When a big hail or windstorm hits your house there’s probably a lot of things running through your mind. One thing that you will want to add to your list of things to check on is the potential damage to your roof and assess if any action needs to be taken with your insurance to address the issue. If you’re like most people you probably don’t file roof claims on a regular basis so you’ll want to do some research on what to expect when filing a claim for hail damage to your roof.
Work With A Roofer You Trust
In a situation such as a hail damaged roof, it’s easy to feel like you’re in a vulnerable spot. You’re sitting there with damage to your roof and needing to go through the process of getting thousands of dollars from your insurance company. In this situation some people assume that they will lose leverage by having a roofer involved in this stage, however working with an expert roofer whom you trust from the start of the process will be a massive benefit and save you time and money when it’s all said and done.
For starters, a quality roofer will know what to do and what to say to get your roof approved in the first place. It’s not uncommon for insurance adjusters to miss things when they’re doing their inspections, and while most of them are pretty honest people, at the end of the day they work for the insurance company, not for you. It’s important to have a roofing contractor in your corner to make the case for you, get it approved and make sure nothing was missed. They’ll also be able to help you navigate the process if your insurance company tries to put up a fight and deny the claim on the initial inspection.
A good roofer will usually also give you a complimentary upgrade to an architectural shingle vs 3 tab if you currently have a 3 tab installed on your roof.
A Homeowners Insurance Claims Can Take Some Time
On average, it can take a couple of months or more from the time of the storm to collecting the final check from insurance after the roof is put on. Once the storm hits and you get around to opening a claim you can usually expect a timeline of one week from opening a claim to getting an insurance adjuster to your property, one week from the adjustment to getting word on approval, one week from the approval to getting the first check, one week from the first check for the roofer to get the installation scheduled, and then usually two weeks from the installation to get depreciation released and collect the final check.
Any of these steps can take longer depending on the responsiveness of your roofing company (many claims in the area can slow down their process a bit), and the roofers ability to get the job scheduled quickly and submit for depreciation in a timely manner. As you can see, a quick claim would likely be a minimum of 5 weeks but can often stretch longer, so it’s important to be proactive and get things taken care of in a timely manner on your end to ensure the situation is resolved without incurring further damages to your home in the interim.
A Denied Claim Isn’t The Final Word
A lot of people think that when their insurance adjuster denies the claim for roof replacement that’s the final decision and nothing more can be done, but that just isn’t true. In fact, a few insurance companies (particularly All State and State Farm) make it part of their business model to deny the majority of claims up front, hoping that the homeowner will just walk away from it, but will approve it if you keep fighting for it.
This is another reason to work with a quality roofing contractor that you trust to help you with this process. If the claim is denied and it’s legitimate you can file for a reinspection to get the insurance adjuster back out with your roofer and assess the damage again and work to get it approved. Usually if a hail storm is recorded in your area and there is sufficient damage to your roof there is always a way to get it approved if you and your roofer are willing to work hard enough on the claim. Having your roofer handle the process will save you a lot of time and energy so you can focus on more productive things.
Work The Supplements Process
Another key reason to work with a pro is so that they can help you work the supplement process for you. What this is means is that while the roof is the primary focus of the claim, you are actually entitled to coverage of everything on your property that may have been impacted by the hail storm. Things like gutters, downspouts, garage doors, window screens, and fencing are all included and your roofing contractor should be able to submit these items to the insurance company if they were missed.
Additionally any extra work on the roof itself that comes up during the roof installation can be documented by your roofing contractor and insurance will pay out for it to make sure no shortcuts are taken and you receive the best quality roof that you are entitled to based on your coverage.
Conclusion
I hope this information is helpful to you the next time you find yourself in a situation when you have to file an insurance claim for hail damage to your roof. If you need a hand in Austin, Texas, you can always call The Roofing Artist at 210-417-7728 or e-mail at theroofingartist@gmail.com and we’d be happy to help you with any of these steps and make sure you get the best outcome possible.
