Your Roof Is 22 Years Old. Your Insurer Has Noticed.

The letter usually arrives without warning. The roof is not leaking. Nothing has gone wrong. But the policy is not being renewed, or the renewal is conditional on replacing the roof, and there is a deadline attached. This has become one of the most common reasons homeowners call us.

The age cliff

Most California carriers now treat roof age as a hard underwriting factor rather than one consideration among many. In practice, an asphalt shingle roof tends to attract scrutiny somewhere in the range of 20 to 25 years old, and some carriers draw the line earlier.

Note what that is not. It is not an assessment of your particular roof. A well built, well ventilated roof at 22 years can be in genuinely sound condition. Underwriting does not always come and look. Age is a number on a form, and it is easy to apply at scale.

Why this happened

It is worth understanding the pressure, because it explains why negotiating rarely works. California carriers have absorbed severe wildfire losses. Several pulled back from the state entirely. Those that stayed tightened the criteria they can control, and roof condition correlates strongly with claims.

Roof age became a lever. It is objective, it is easy to verify, and it reduces exposure quickly.

What a non renewal notice actually is

A non renewal is not a cancellation. Your cover does not stop when the letter arrives. The carrier is declining to continue past the current term, and California requires advance notice, commonly around 75 days for homeowners policies.

That notice period is the thing to seize. It is not long, but it is enough to act deliberately rather than in a panic. Read the letter closely: it should state the reason, and if roof age or roof condition is the stated reason, that tells you precisely what needs to change.

Your realistic options

• Replace the roof. The direct route. It resolves the stated reason and usually restores eligibility, and a new roof can improve your premium.
• Shop the market. Carriers do not apply identical rules, and availability in California has improved somewhat in 2026. A broker who writes a lot of California business is worth a conversation.
• The FAIR Plan. The backstop. Worth understanding properly before relying on it, because it is narrower than people expect.

Be careful with the FAIR Plan assumption

The FAIR Plan exists so that property in California can be insured when the regular market declines it. It is a genuine safety net, and for some homeowners it is the right answer.

But it covers fire and a limited set of basic perils. It is not a substitute for a standard homeowners policy. It typically does not include liability, theft, or water damage from plumbing, among other gaps. To get comparable protection you pair it with a separate Difference in Conditions policy covering what the FAIR Plan leaves out.

The combination works. It is also expensive. A FAIR Plan plus DIC arrangement commonly costs several times what a standard policy would have. Treat it as a considered fallback, not a casual one.

What we would suggest

If your roof is approaching twenty years, do not wait for the letter. An inspection tells you where you genuinely stand, and it gives you time to plan rather than react. We would far rather tell you that you have five good years left than replace a roof that did not need replacing.

And if the letter has already arrived, bring it to the conversation. The stated reason shapes what needs doing, and the deadline shapes the schedule. We work to those dates regularly.

If cost is the obstacle, we offer financing, and it is worth weighing against the cost of a FAIR Plan and DIC pairing over several years.

Request an inspection and we will give you an honest assessment of where your roof actually is.