Once you’re sure that you’re familiar with your insurance policy, how do you then go about filing a claim? In part 2 of this post on getting your roof replaced by insurance, I want to give some important pointers, as well as help set your expectations for the claim process.
Important Tips for Filing a Claim
Before you file a claim, as I mentioned in my last post, make sure you have a thorough damage report from a trusted roofer. This report should have written explanations and photo documentation of the damage to your roof. Once you have access to this damage report, you can send it over to your insurance company when you file a claim.
In the filing process, your insurance company will ask you a couple of very important questions about your claim. First, what kind of damage are you filing the claim for? With a roof claim, the most common damage is wind, hail, and tree destruction.
When you file, make sure you include all relevant types of damage. Even if there’s only a small amount of hail damage to your flashing or vents, make sure you claim it. If you initially only claim wind damage and not hail, your insurance company will require you to file a separate claim for hail down the road. It’s best to avoid this hiccup and list as much damage as possible.
Second, your insurance company will ask you for a “date of loss (damage).” It’s important to be careful here. You don’t want to lock yourself into a storm date unless you really need to. For example, if there was a major wind/hail storm on a specific date, and you’re sure that’s where the damage came from, then it’s probably safe to use that date in filing your claim. But oftentimes, identifying a date of loss isn’t that simple.
At Evergreen Roofing, we do a lot of regular inspections for customers with older roofs. If we find damage, it can be difficult to figure out exactly when that damage occurred. In this case, we suggest homeowners provide their insurance company with a “date of discovery” rather than a “date of loss.” You’re simply saying, “this is when I found the damage, but I’m not sure when it happened.” As your roofer, we can provide you with verified storm dates to confirm there was wind and hail in your area during the time of your insurance coverage, but we’re not locking you in to one particular storm. When working with insurance, it’s best to move from the general to the specific because it’s difficult to do things the other way around.
After you file your claim and send in the above information, your insurance company will send out an adjuster to evaluate your roof. At Evergreen Roofing, we make a point to support our customers by meeting adjusters for their inspections. This allows us to work with adjusters, ensuring they consider all relevant damage. The adjuster is there to work for the insurance company, but we are there to work for you. If you file a claim, make sure you set up the adjuster meeting so you and your roofing contractor can be there.
Don’t Settle For A Repair
In some cases, we can deal with roof damage through a simple repair. We have nothing against doing a repair, if it truly addresses the issue. However, we want to help our customers get the most out of their insurance coverage.
At the basic level, your insurance coverage is supposed to make you whole - get your home back to its pre-storm condition. If a repair doesn’t make you whole, then you shouldn’t settle for a repair.
If your insurance company responds to your claim by writing for a repair, here are a few things to consider:
First, will a repair compromise the uniform look of your roof? In order to test this out, have your roofer identify your current shingle. If your roof is old, there’s a decent chance the shingle is out of production. But even if you can get the same shingle, it’s still not going to look right. Old roofs have a faded appearance that’s nearly impossible to match.
If a repair cannot produce a reasonable match to the rest of the roof, insurance is required by law to replace the whole roof system. The Kentucky Matching Law protects homeowners from losing home value as the result of an insurance claim. If a roof repair doesn’t restore your roof to its pre-storm state, then don’t settle for a repair.
Second, along similar lines, a repair can disrupt your roofing system, making it ineffective. At Evergreen, before we start on any repairs, we test out the state of the roof. If we need to remove and replace just one shingle, we’ll need to manipulate the seven or eight shingles around it. We test to see how a repair would affect these shingles. If the shingles are brittle and sticky, they are likely to tear and pick up residue from other materials. If a repair comprises shingles like this, then it’s not making you whole. We work with our customers to evaluate the “repairability” of their roof, and request a full roof replacement when necessary.
Here is an example of how we test a roof before doing a repair on an insurance claim.
Be Patient and Be Firm
You pay a lot of money for home insurance. So when it comes time to file a claim on your roof, don’t settle for less than you deserve. If you’re not receiving good service and coverage from your home insurance company, then let them know. Hold them accountable. Be willing to wait for the best coverage and solutions you can get. It could be the difference of thousands of dollars.
The process can be long and frustrating, but our team at Evergreen Roofing will be there for you, offering support and resources along the way.
Reach out to us here for a free inspection and consultation, for your unique situation.