What Kind of Roof Damage is Covered by Insurance?
When you’ve suffered roof damage, such as a roof leak, it’s important that you know what your homeowner’s insurance policy will cover before you start making repairs. Will your home insurance cover roof repairs, or can you get a roof replacement in some instances? What about water damage that damages your possessions or your home’s structure? Your home’s roof protects your family and your belongings from severe weather, so it’s important to know what kind of insurance coverage your homeowner policy will help with.
Roof coverage can be a bit complex. Roof damage is almost always covered, but what about water damage caused by a roof leak onto your drywall, floors, furniture, and other possessions? Well, it will depend on the kind of policy that you have from your insurance company. Generally speaking, your home insurance policy should include covered peril under dwelling coverage, providing coverage for particular events that cause damage to your home’s structure that are also beyond your control, such as storm damage or natural disasters.
In this article, we’ll go through what kinds of roof damage can cause a claim, what you should do if you think you may have roof damage that should fall under a homeowners insurance claim, and how to handle the process of handling your claim and the related repairs.
Roof Damage that leads to a Roofing Insurance Claim:
There are several types of roof damage that are usually covered under homeowner’s insurance policies, which include:
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- Fire damage: A fire may impact your roofing materials if it gets out of hand. That’s why it’s important to work with your insurance agent and your insurance carrier to have an inspector check for structural damage and necessary repairs following a fire.
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- Wind damage: Strong winds can cause significant damage, especially if it was unusual for your area and residential codes in your area are not designed for that level of wind.
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- Hail damage: Though you may be thinking specifically of hail that could puncture your roof’s envelope, hail damage can be more insidious, causing dents in a metal roof or removing grit from asphalt shingles.
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- Fallen tree damage: In extreme weather situations, trees can fall that would otherwise have remained upright, damaging your home. However, if the tree is in poor condition, with rot, insect damage, or dead limbs, you may need to cover a portion of the damage.
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- May include vandalism damage/burglary damage: Some insurance companies cover damage to a roof that happened from vandalism or a burglary. For example, if someone intentionally damaged your roof or a burglar entered through the roof, you may have a claim.
- May include roof leak damage: The source of the leak will often determine whether your insurance will cover the damage. For example, leaks due to hail or wind are usually covered, but an old roof, one that’s not been maintained, or missing shingles not replaced won’t be.
What to do When You Have Roof Damage
If you suspect that your roof damage will be covered by your homeowner’s insurance company, it’s important that you start the process as soon as possible. Call your insurance company and provide them with the relevant information on your claim and take time to document the condition of your roof, so that additional exposure to the elements while waiting on an adjuster to come won’t be chalked up to preexisting damage.
Do you have a new roof or an older roof? Will they pay the actual cash value of roof repairs, which may leave you owing money on an older roof, or will they cover the entire replacement cost of a new roof? The existing condition of your roof at the time of the loss will often determine how much the insurance company will cover. An old roof that was at end of life may not be covered, but a newer roof will often be fully replaced. If your roof falls somewhere in the middle, your insurance company may be willing to prorate the cost of the new roof with you, covering a portion of the damage, which is typically considered with actual cash value policies. Replacement cost policies, on the other hand, will often cover the entire cost of the roof repair or new roof.
Once the insurance company has your details, they’ll either send out an insurance adjuster to inspect the damage, or they may tell you to contact a roofing company to have an inspection performed. If the insurance company decides to send an insurance adjuster, they’ll schedule a visit. After the adjuster has completed the inspection, your insurance claim will either be approved, or they’ll tell you that damage wasn’t found. The adjuster could also claim that your roof only has cosmetic damage which doesn’t impact the integrity of the roof but may impact your home’s value.
For this reason, if the adjuster says that there is no damage, ask your insurance company for a second adjuster to take a look at your roof, especially if you’re noticing issues with the initial inspection, such as missing shingles. If the second adjuster claims that there is no damage, ask for an engineer to inspect your roof and explain why your home is getting moisture damage if there is no damage on your roof. It’s important to stay on top of this process, because for many insurance companies, the priority is on avoiding a payout rather than taking care of policyholders. Because of this priority, you’ll also want to have at least one independent roof inspection by a well-known, quality roofing company in your area so that your interests are protected during the process.
Once your claim has been approved, it’s important to work with a local, high-quality roofing contractor that has experience handling insurance claims, such as Leverage Roofing. Get quotes from several companies and remember that you don’t necessarily want to go with the cheapest option, but rather the one that delivers the most value for you and your home. It’s unfortunately very common after severe weather sweeps through an area and causes roof damage to see a number of fly-by-night operations start up that will do a poor job of repairing your roof, demand cash up front and then disappear, and similar antics meant to separate you from your money without giving you a quality roof repair or roof replacement in return.
Roofing Insurance Claims with Leverage Roofing
As you can see, the process of dealing with roof insurance claims can be complicated and stressful, at a time when you’re already dealing with a lot of chaos and concern about your home and possessions. But what if you could go through the process with an experienced partner who already has plenty of experience dealing with insurance companies, roofs, and storm damage? When you partner with Leverage Roofing, you don’t have to go it alone. Our team will help you with every step of the process as you pursue an insurance claim for your damaged roof.
If you choose to work with Leverage Roofing for your roof repair or roof replacement through your home insurance policy, our team will not only give you a free roof inspection to check your roof for damage, but we’ll also work with you in the insurance claim process. This helps you through what can often be a confusing maze of insurance agents, insurance adjusters, and similar personnel, so that you can get a successful resolution to your roof damage and get your home back to normal as quickly and efficiently as possible. In fact, when you work with us, you don’t even have to chase the paperwork or wait on hold for your insurance provider. Instead, we’ll work directly with your insurance company to ensure that all claim-related damage is covered.
At Leverage Roofing, we believe in helping our customers during every step of the roofing process, from getting emergency covers in place to the final inspection of your new roof repair, so that you get a high-quality roofing job that will give you peace of mind and a satisfactory claim process. Working with Leverage Roofing means that you’ll always get a free inspection to check your roof for damage, a partner to work with you during the claim process with your insurance company, and an experienced team that is ready to repair or replace your roof, ensuring that you’ll get a quality job that will last for many years to come. Why not contact us today and see how we can help your home and family through the insurance claim process?
Handle Your Insurance Claim today with Leverage Roofing!