Free Roof Inspection in Broward County, FL

What we check on every inspection

A real inspection is more than a glance from the driveway. We get on the roof and into the details that actually predict leaks and failures.

• Tile/shingle condition, granule loss, cracks, and slippage.
• Flashing, valleys, vents, skylights and pipe boots.
• Underlayment and roof-deck integrity where accessible.
• Signs of prior storm or hail damage for insurance purposes.
• Wind-mitigation features that could lower your premium.

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How the 45 minutes is actually spent

We also note what is fine. A report that lists only problems is not a diagnosis, it is a sales sheet. Knowing the underlayment has years left, or that the previous flashing work was done properly, is exactly what tells you a small repair — or nothing at all — is the right call.

A free inspection is not a sales visit with a ladder. Here is the shape of it.

• A few minutes at the curb and around the perimeter: roof geometry, sagging planes, gutter and fascia condition, granules washed into downspouts, staining on walls.
• Inside, where there is a concern — ceilings, the attic if it is accessible, and the underside of the deck, which records moisture history a surface inspection cannot see.
• Twenty to thirty minutes on the roof itself, walking each plane and examining every penetration, valley, transition and termination individually.
• Photographs throughout, including close-ups of anything that will appear in the written report.
• Ten minutes at the end walking you through the findings in plain language, with options and real numbers attached.

Material by material: what an inspection is looking for

If a roof cannot be safely walked — a steep pitch, wet tile, a deck that feels compromised — we say so and assess it another way rather than pretending otherwise. Nobody should be standing on a roof they should not be standing on.

Each roof type fails in its own way, and a good inspection is hunting for the right failure.

• Tile: cracked and slipped tiles, broken mortar bonds, hip and ridge condition, and above all the age and state of the underlayment beneath. Tile routinely outlives the membrane under it, so a handsome tile roof can still be due.
• Shingle: granule loss, lifted or creased tabs, seal-strip failure, exposed fasteners, and whether the roof has been layered over rather than torn off.
• Metal: fastener condition, panel movement, sealant at penetrations, and the state of ridge, hip and edge terminations — where metal roofs actually give up.
• Flat and low-slope: ponding still standing 48 hours after rain, seam integrity, blisters, membrane punctures, flashing at walls and equipment curbs, and whether drains and scuppers are clear.
• All of them: drip edge, pipe boots, flashing at every wall and chimney, and attic ventilation — trapped heat quietly ages every roof in this climate.

What your written report includes

You get something to keep, not a verbal opinion at the tailgate.

• Photos of each finding, labeled so you can see what it is and where it is.
• The roof's material, approximate age where it can be determined, and overall condition.
• A plain-language list of issues split into fix now and watch.
• Whether the damage reads as storm-related or wear-related — the distinction insurers care about most.
• Options with real numbers: repair (typically $450–$3,500), replacement (typically $9,000–$45,000, most single-family homes $12,000–$22,000), or monitor and re-inspect.
• The wind-mitigation features present on the roof, which may be worth taking to your insurer.

Repair, replace, or leave it alone

That document is also a baseline. If a storm comes through next August, a dated pre-storm report showing the roof was sound is one of the strongest things you can hand an adjuster.

The most common honest recommendation after an inspection is the cheapest one: fix the two things that need fixing, and re-inspect next year.

Roofs get replaced when the covering has reached the end of its service life — 20–30 years for architectural shingle, 40–50+ for tile, 15–30 for a flat membrane — when the underlayment has failed broadly, when the deck has gone soft, or when the repair scope crosses the point where a code-compliant replacement is simply better value. Florida's 25% rule (FBC-Existing Building §706) is part of that math: repairing or replacing more than 25% of a roof within a 12-month period generally triggers bringing it to current code, with exemptions that typically apply to roofs permitted after March 1, 2009 and with 2022 changes that narrowed the rule in many cases. Whether it applies to your roof is a question for your local building department.

And sometimes the answer is that the roof is fine and the leak is a window, a wall penetration or a failed sealant joint that has nothing to do with roofing at all. We would rather tell you that than sell you a roof you do not need.

Inspections, wind-mitigation forms and your renewal

Florida insurers increasingly ask for roof documentation at renewal, and older roofs draw surcharges or non-renewals on age alone. Florida Statutes §627.7011 sets limits: an insurer generally may not refuse to write or renew a homeowners policy solely because the roof is under 15 years old, and an older roof is entitled to an inspection before replacement can be required. An inspection gives you facts to answer with instead of a guess.

A wind-mitigation inspection is a separate, standardized form documenting storm-resistant features: deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, roof geometry, secondary water barrier, and the covering's product approval. Strong results can reduce a premium, by an amount set by each insurer's filed rates. My Safe Florida Home has offered free inspections and upgrade grants at various points, though funding varies year to year. Credits are generally not applied automatically — you or your agent have to submit the form, and your carrier decides what it honors.

If you are heading into a renewal with a roof past fifteen years, get it looked at first. Knowing whether it has five good years left or one is the difference between negotiating and reacting.

Why inspect before hurricane season

Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. A pre-season inspection catches the small problems — a lifted shingle, a dried-out boot — that turn into catastrophic water intrusion when the first big storm rolls through Broward. It also creates a baseline that makes any future insurance claim far stronger.

The practical calendar: inspect between December and May, complete any repairs before June, and re-inspect after any storm that puts sustained wind over the county. FEMA's records include Broward in more than a dozen federal hurricane disaster declarations since 1992, with Hurricane Wilma in 2005 still the local benchmark. Per NOAA's National Hurricane Center, most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October, which is also when every crew in three counties is booked solid.

Once a year, and again after a storm, is the right cadence for a South Florida roof. Here it costs nothing — and it is the cheapest thing standing between a lifted shingle and a ruined ceiling.