Quick Summary

An older roof in Metairie is rarely uninsurable, but it is often paid differently. Louisiana homeowners policies commonly settle a roof claim either at replacement cost, which pays what a new roof costs today, or at actual cash value, which pays that figure minus depreciation for the years the roof has already served, and some apply further endorsements or separate limits to the roof surface. Which one applies is written into the policy, and on a roof past fifteen or twenty years the difference between the two can be most of the bill. Big Easy Roofing works on roofs across Metairie and unincorporated Jefferson Parish and can document condition and cost in writing, though Louisiana law does not permit any roofing contractor to tell a homeowner what their policy covers.

Last Updated: September 2026

On this page

• How old may a roof be before insurance says it is too old?
• What is the difference between actual cash value and replacement cost on a roof?
• How long does an insurer have to act on a Metairie roof replacement claim?
• What can a roofer legally tell you about your claim?
• What should a Metairie homeowner do before a roof replacement claim?
• Frequently Asked Questions

This page explains general insurance terminology and the deadlines Louisiana law places on insurers. It is not advice about any particular policy, and nothing here interprets what your cover pays, because Louisiana Revised Statute 37:2159.1 prohibits a roofing contractor from doing that. Big Easy Roofing replaces roofs across Metairie and the rest of unincorporated Jefferson Parish, licensed by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. The question of whether an insurer will pay for a new roof on an older house is the one homeowners here ask most often after a storm, and the honest answer has two halves: what Louisiana law requires of the insurer, which is public and specific, and what a particular policy says, which is private and belongs to the homeowner and their insurer.

How old may a roof be before insurance says it is too old?

No fixed age disqualifies a roof under Louisiana law. Roof age is an underwriting decision each carrier makes for itself, which is why two Metairie neighbours with similar roofs can get different answers. What changes with age is usually how a claim is paid rather than whether cover exists.

Where a carrier does tighten terms as a roof ages, it can show up as a higher wind and hail deductible, a requirement for an inspection before renewal, a switch to actual cash value settlement on the roof surface only, or a decision not to renew. None of those are set by statute, all of them are carrier by carrier, and all of them are recorded on the policy documents rather than announced.

The practical consequence is that roof age tends to affect a Metairie homeowner twice: once at renewal, in the terms offered, and again at claim time, in how the roof portion of the loss is valued. Those are separate events and it is worth knowing which one you are actually dealing with.

What is the difference between actual cash value and replacement cost on a roof?

Replacement cost pays what a new roof costs today. Actual cash value pays that figure minus depreciation for the years already served. On an older Metairie roof that gap can be most of the bill, and which one applies is set by the policy, not by the roofer.

Some policies apply replacement cost to the house generally and actual cash value to the roof surface specifically, which surprises people who have read only the headline of their cover. A roof can also be settled at actual cash value first with the remaining depreciation released later once the work is completed and invoiced, which is one reason to keep every document from the job. The distinction between damage a storm caused and deterioration that accumulated over time is a separate question again, and one we have written about in the context of how Louisiana insurers separate storm damage from ordinary wear.

How long does an insurer have to act on a Metairie roof replacement claim?

Louisiana sets the clock, not the insurer. Revised Statute 22:1892 gives an insurer fourteen days from notification to initiate loss adjustment on a property damage claim. Where the loss is catastrophic that initiation window becomes thirty days. Payment is a separate deadline of thirty days after satisfactory proofs of loss.

The deadlines that matter, and where they come from:

1. Fourteen days from notification for the insurer to initiate loss adjustment on an ordinary property damage claim. The thirty day version of this deadline applies to initiating adjustment after a catastrophic loss, and is not a payment deadline
2. Thirty days from receipt of satisfactory proofs of loss for the insurer to pay the amount due
3. Revised Statute 22:868 voids any policy condition limiting the right of action to less than twenty four months after the inception of the loss, for first party claims arising under the classes of insurance that section lists. It restricts what a policy may say rather than granting a blanket deadline, so the window that applies to a particular claim is a question for the insurer or an attorney

That last one cuts against a common assumption that a claim must always be brought within a year. The statute is explicit that a shorter contractual limit is void within its scope, though waiting is still a poor strategy because proof gets harder as the roof and the weather move on. Work after a named storm across Jefferson Parish is also a queue, so the practical timeline for getting a crew on the roof has little to do with the statutory one, which is covered in more detail on our page about what to do once a storm has damaged a roof.

What can a roofer legally tell you about your claim?

Very little about coverage, and that is a legal limit rather than reticence. Louisiana Revised Statute 37:2159.1 lists interpreting policy provisions regarding coverage as a prohibited act for anyone performing contracting services, along with adjusting a claim as a public adjuster and advertising as an insurance claims specialist.

Reading the statute properly is useful, because it also tells you what a roofer is supposed to give you. The same section makes it a prohibited act to provide an insured with an agreement authorising repairs without a good faith estimate of the itemised and detailed costs of services and materials. It further provides that a contractor does not breach that rule merely because the final cost ends up differing from the first estimate once the insurer has adjusted the claim.

So the division of labour is set by law rather than by preference. A roofing contractor documents the roof, prices the work in itemised detail and carries out the repair or replacement. Interpreting the policy, valuing the claim and negotiating with the carrier belong to the homeowner, the agent, the insurer or a licensed public adjuster. Any contractor in Metairie offering to handle your claim or telling you confidently what your policy will pay is describing work the statute lists as prohibited, which is worth treating as a signal about the rest of their practice. Anyone needing help with the process itself rather than the coverage question can start with our overview of how a Louisiana roof claim is documented and paperworked.

What should a Metairie homeowner do before a roof replacement claim?

Document the roof before anyone touches it, then keep the insurance question and the roofing question separate. A Metairie homeowner planning a roof replacement claim is usually best served by having dated photographs, the policy declarations page and an itemised contractor estimate to hand, because those are the materials an adjuster typically works from.

• Photograph the roof, the attic and any interior damage with dates, before any tarp or temporary repair changes what is visible
• Find the declarations page and read what it says about the roof specifically, including any separate wind and hail deductible or roof surfacing schedule
• Notify the insurer promptly, which starts the fourteen day adjustment clock under Revised Statute 22:1892, and follow the step by step the claim process actually runs on
• Get an itemised written estimate covering tear off, decking, underlayment, material and flashing as separate lines
• Keep every invoice and the final permit record, since recoverable depreciation is usually released against completed and documented work
• Ask the insurer or agent, not the roofer, what the policy pays, and consider a licensed public adjuster if the valuation itself is in dispute

Metairie sits in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, so the Jefferson Parish Building Permits Department issues the roofing permit rather than a city office of the kind neighbouring Kenner runs, and the parish charges a flat fifty dollar permit for a one or two family home where half or more of the covering is replaced. That permit record is a useful piece of documentation in its own right. Homeowners weighing the out of pocket side of the decision may also want the cost picture set out in our breakdown of what a Metairie roof replacement actually runs to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an insurer refuse to renew a policy because of roof age alone?

Non renewal decisions are made by the carrier under its own underwriting rules, and roof age is one of the factors carriers writing in south Louisiana weigh, so the answer depends on the insurer rather than on any single statewide rule.

What is recoverable depreciation on a roof claim?

It is the portion of the settlement an insurer holds back initially under an actual cash value payment and releases once the work has been completed and documented, which is why invoices and permit records matter after the job as well as before it.

Does a higher wind and hail deductible apply separately from the standard deductible?

Many Louisiana policies carry a separate named storm or wind and hail deductible that is calculated as a percentage of the dwelling coverage rather than as a flat sum, and it is stated on the declarations page.

Is there a deadline to file a roof claim in Louisiana?

Revised Statute 22:868 voids any policy condition limiting the right of action to under twenty four months from the inception of the loss for the first party claims it covers, but it governs policy wording rather than setting one universal deadline, so confirm the period for your own claim with the insurer or an attorney. Notifying the insurer promptly is what starts the statutory adjustment timelines running.

Will a new roof lower a Metairie homeowner insurance premium?

It can, particularly where the replacement is documented for the insurer, and a roof built and certified to the FORTIFIED standard set by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety is the version Louisiana attaches grant funding and a state income tax credit to.

Can Big Easy Roofing deal with my insurance company for me?

No, and no roofing contractor in Metairie lawfully can, because Louisiana Revised Statute 37:2159.1 prohibits a contractor from adjusting a property insurance claim on behalf of an insured or interpreting the coverage provisions of the policy.

Does filing a roof claim on an old roof risk a non renewal?

Claim history is one of the things carriers consider at renewal, so it is a reasonable question to put to your agent before filing, particularly where the likely actual cash value settlement is close to the deductible.

If the roof itself is the question, that part we can answer properly. Call Big Easy Roofing at 504-800-8196 for an inspection in Metairie and an itemised written estimate you can put in front of an adjuster, covering tear off, decking, underlayment, material and flashing as separate lines. You can arrange the inspection first and decide afterwards. The crew handles roof replacement across Metairie and pulls the Jefferson Parish permit as part of the job. Big Easy Roofing works across Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes.

Written by the Big Easy Roofing team, a Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors licensed roofing company working across Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and St. John the Baptist parishes. The crew has replaced roofs in Metairie through the Ida recovery and the insurance market that followed it, and writes estimates in the itemised form Louisiana law requires so homeowners have something an adjuster can actually read.