A few years ago, in the early 2020s, it was not unusual to hear about or even see roofing workers in Fl
orida deliberately manipulating roof shingles to make it appear that the roof was damaged by storm winds. I saw evid
ence of this as I inspected homes around the state and wrote engineering reports for insurance claims litigation.
From what I could see, this alleged practice declined in the last couple of years, maybe because insuranc
e companies raised concerns about it, assignments of benefits were banned by the Florida Legislature, and thousands of homeowners had new roofs installed.
But now it seems to be on the rise again. Even on new roofs.
As a Florida engineer who regularly inspects structures and testifies in insurance lawsuits, I have seen several roof
s this year that appear to have had asphalt shingles lifted – by hand – and creased or folded over. At one home, I co
unted 54 shingles that looked like this. The insurance claim said it must have come from wind, even though nearby wind measurements showed no more than
30 or 40 mph winds at the time of the supposed damage. And the roof was only four years old.
Which brings up some fundamental questions that insurance companies, their adjusters, expert witnesses and their at
orneys should be thinking about: What, exactly, is a crease in a shingle? What caused it? Is there a “brittleness test” for
Watch More Image Part 2 >>>
shingles, as some engineers and roofers claim? And does a crease li
ne in a shingle mean that the damage actually came from wind, or is it simply from age and normal wear and tear (or something mechanical, like a prybar)?
The answers depend on many factors, including the age of the shingles, how much they have weathered over the years, the type of shingle, and the pitch (or slope) of the roof. When someone claims to have perf
ormed a brittleness test, it also brings up questions about ethi
not exist in an official, approved manner is that not all shingles are constructed the same and temperatures can gre
atly affect the pliability of a shingle. The base materials also will result in different thickness of shingles and pliability.
As a professional engineer, the only tests that I should be claiming to perform are those that are proven through a scientific method that has been approved by third parties. Without having an approved method,
any claimed test is false. One test, some roofers have argued, is done by simply bending a shingle repeatedly until it cracks or that it makes an audible noise to indic
ating it is brittle. Conceivably, one could compare the pliability of a shingle with its manufacturer’s original testing d
ata. But that would require special equipment and knowing the manufacturer and when the product was made.
Second, the old-style three-tab shingles are more likely to crease from age and weathering. The newer, architectural or “dimensional” shingles are made of two laminate
d layers, giving the shingles extra strength and holding power. Studies done after Hurricane Frances found that only 44% of three-tab shingles had no damage whi
le 87% of laminated shingles had no damage (T.P. Marshall, 2010).
Temperature is a primary factor that will cause a shingle to be pliable or stiff. The base material of shingles is tar and the colder the tar, the less fluid it is. The hotter it is outside, the more pliable a shingle is. Using the so-called “brittleness test,” roofers and enginee
rs may claim that a shingle cannot be repaired. The claim is often false, as pliability of the shingle is temperature-dependent; a shingle that may appear brittle will be
pliable with an increase in temperature. (Think: When the inspector or roofer lifted the shingles on a house to show that an insurance claim is in order, what was the temperature outside? And newer shingles are generally more pliable than older ones.)