Discovering a roof leak is a stressful situation. Figuring out how to take care of it can be just as stressful. You know you need to call a roofing contractor to take care of the problem; however, a big question that most homeowners have is if their homeowners insurance policy covers a roof leak.
The truth of the matter is your insurance company will cover it, but only under certain circumstances. We will break it down for you below.
Are Roof Leaks Covered by Homeowners Insurance?
The answer is yes, but only under certain circumstances. Your homeowners insurance will cover your roof leak and any other roof damage if it is caused by an extreme weather event. Examples of extreme weather is damaging or straight-line winds during heavy thunderstorms, hail storms, snow storms and tornadoes. Tree limbs falling on your roof during strong storms will also be covered. If your roof has sustained extensive damage, then there should be no question that it will be covered.
Depending on what the insurance adjuster finds during their inspection will determine if your roof is worthy of a full replacement. However, as long as the damage is caused by extreme weather, your roof will be covered by homeowner’s insurance.
Things to Do If You Suspect Damage to Your Roof Due to Storm Damage
Now you are relieved that your homeowners insurance covers your roof leak if it was caused by extreme weather, but what should you do if you suspect roof damage after a recent storm?
1. Call Your Insurance Company
The first thing you should do if you suspect storm damage is to call your insurance company. Be sure to give them all the relevant information and they will tell you your next steps. Some insurance companies will schedule an adjuster to come out and inspect the damage to see if you have a claim. After the inspection, and if they approve your claim, you will find a great roofing contractor. Sometimes some insurance companies will tell you to have a roofing contractor inspect your roof before sending out an adjustor. This varies from insurance company to insurance company. Regardless of the order of steps, the first thing you always want to do is call your insurance company.
2. Use a LOCAL Roofing Contractor Who Has Experience Working With Insurance Claims
After discussing with your insurance company about the next steps, you will need to start searching for a roofing contractor to complete the work. When searching for a potential roofing company to hire, it is crucial that they have experience working with insurance claims. A roofing contractor that regularly works with insurance can save you from inadvertently committing insurance fraud. An experience roofing company will know how the insurance claim process works, how to read the claim, fight to make sure everything is correct on your estimate and how to do the work in compliance with your insurance company.
Hiring a local roofing company who regularly works with insurance claims helps you to have a positive experience during a stressful time. After finding the roofing company that is right for you, show them your insurance paperwork and get ready to replace your storm damaged roof. Local roofing contractors are always better than the storm chasers that show up in town after a big storm, but are gone in 6 months or less.
3. Don’t Get Estimates From Different Roofing Companies For Your Insurance Claim
You should not get estimates from different roofing companies once you have your insurance claim paperwork. Insurance companies come up with the price to repair or replace your damaged roof, not a roofing contractor. Insurance companies use Xactimate, a software to come up with the price estimate for your roof claim based on the general pricing average of materials in your area. Due to this, there is no reason to try to find a roofing company with the lowest estimate because the price has already been set by the insurance company. If your chosen roofing contractor’s estimate does end up being more than your insurance’s initial estimate, there isn’t any reason to panic. Your roofing contractor will submit an itemized list showing their cost to complete the job and get it approved by the insurance company.
Just because you shouldn’t get multiple estimates doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your research and talk to multiple roofing companies to find the right one for you. Once your claim is approved, the most important thing to look for in a roofing contractor is trust, not pricing.
Ready to start your insurance claim process? Texan Roofing Pros is locally owned, licensed and insured with 30+ years of experience. We assist our customers from start to finish with quality work and documents that must be provided in order to satisfy insurance companies. Call us today!