Common Questions

1. Why You Need a Contractor Present Upon Insurance Company Inspection?

    

   A contractor is better equipped to verify storm damage as opposed to other causes. When you have someone around who knows the business, you are more likely to have a smooth and easy claim process.

   Insurance companies are not always quick to agree to paying every claim of storm damage. Naturally, they are on a quest to minimize their losses. If it is not obvious that the damage is due to hail or a storm that is pin-pointed to that particular region, the insurance adjuster is forced to deny the claim.

   Many times the insurance company is justified in its denial of claims, however, there are times when the insurance adjuster is wrong about their findings. If you think the adjuster made an error on your damage investigation report, there are things you can do to ensure your claim is paid. Ask your Roofing Consultant for more information.

2. Will My Insurance Policy Cover My Damage?

    

   According to the State Insurance Code, your homeowner's policy must cover any damage to your home sustained by an "act of God." You can rest assured knowing that your roof and other exterior items are protected against the hail and thunderstorms.

   The question to ask is not necessarily will they cover your damage; but rather how did your roof and other exterior items sustain damage. If you can't pinpoint a particular storm, you may be in for quite a challenge.

   If your roof gets damaged because you didn't take care of a scraping tree limb or some other obstruction, your insurance company is not obligated to reimburse you for repairs. They are only liable to take care of things that were outside of your responsibility.

3. Was My home damaged by Hail and/or Wind?

    

    If any serious storm has hit your area, best chances are you are covered with your insurance company which they are obligated to restore your home to its pre-storm value.

   Was it a hail storm, or a tree branch? Is your home really damaged at all? In either case, we recommend getting in contact with a professional consultant who understands the system and can best advise you as to which steps to take to ethically get your claim approved.

4. What does Hail do to your roof and siding?

    

   What does hail do to a roof?

   Shingles are designed so that the granules block the UV of the sun and protect the asphalt underlayment. As the shingles age the granules fall off over time. As the asphalt is exposed the UV, it dries out and the shingle curls up. A shingle at the extreme end of its life is bubbled in appearance and is brittle to the touch. Hail can also damage your siding, gutters and fascia by leaving unwanted dings and dents everywhere. Hail does several things:

   1. Accelerates granule loss.

   2. Accelerates shingle aging.

   3. Voids manufacturer's warrantees.

   4. Leads to other associated problems.

5. What does Wind do to your Roof and Siding?

    

   Sever wind can blow off your shingles on the top of your roof, blow off your gutters/downspouts, siding, soffits and fascia. This can lead to leaks that can produce mold and other serious problems to your home.

6. Do I need to get my roof replaced right away?

    

   The nature of hail and wind damage is that it may pose no immediate threat to the structural integrity of the roof. However, many insurance companies have a "statute of limitations" of how long a hail claim is viable. If you have experienced a loss such as hail or wind damage it is important to take care of the problem in a timely manner before it leads to other associated problems. But, the sooner the problem is taken care of the easier and faster we can get your property approved for the full replacement it deserves.

7. What is Depreciation?

    

   Different insurance companies call the amount that they hold back different things. Some call it depreciation; other companies figure it in as a dump and removal fee. What it represents is the amount of money the company will hold back until they receive a signed contract from you and a contractor for the work. When they receive a signed contract, you will receive another check for the amount they have held back.

8. What is a Supplement?

    

   What if the job will take more money than what your insurance company budgeted in the RCV of the adjuster’s report? (It might surprise you just how many times this WILL be the case) In that case, we will contact your insurance company, and request what is referred to as a “Supplement” to your claim. By justifying why the additional cost is necessary, in most cases, we can obtain the funds directly from the insurer to allow you to hire a licensed and insured contractor to replace your roof. Your Project Manager will let you know if we expect to request a “supplement” on your insurance claim.

   Requesting a “supplement” often requires the policyholder to phone their insurance carrier in order to give us permission to request this increase in the dollar amount of their claim.

9. My gutters and siding were damaged and the insurance company paid me for how many linear feet had to be replaced. When I called a contractor they had a minimum fee which was far in excess of the small amount the insurance company paid me. What can I do?

    

   Your insurance company understands minimum charges such as these and has set prices they are prepared to pay as minimum charges for all trades. They do not give you the minimum charge up front because such a large percentage of their customers never call a contractor and just pocket the money. If you call your adjuster and ask for the minimum charge for the work, they will pay it without any hesitation.

10. Why would my insurance company replace my roof ?

     

    The purpose of home owner's insurance is to protect homeowners against losses in their property's value due to damage that is beyond their control. If you have hail damage, you have experienced a financial loss in that your original investment of a 20-year roof (for example) has now been reduced to a 5-10 year useful life span. Your insurance company will compensate you for your loss and replace your roof.

11. My insurance adjuster said there was no hail damage on his first inspection, I asked The Roofing Company, Inc.'s estimator to call him and request to walk through a re-inspection with him. On the re-inspection the adjuster concluded that there was hai

     

    There are many different reasons that this happens so often. Sometimes adjusters get to a roof too soon after the actual damage and the hits haven't had a chance to weather yet. Sometimes the adjusters are inexperienced. Sometimes they were tired after looking at so many roofs that day. Sometimes they just make mistakes. The best results for the benefit of homeowner seem to be obtained when an experienced roofer walks through the inspection with the insurance adjuster and calls to the adjuster's attention any damage that he sees.

12. Why You Need a Contractor Present Upon Insurance Company Inspection?

     

    A contractor is better equipped to verify storm damage as opposed to other causes. When you have someone around who knows the business, you are more likely to have a smooth and easy claim process.

    Insurance companies are not always quick to agree to paying every claim of storm damage. Naturally, they are on a quest to minimize their losses. If it is not obvious that the damage is due to hail or a storm that is pin-pointed to that particular region, the insurance adjuster is forced to deny the claim.

    Many times the insurance company is justified in its denial of claims, however, there are times when the insurance adjuster is wrong about their findings. If you think the adjuster made an error on your damage investigation report, there are things you can do to ensure your claim is paid.