Florida law bans a roofer from offering a rebate, gift, deductible waiver or anything of value for a roof inspection or a roof claim, so a free roof offer is a red flag. On policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, owners also cannot assign their insurance benefits to a contractor.
Someone knocks and says your roof can be free. Here is what Florida's 2022 and 2023 changes did, and what the law says a roofer can and cannot offer.
An assignment of benefits, or AOB, is a signed paper that hands your insurance payment rights to a contractor.
When storm damage is paid by insurance, the money normally goes to the homeowner. An assignment of benefits changes who gets paid. Florida Statute 627.7152 defines an assignment agreement as an instrument that assigns or transfers post-loss benefits under a residential property policy to a person who provides services, such as inspecting, protecting, repairing, restoring, replacing or mitigating property damage. Post-loss benefits means the payment due after a covered loss.
If you sign one, the contractor, not you, holds the right to collect from the insurer for that work. That is why offers that sound free to the homeowner get attention. If no money leaves your pocket, someone else is being paid some other way. The offers Florida law now bans are the ones to watch for, and they are listed later on this page.
This page explains what the Florida Legislature changed in 2022 and 2023 and what a roofer may and may not offer you. It is general information, not legal advice. It does not tell you what your policy covers. Your policy and your insurer decide that.
Coastline inspects roofs and sends a written photo report. What you do about insurance is between you and your insurer, and a roofer cannot advise you on coverage. Coastline Roofing works all over Florida (license CCC1331076).
In 2022 the Legislature banned new assignments of post-loss benefits. In 2023 it ended one-way attorney fees in insurance cases.
| Date | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2019 | Chapter 2019-57 set rules for assignment agreements and let insurers offer policies that limit assignment. Those rules apply to agreements under policies issued from July 1, 2019 to before January 1, 2023. | F.S. 627.7152 and 627.7153 |
| December 16, 2022 | Senate Bill 2-A, Chapter 2022-271, was approved by the Governor and took effect that day, except where the bill says otherwise. | Florida Senate bill page for SB 2-A |
| January 1, 2023 | The ban on assigning post-loss benefits applies to residential and commercial property policies issued on or after this date. | F.S. 627.7152(13) |
| March 24, 2023 | House Bill 837, Chapter 2023-15, took effect. It repealed Florida's one-way attorney fee provisions for insurance cases. | Florida Senate bill summary for HB 837 |
Look closely at the history note on Section 627.7152. It lists the 2019 and 2022 laws. It does not list a 2023 law, so HB 837 did not change that section. HB 837 mattered for a different reason: it ended the one-way attorney fee provisions for insurance cases.
One more point on dates. The ban depends on when the policy was issued, not when the storm hit. Section 627.7152(13) says that apart from a few exceptions, a policyholder may not assign, in whole or in part, any post-loss insurance benefit under a policy issued on or after January 1, 2023, and an attempt to do so is void, invalid and unenforceable. If your policy was issued earlier, the older rules in Section 627.7152(2) may apply. Ask your insurer which set applies to you. Section 627.7153, from 2019, only covers when insurers may offer policies that limit assignment, and it applies to policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2019.
It covers post-loss benefits on residential and commercial property policies issued from January 1, 2023. A few things are exempt.
Section 627.7152(11) lists what the ban does not reach. In plain terms:
A signed assignment to a roofer on a covered policy issued in 2023 or later falls outside those exceptions. That is the core of the change. For that kind of policy, the right to the payment stays with you.
The ban is aimed at the assignment itself, which is the contractor taking over the owner's claim rights. Your own policy and your insurer decide how any payment works.
This page is a plain reading of the statutes listed at the bottom. For a dispute, a signed contract or a claim, talk to a Florida attorney or to your insurer. A roofer cannot interpret your policy or advise you on coverage under Florida Statute 489.147(2)(d).
Six things Florida Statute 489.147 and 817.234 address. Fines go up to $10,000 per violation.
Section 489.147(2)(b) bars a contractor from offering a rebate, gift, gift card, cash, coupon, waiver of any insurance deductible, or any other thing of value in exchange for letting them inspect your roof or for making a roof damage claim.
The same section bars waiving your deductible. Section 817.234(7)(d) makes it a third-degree felony for a contractor to knowingly and willfully, with intent to injure, defraud or deceive, pay, waive or rebate all or part of an insurance deductible tied to repairs.
Section 489.147(2)(d) bars interpreting policy provisions, advising an insured on coverage, or adjusting a claim, unless the person is licensed as a public adjuster under Chapter 626. Our guide on public adjuster vs roofer explains the split.
Section 489.147(2)(c) bars offering, giving or taking any compensation, inducement or reward for referring services paid with property insurance proceeds. Payment by the owner or insurer for roofing work done is not a referral payment.
Section 489.147(1)(a) and (2)(a) cover ads, including door hangers, business cards, magnets, flyers, pamphlets and emails, that encourage you to contact a contractor or public adjuster about roof damage claims. They need specific disclosures in at least 12-point type.
Section 489.147(2)(e) bars giving an insured a repair authorization agreement without a good faith, itemized and detailed estimate of the cost of services and materials.
Do not sign on the spot. Check the license, ask for the estimate in writing, and call your insurer yourself.
This section is about protecting yourself from a bad offer. It is not about whether to make an insurance claim. That decision is yours and your insurer's.
A real roofer will still be there after you read the paper. Do not sign an authorization, a work order or an assignment on the porch.
Look up the contractor on the state's license website. Our guide on how to verify a Florida roofing license walks through it.
Section 489.147(2)(e) requires a good faith, itemized and detailed estimate before a repair authorization agreement. See how to compare two roof quotes.
Section 489.147(5) says a roof contract has to carry a notice about the practices the law bans. If it is missing, the owner may void the contract within 10 days after signing. Section 489.147(7) requires a bold notice on the signature page telling you to contact your insurance company to verify coverage for the proposed work.
Your policy and your insurer decide what is covered. Asking them is the only way to know. Our guide on Florida roof deductibles explains why a roofer cannot waive yours.
Read how much deposit for a roof in Florida and how to avoid a roofing scam after a storm before you pay anything.
If you already signed, see the cancellation rights in the FAQs below. They are set by Section 489.147(5) and (6).
Not because a contractor says so. Some state programs can pay part of certain roof work, and they have rules.
A roof costs a contractor real money to build. Someone pays for the materials and the crew. When the offer is free to you, ask who is paying and why. Florida's law makes clear that a contractor cannot cover the gap with a gift, a coupon or a waived deductible.
Programs set up by the state are different because they work through an application, with rules posted publicly. Our guide to My Safe Florida Home roof grants covers what qualifies. Financing is the other legitimate path, and roof financing in Florida lists the options.
If what you want is to know how worn your roof is, a licensed roofer can inspect it and give you a written photo report. Coastline does inspections that way. What you do about insurance is between you and your insurer. For the repair or replacement itself, see our roof replacement and roof repair pages.
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No. Florida Statute 489.147(2)(b) bars a contractor from offering a waiver of any insurance deductible in exchange for an inspection or a claim. Section 817.234(7)(d) makes it a third-degree felony to knowingly and willfully, with intent to injure, defraud or deceive, pay, waive or rebate a deductible. The deductible is yours to pay.
It depends on when your policy was issued. For residential and commercial property policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, Section 627.7152(13) makes an assignment of post-loss benefits void. Policies issued earlier fall under the older rules in Section 627.7152(2). Your insurer can tell you which applies. This is general information, not legal advice.
House Bill 837, Chapter 2023-15, took effect March 24, 2023. The Florida Senate's summary says it repealed Florida's one-way attorney fee provisions for insurance cases. It did not change the AOB ban in Section 627.7152, which came from the 2022 special session. For how it affects a dispute, ask a Florida attorney.
Section 489.147 covers it. An ad from a contractor that encourages you to contact a contractor or public adjuster about a roof damage claim has to carry specific disclosures in at least 12-point type. Door hangers, business cards, magnets, flyers, pamphlets and emails all count. A contractor who breaks the law can be fined up to $10,000 per violation.
Under Section 489.147(5), a roof contract that lacks the required notice can be voided by the owner within 10 days after signing. Under Section 489.147(6), if you signed within 180 days of a declared emergency, you may cancel within 10 days of signing or by the official start date, whichever is first, by certified mail. Read the statute or ask an attorney.
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