Sheltering under your roof during a storm, rain falling sideways while hail pounds your roof, and water rushing out of your downspouts or gutters makes you appreciate your roof. After the weather clears and the sun comes out, you go outside to check for damage and find a few shingles spread across your lawn, some misaligned, and watermarks on your ceiling.
These situations highlight the need for solid roof insurance. Before the next storm, must you fix everything yourself? That appears to be somewhat pricey, no? Few homeowners fully understand their roof insurance policies or know what to do when filing a claim.
You’re in the proper place if you’re one of these homeowners. This guide, “Navigating Insurance Claims for Roof Damage,” will help you handle the roof damage insurance claim process, which can be confusing for individuals unfamiliar with insurance policies.
What Is Homeowners Insurance?
Home insurance, also known as homeowners insurance or property insurance, is a type of insurance contract that provides financial protection to homeowners and covers various aspects of their residence in return for a monthly fee. Its primary purpose is to safeguard homeowners from financial losses and liabilities associated with the damage or destruction to their home, personal belongings, and potential legal responsibilities.
Insurance acts as a guardian when you need it the most, which is why if you plan to buy a home, it’s essential to cover it with insurance. If you still haven’t, start looking at the options out there, as many of the homeowners whose homes are not covered under insurance face severe financial consequences.
Home Insurance Policy Terms You Need To Know About
One of the most significant claims that insurance companies pay out for is a roof damage insurance claim.
- Deductibles: You may have heard this term before if you have health insurance, and as a homeowner, you need to choose a deductible, which is the amount you will pay out of pocket before the insurance kicks in. Low deductibles typically result in higher premiums, whereas high deductibles typically result in reduced premiums.
- Named Perils vs. All Perils: Home insurance policies can be either named perils or all perils, also known as open perils. Named peril policies specify the types of events or risks covered, while all peril policies cover everything except what is explicitly excluded.
- Actual Cash Value vs. Replacement Cost: Some policies provide actual cash value coverage, which takes into account depreciation, meaning you might receive less money for an older roof. You may get less compensation for an older roof if your policy provides actual cash value coverage, which factors in depreciation.
- ACV subtracts your insurance payout from the current value of your roof and your deductible, which might leave you with high out-of-pocket costs if your roof is older. Replacing your roof, regardless of age, is covered in full by RCV coverage, less any applicable deductibles.
Steps To Take Before You Call Your Insurance Company
If you’ve ever had a significant roof leak (or even a less-than-serious one), you know how quickly things can get out of hand. However, keeping track of the money needed for repairs might be challenging.
Fortunately, these disasters are typically covered by homeowner’s insurance, which can provide much-needed financial relief. To help you understand this procedure, here are 10 tips for filing an insurance claim for storm damage.
1. Review Your Insurance Policy
Look over your insurance coverage thoroughly. Be familiar with your claim’s coverage, deductible, and any other applicable terms and conditions.
Learn the policies and procedures that apply to your particular storm damage, such as hail damage. Insurance deductibles for wind and hail damage are typically much greater than those for other disasters.
2. Ensure you Properly Document The Roof Damage.
You already know that the insurance company won’t just hand you a check out of the blue. You should be proactive and gather all essential documentation relating to the occurrence, as it will send an adjuster to look at the damage and confirm the extent of it.
Take detailed photos and videos of damaged regions, objects, assets, and indicators like water lines using your phone or camera. To help your insurer better grasp the scope of the damage and encourage a smoother resolution, make sure to take multiple angles and close-ups in order to provide a thorough visual record.
Taking images before a storm hits can allow you to see how things were before the storm came.
3. Contact A Roofing Professional
Contact a reputable roofing contractor for a professional inspection to assess the damage, present an estimate for repairs or replacement, and document their findings for your claim. When evaluating roofing companies, it’s important to distinguish between arranging an inspection for your annual inspection or pre-determined out-of-pocket work and filing a claim.
While requesting numerous estimates is customary when paying out of pocket to compare expenses, insurance firms may choose the lowest offer, making it a disadvantage for insurance work. Receive and keep accurate reports and documentation of all correspondences with your roofing contractor, including images, satellite or drone footage with timestamps, and written estimates with exact damage line items.
These will help convince the insurance adjuster of the replacement costs and reduce disagreements. Even if you’re just scheduling an annual inspection or maintenance fixes, the correct documents will help your claim get authorized.
Finally, among the facts you may want to collect for your insurance claim is the projected price of your roof repairs. Your insurance company may request roof repair estimates, bills, and invoices when you make your claim.
4. Mitigate Further Damage
The situation will not improve unless you take immediate action to stop the damage. Act quickly to secure your property if you can.
Homeowner’s insurance policies typically stipulate that the policyholder is responsible for preventing further damage to the remaining property. A tarp should be used to cover any leaks, broken windows should be boarded up, and any standing water should be mopped up and removed to prevent the growth of mildew.
Since a policy might cover reasonable mold prevention but not cover mold removal, preventing rapidly spreading mold could save you money in the long run. Keep careful records for the insurance company if you spend money on preventative measures like materials or labor.
5. Contact Your Home Insurance Provider
Once you’ve had a professional contractor check and assess the amount of roof damage, it’s time to call your insurance provider. Inform their claims department about the damage to your roof, that your roofing contractor has assessed and found enough damage to justify an insurance claim, and if you know the storm date.
They will choose an adjuster for the claim, and you should hear from them to schedule an appointment within a few days. Most insurance providers will try to persuade you to choose a contractor from their approved list of vendors to provide estimate writing services for your claim.
However, those contractors have agreed with insurance firms to restrict losses at lower rates in exchange for referrals. Avoid accepting such offers and instead ask for a review by the adjuster assigned to your case, being sure to write down the claim number and the adjuster’s contact information.
5. Schedule a Meeting with the Insurance Adjuster
An insurance adjuster will be sent to your home after you report damage to determine how much it will cost to repair. Ask the adjuster to coordinate with your roofing contractor to visit your property at the same time to ensure accurate assessments and address claim inconsistencies.
By doing so, you can get your inquiries about items that might result in premium discounts answered and potentially speed up the claims process. A Public Adjuster may be needed if a disagreement between your roofing contractor and the Insurance Adjuster cannot be settled through negotiation.
Unlike an Insurance Adjuster, who is provided free of charge by the insurance company, the homeowner is responsible for paying the fees associated with hiring a Public Adjuster. A public adjuster will evaluate your policy, provide an accurate assessment of the damage, and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf, so hiring one is a good idea.
6. Continue to Communicate Openly with the Insurance Company
Your contractor can best represent your interests throughout the claims process if they are allowed to communicate with your insurance carrier. Your contractor will do their best to comply with the insurance adjuster’s demands for any additional information or paperwork they might need.
Hiring a competent roofing contractor expedites the process of settling your insurance claim.
7. Review the Claim Settlement
Your insurance company will provide you with a settlement offer after they’ve reviewed your claim. Involve your roofing contractor in the settlement discussion to make sure it adequately addresses their needs for repairs or replacement.
Your roofing contractor can help you get a reasonable settlement from your insurance carrier if they find any problems or discrepancies. Since insurance adjusters may offer lesser payments than needed to adequately restore the harm, the claim settlement procedure can be difficult.
Here’s when a public adjuster really comes in handy. They’ll comb over the insurance company’s offer, checking to see if it adequately covers the cost of repairs and replacements, and helping you argue against unfair settlements.
8. Complete the Necessary Repairs
As soon as the insurance company settles the claim, it’s time to call in the local handymen and contractors who can fix the roof. You should hire a reputable and skilled contractor and save all invoices and receipts as proof that the work was completed.
The best course of action is to get in touch with those who specialize in handling insurance claims, as they will have a system in place for communicating and coordinating with the insurance provider. You can get your insurance company to approve the least expensive choice if you get various views and price quotes from different providers.
An expert storm damage contractor can assist in speeding up the claim process and make sure that everything gets done to get your property back to how it was before the storm. Your insurance company should pay for the maintenance; all you’d have to do is cover the deductible and the cost of any upgrades.
9. Submit Final Documentation
The final paperwork for your insurance carrier should be submitted once the roofing repair or replacement is finished. Claims are closed successfully when all necessary paperwork, such as invoices, receipts, and the roofing contractor’s warranty or guarantee, have been submitted.
10. Schedule Regular Roof Maintenance
Prioritizing routine roof maintenance should be a top priority once your roof is fixed or replaced. If you want to catch any problems early and get them fixed, you should have a professional roofer evaluate your roof at regular intervals.
Keeping up with routine maintenance can increase your roof’s durability and reduce the likelihood of damage.
Will My Homeowner Insurance Go Up For Filing a Claim On My Roof?
Storms are devastating and might result in expensive repairs to your property. The key to reducing damage is what you do after the storm passes.
Processing a claim for roof damage insurance can be difficult and time-consuming, but it’s an important step. Don’t let the chaos that follows a storm make you feel unjustly compensated. Does filing a claim for storm damage to your roof impact your insurance premiums if you reside in a high-risk location for such events? For the sake of your roof’s long-term health, you may want to know when to file a claim and when not to.
