These are the questions Lee County homeowners ask most often when they call. Every answer starts with the answer.
The tile sheds rain, but the underlayment beneath it is what keeps water out of the house. On a tile roof past twenty years the underlayment cracks and opens, and water runs down the deck to a spot far from the drip. A roof repair visit traces it back to the opening.
Stay off it. Tile cracks under foot, wet shingle is slick, and a roof damaged by wind can have soft decking you cannot see. Take photos from the ground and from the attic hatch if you can reach it safely, and let the contractor walk the roof.
A roof replacement in Lee County needs a permit and inspections, usually a dry-in check and a final. The contractor applies. The unincorporated county uses its own portal, and Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Estero, Sanibel, and Fort Myers Beach each run their own permit desk.
Under the old rule, repairing more than a quarter of a roof section in a year meant replacing the whole section to current code. Florida changed that in May 2022. Roofs built or replaced under the 2007 code or later, meaning permitted after March 2009, can now be repaired in part. Older roofs still fall under the full rule.
Florida law, in Statute 627.7011, says an insurer cannot refuse a policy solely because a roof is under fifteen years old. Past fifteen, you may have an inspection done, and a roof with five or more years of useful life left cannot be refused on age alone. A roof inspection with written findings is the first step.
Nobody on this site can tell you what your policy will pay. Many policies cover sudden wind damage and exclude wear and age. Replacement-cost and actual-cash-value policies pay differently on an older roof. The insurance claims page covers what to document and what a contractor's scope gives the adjuster.
A separate deductible that applies to named-storm damage, set as a percentage of the dwelling coverage instead of a flat amount. On most Florida policies it is far larger than the deductible for other losses. Check the declarations page before you set expectations about a payout.
One year from the date the storm made landfall for a new claim, and eighteen months for a supplemental claim, under the changes Florida made in December 2022. Ian claims from 2022 fell under the older, longer window. The date of loss is the landfall date, not the day you noticed the leak.
Do not sign it. Photograph the damage first, then call a contractor you chose. Florida ended assignment-of-benefits contracts for policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, so a document that hands your claim to someone else is a warning sign. Check any license at myfloridalicense.com before signing anything.
Often. If the tile is sound and only the underlayment has failed, a crew can lift the tile, replace the underlayment, and relay the same tile. That is a lift-and-relay, and it is a real option on many 1990s and 2000s Lee County tile roofs. Broken or discontinued tile changes the answer, which is covered on the roofing materials page.
A standard Florida inspection that records the roof's shape, how the deck is nailed, how the roof ties to the walls, and whether there is a secondary water barrier. Each feature can earn a credit on the wind portion of a homeowner policy. It is separate from a 4-point inspection, which insurers ask for on older homes.
This site does not quote prices, and a contractor cannot either until they have walked the roof and seen the deck. Size, pitch, material, and what is under the old roof decide it. Ask for a written scope before any work begins.
Contractors represent their own licensing and insurance. Florida requires a licensed roofing contractor for roof work, and you can verify any license at myfloridalicense.com before hiring. Ask for a certificate of insurance and the permit number as well.
Call (239) 306-8745. Tell the person who answers whether water is coming in now, what kind of roof it is, and roughly how old it is.