Respuesta breve
Roof age is one of the biggest factors in homeowners insurance pricing, eligibility, and claim settlement. Roofs over 15 years old often shift from replacement cost to actual cash value, may carry higher deductibles, and in some cases can make a home harder to insure at all.
Qué significa esto
Carriers care about roof age because the roof is the single most expensive component of most claims. A failed roof leads to interior water damage, mold, structural repairs, and contents losses. Older roofs are statistically more likely to fail, so insurers price and underwrite around their condition.
Once a roof passes roughly 15 years, many carriers change how they pay a roof claim. Instead of replacement cost (paying what a new roof costs today), they switch to actual cash value, which subtracts depreciation. On a 20-year-old asphalt shingle roof, that depreciation can be 60-80% — meaning a $25,000 roof claim might pay out $5,000-$10,000.
Some carriers go further. They may require a separate, higher wind/hail deductible (often 1-2% of dwelling coverage instead of a flat dollar amount), refuse to write new business on roofs over 20 years, or non-renew a policy if a roof inspection shows excessive wear. Wood shake and tile roofs have their own underwriting rules.
If your roof is 10+ years old, ask your advisor three questions before renewal: Is the roof still being settled at replacement cost? What's my wind/hail deductible? And if I had a total roof loss tomorrow, what would the carrier actually pay?
- Under 10 years: typically full replacement cost, standard deductible
- 10–15 years: still usually replacement cost, watch for deductible changes
- 15–20 years: often shifts to actual cash value (ACV)
- 20+ years: harder to place, may require inspection or roof replacement to renew
- Wood shake roofs: many carriers will not write at all
Qué revisar
- Límites de cobertura — vivienda, propiedad personal, pérdida de uso y responsabilidad
- Deducibles — deducible base más cualquier deducible separado por viento, granizo o techo
- Exclusiones — lo que la póliza específicamente no cubre
- Endosos — coberturas añadidas o eliminadas que cambian cómo se maneja un reclamo
- Cambios en la renovación — prima, límites, deducibles o reglas de la aseguradora
Nota sobre Nevada y Colorado
Colorado homeowners feel this most. Front Range hail damage drives huge claim volume, so carriers in Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs, and Boulder have tightened roof rules aggressively — 1-2% percentage deductibles and ACV roof settlement are now common. In Nevada, the issue is sun and wind exposure on Las Vegas valley roofs; carriers are starting to apply similar age-based rules.
La cobertura puede variar según el estado, la aseguradora, la suscripción, los endosos y el lenguaje de la póliza. Esta información es educativa y no constituye asesoría legal ni garantiza cobertura. Confirma siempre los detalles con tu póliza específica y un asesor licenciado.
Siguiente paso
Usa la guía rápida para propietarios para revisar tu póliza por tu cuenta, o reserva una revisión breve con un asesor para una mirada guiada a límites, deducibles, exclusiones y endosos.
Nota: el formulario de reserva y algunas páginas de productos están actualmente disponibles solo en inglés. Atendemos en español por teléfono.