That’s kind of a relief to hear. I was stressing about whether my phone pics would cut it, since I don’t have a drone or anything fancy. My roof’s only about 12 years old (asphalt shingles), but the inspector wanted proof it hadn’t been replaced since the last owner, and I had zero paperwork. Ended up climbing up there with my neighbor’s ladder and snapping a bunch of close-ups—probably looked ridiculous, but it worked.
I did wonder if the adjuster would care that some of the edges were a little curled, but he just wanted to see there wasn’t major damage or missing shingles. Honestly, I’m not sure I’d trust myself with a drone anyway... I can barely keep my phone steady for selfies, let alone fly something over my house.
Is it normal for insurance to be so picky about roof age? I get why they care, but it felt like a lot of hoops for a roof that’s not even leaking. Anyone else have to jump through all this, or is it just my luck?
Is it normal for insurance to be so picky about roof age? I get why they care, but it felt like a lot of hoops for a roof that’s not even leaking.
Honestly, it’s gotten way more common for insurance to nitpick over roof age, especially in the last few years. I’ve had three different policies on two houses and every time, they wanted “proof” the roof wasn’t ancient—even though both were under 15 years old. No leaks, no missing shingles, just some curling at the edges like you mentioned. Still, they wanted photos from every angle and even asked for receipts I didn’t have.
I get their side—roofs are expensive to replace and they don’t want to get stuck with a big claim right after you sign up. But it does feel like overkill sometimes. My neighbor had to get a roofer to write a letter just to satisfy his insurer, which seemed a bit much.
I wouldn’t sweat the drone thing. Most adjusters just want clear pics, not Hollywood aerial shots. As long as you’re not hiding obvious damage, phone pics usually do the trick. Just part of the insurance game these days, I guess...
Had the same runaround last year. I had to dig up some old photos from when I patched a vent boot, just to prove the shingles weren’t prehistoric.
That part made me laugh—who actually keeps those after a decade? My place is in the Midwest, so we get ice dams, but I’m on the roof twice a year clearing gutters and checking things. No leaks, just a bit of wear, but they still flagged it as “high risk.” Guess it’s just how it goes now.“Still, they wanted photos from every angle and even asked for receipts I didn’t have.”
That’s pretty much the standard dance these days, unfortunately. I’ve seen homeowners dig through boxes just hoping to find a faded Lowe’s receipt from 2009, and half the time it’s not even legible. Honestly, most folks don’t keep that stuff unless they’re super organized or just plain lucky. The “every angle” photo requirement is wild too—like you’re supposed to have a drone on standby for annual roof selfies.
Midwest weather definitely doesn’t do roofs any favors. Ice dams, freeze-thaw cycles... even with regular maintenance, it’s tough to keep everything perfect year after year. Still, calling a roof “high risk” with no leaks and only minor wear seems a bit much. I get that insurers want to cover themselves, but sometimes it feels like they’re just looking for reasons to bump up premiums.
You’re doing more than most by checking things twice a year. That kind of diligence should count for something, but I guess paperwork wins out in the end. At least you got it approved—some folks wind up chasing their tails for months.
That “every angle” photo thing cracks me up—like, do they want a time-lapse of the roof aging too? Midwest roofs really do take a beating, though. Twice-a-year checks are more than most folks manage, honestly. Glad you finally got it sorted, even if the process is a circus.
