Who answers this question
Whether a policy helps with a roof depends on the policy's wording and on what happened to the roof. Only your insurer, or an attorney you hire, can answer that for your policy. This site does not read policies, give coverage advice, or deal with insurers on anyone's behalf, and the phone line on this page is for replacing a roof, not for insurance questions.
Roof age and your policy in the Northeast
Florida has a statute on how insurers may treat roof age (see Florida: roof age and your policy). In Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, this site found no such statute. Where roof age matters for a policy in those states, it is the insurer's own rule. Ask your insurer:
- Does the age or type of roof affect whether the policy renews?
- Does a new roof change the premium, and what documents do you want after a replacement (the contract, the permit, the final invoice)?
Keep those documents. In New Jersey, a detached house reroofed without a permit (none is required) leaves no public record of when the roof was replaced, so your own paperwork is the record.
If you are replacing the roof yourself
If the roof has simply reached the end of its useful life, the replacement is planned like any other project on the house. HUD's useful-life table for capital needs assessments plans asphalt shingles at 20 years, metal at 50 and slate at 75.
- When a roof needs replacing
- What sets the price
- Checking a roofing contractor: registration in each state, and the three business days to cancel a home improvement contract in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Storm damage
If a storm raises the question of a new roof, wind and hail: when damage means a new roof goes through what decides it on the roof itself.
Questions
Will homeowners insurance pay for a new roof?
That depends on the policy’s wording and on what happened to the roof, and only the insurer, or an attorney the homeowner hires, can answer it for a given policy. This site does not read policies or give coverage advice.
Does roof age affect homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania or New Jersey?
Florida has a statute on how insurers may treat roof age, but this site found no such statute in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Where roof age matters for a policy in those states, it is the insurer’s own rule, so ask the insurer whether the age or type of roof affects renewal.
What paperwork should I keep after replacing my roof?
Keep the contract, the permit and the final invoice, and ask the insurer which documents it wants after a replacement. In New Jersey a detached house reroofed without a permit leaves no public record of when the roof was replaced, so the homeowner’s own paperwork is the record.