Roof replacement quote checklist for Venice and Sarasota

The licence, and whether it covers your address

• Section 489.105(3)(e) defines a roofing contractor as one whose services are unlimited in the roofing trade, and distinguishes a certified contractor, who holds a certificate of competency issued by the department, from a registered contractor, who has registered with it.
• The DBPR licensing overview states that certified contractors may contract in any jurisdiction without meeting local competency requirements and carry occupation codes beginning with C, while registered contractors may contract only in the jurisdictions whose competency requirements they met and carry codes beginning with R. Section 489.117 states the same limit: registration allows contracting only where the registrant meets local licensing requirements.
• So ask which it is, and for a registered licence, which jurisdictions it covers.
• The DBPR FAQ states that roofing work cannot be subcontracted to unlicensed roofers, who must be employees of the licensed contractor or leased through a licensed employee leasing company. Ask who will actually be on the roof and under which arrangement.
• The DBPR overview states the roofing scope as installing, maintaining, repairing, altering, extending or designing roofing systems, skylights, roof-deck attachments, certain sheathing and fascia repairs and roof-to-wall connection upgrades done with a covering repair or replacement, and excludes coatings not represented as protecting or extending the roof.

The assembly and its approval

• The exact covering product, colour and, for metal, the profile, gauge and whether fasteners are concealed or exposed.
• The underlayment by product name, and whether it is self-adhered or mechanically attached.
• The deck attachment and the fastening pattern, and what happens if the deck is found rotten once the old covering is off, stated as a unit price rather than a promise to discuss it.
• The Florida Product Approval or Notice of Acceptance the assembly relies on, by number. Section 553.842 requires approval before use and names roofing among the product types using its subsection (5) method; the state search tool takes an application or product number and filters by HVHZ and non-HVHZ. Sarasota County is outside the HVHZ, which the Miami-Dade brochure defines as Miami-Dade and Broward counties only.
• Whether any stated wind or impact figure is a test classification or a warranty term, and what the warranty's conditions are; several manufacturers tie their top figure to their own starter and hip and ridge or to a certified installer.

The mitigation work that happens while the roof is open

• Section 553.844 requires a replacement on a site-built single-family home to incorporate the secondary water barrier and roof-deck attachment techniques it specifies, and in the wind-borne debris region requires roof-to-wall connections at gable ends or corners for buildings insured or valued at $300,000 or more where that can be done for 15 percent of the replacement cost. Ask for those items as line entries.
• Ask whether the quote produces what the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form credits: deck attachment by nail size and spacing or uplift resistance, roof-to-wall connection type, and a sealed roof deck or secondary water resistance. The form states that standard underlayment or hot-mopped felt does not qualify as secondary water resistance.
• Ask for the permit date and the approval number in writing, because the form's covering compliance answer depends on them.

If the job started with a claim

• Section 489.147 bars soliciting a homeowner with roof-damage claim advertising that lacks three required disclosures, offering anything of value for a roof inspection or claim, paying or taking referral compensation, interpreting a policy or adjusting a claim without a public adjuster licence, and giving a repair authorization without an itemized estimate.
• The same section requires a roof contract to carry a notice of the inducement ban, a 10-day cancellation right after a declared emergency within 180 days, and a bold notice to consult the insurer first. Check the contract carries them.
• Section 627.7011(5) states an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew solely because a roof is under 15 years old, and that for a roof at least 15 years old an owner may obtain an inspection at their own expense before replacement is required.