a checkpoint that tells you what to plan for.

Roofs on the coast age differently from those inland, tile ages differently from shingle, and a flat section behaves differently from a pitched one. I take those differences into account, which is why the report is specific to your roof rather than a generic checklist.

What questions should you ask your agent before booking?

The best way to avoid a wasted report is to ask a few direct questions first. Your agent deals with Citizens regularly and usually knows what is needed. Bring the answers to our call.

1. What exact document is being asked for, and does it have a name or form number?
2. Does it have to be on a particular form, or is a written report with photographs enough?
3. How recent does it need to be?
4. Who must receive it, and by what date?
5. Does the request refer to the age of the roof, its condition, or both?
6. If the roof needs work first, what proof of the work is expected afterward?

If the answers are unclear, that is fine. Tell me what you know, and I will help you sort out whether a roof report is the right thing or whether you need a different document. I would rather say so at the start than have you pay for a visit that does not answer your question.

How do different roof coverings show their age?

A report is more useful when it reflects the real behavior of the covering. Here is how I think about the four main types on Florida roofs.

Asphalt shingle. Shingles lose granules, and the loss becomes visible as dark patches, bare spots and granules piled at downspouts. Edges curl, corners lift and the mat can crack. Heat and sun speed all of that up in Florida, so shingle roofs often show age earlier than owners expect.

Tile. The tiles themselves last a long time, but the underlayment beneath them is often the limiting layer. From above I can see cracked or slipped pieces, broken ridge caps and failed mortar. What I cannot see is the condition of the underlayment, and I say so in the report.

Metal. Panels can last a long time, but fasteners, sealants and seams do not. I look for backed-out screws, open laps, rust at cut edges and dried sealant, especially near the coast where salt works at the metal.

Flat and low-slope membranes. These need drainage. Standing water, blisters, open seams and ponding stains are the signs I record. Because many Florida homes have a flat section over a porch or addition, this part gets its own paragraph in the report.

What makes a photograph useful as evidence?

A report with weak photos is a report that has to be taken on trust. I try to make each image answer a specific question. A wide shot places the roof section on the house. A mid-range shot shows the area. A close shot shows the detail.

I label images by slope and location so that a reader can find the same spot again. I include a clear shot of each penetration and each repair. Where I see a problem, I show the problem and, next to it, a normal area for comparison. Where I cannot get close, I use what I can safely reach and say so.

You are welcome to take your own photos before the visit, especially of leaks, stains or storm debris. Dated photos you took at the time are valuable, because they show what the house looked like then, not just on the day of my visit.

What happens after repairs?

If the roof needed work, a later report can show the new state. After a repair, I come back, photograph the repaired area and describe it. After a full replacement, I record the new covering, the date and any paperwork you have.

Keep every document from the work: the contract, the permit, the inspection sign-off, the product information and the warranty. Those are the items that make a new report easy to prepare and easy to trust.

I do not do the repair work through this report, and I do not take any referral for sending you to anyone. If you want opinions, ask more than one roofer, and compare what each includes.

Who am I, and how do I work?

I am Timothy Parks. When you call, you reach me. When I say I will call back, I call back. I come to the house, I look at the roof and I write the report. You can read more on the about page, and the home page shows how all the report types fit together.

I serve homeowners across Florida. If your address is far from where I am working that week, I will say so and offer a realistic day.

When you are ready, send a request on the contact page. Say that you have a Citizens policy, share the date of any deadline and describe what you were asked for. I will call you back.

Which credentials do I hold?

These are the credentials I hold, listed as issued. They are Florida credentials, listed as facts about me and not as a statement about any other state.

• Florida Roofing Contractor, CCC1327217

Ask me what any of them covers and I will tell you plainly.

Common questions