Hail is one of the major causes of roof damage in the US. From 2017 to 2019 alone, Texas recorded more than 630,000 hail damage claims.
If you’re a victim of hail damage, the last thing you want is to be stuck with a HUGE invoice to replace your roof. If you have roof repair insurance, you need to know how to file a claim. Keep in mind, that your policy won’t cover repairs or replacements due to normal wear and tear, most of the policies cover damages caused by hail, fire, vandalism, high wind, tornadoes, and hurricanes. We’ll teach you how to correctly file your claim.
Insurance companies take different approaches when handling insurance claims, and it can be helpful to contact your insurance provider or agent to know exactly what’s covered and what’s not.
For example, some providers take into account the age of your roof. In this case, your policy will cover the full cost of repair or replacement if the roof is less than ten years old. However, if the roof is more than ten years old, you’ll only be compensated for the depreciated value; which means you’ll have to cover the rest.
Depreciated value consists of the wearing and aging that have occurred over time prior to the damage.
Some plans will offer coverage up to the depreciated value of the roof, regardless of its age; while others will only cover the damaged part of the roof at the time of the claim. Damages that occur due to water damage may also need an additional policy.
The best way to know if your damage is covered is to read the policy and talk to your roof repair insurance agent.
Once the disaster that caused the damage is over, inspect the condition of the roof. It’s wise to hire a roofing contractor to do this for you. Most will give you a professional inspection report that you can file with the claim. We offer FREE, no obligation roof inspections and will provide you with the proper documentation of the repairs that are recommended.
It’s important to note that just because your roof looks intact from the outside, there can still be significant damage on the inside. Our trained expert can help to detect such hidden damages. It’s important to also keep in mind that some policies have time limits for filing claims.
After the disaster calms and it’s safe, we recommend you schedule to have an inspection done to avoid the possibility of hitting those time limits. Our professional roofer will identify areas that require immediate repair and give you a fair estimate.
Taking pictures is also an ideal way of documenting the damage. Typically, the pictures supplement the roof inspection report. It will also be great if you leave this task to our experienced roofers. They’ll offer a written explanation alongside each picture and save you the hassle of trying to get onto your roof.
This makes it easy to understand the repairs you need and the possible costs. In some cases, the damage may not be significant enough to warrant filing a roof repair insurance claim.
It’s important to have before and after pictures taken of maintenance too. Just like you keep all documentation of your car maintenance, be sure to do the same with your roof.
Now that you have all the relevant details and paperwork to initiate the claim process. Contact your insurance company and follow their claims procedure. If you have questions, let them help you through the process.
They will give you a claim reference number and an agent that will work with you. Be sure to document all the paperwork, bills, receipts, and estimates you receive.
You don’t want to wait too long to file the claim, your insurance policy usually entails everything you need to know about filing claims and deadlines.
If the disaster is widespread, your insurer will handle claims according to urgency. Typically, those with extensive damage will be given priority and you’ll be given an estimated date when the agent will visit your home.
When the insurance agent visits your home, they may want to conduct a separate inspection.
Submit the inspection report and repair estimates to the claims adjuster and wait until your claim is approved to proceed with repairs or replacement.
After your insurer reviews the roof repair insurance claim, they can reject or approve it.
We’d love to be your preferred roofing contractor, but we also recommend doing your own research. Talk to different contractors and check their references, licenses, and insurance. Be careful of “pop up” roofing companies. They usually appear immediately following a disaster, offering enticing offers, but if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Most of these “pop up” roofing companies disappear as fast as the storm that led them there, looking for the next quick buck. We’ve got years of experience working with insurance companies and are trusted across DFW to fix roof damage.
Handling a roof claim doesn’t need to be a difficult or stressful task. The best way is to work with a professional roofing contractor. Keep in mind that some insurers may not approve your claim at all if a professional roofer did not do the inspection.
At Waters Custom Roofing, we have experts and expertise to help you through the claim process. We’ll take the “before” photos along with pictures of the damage to make sure the process goes smoothly.
Our experts will also help you complete all the necessary paperwork. After the claim approval, we’ll work on your repair or replacement job to your satisfaction.
Do you have any questions about roof repair insurance claims? Be sure to reach out to us for professional help.