Picture this: A severe thunderstorm with high winds tears through your neighborhood, leaving behind a lot of debris, including some shingles from your roof. Perhaps there was even hail involved, or a fallen tree branch that made a deep impact as well. All these events are considered “Acts of God,” which your homeowner’s insurance can cover for repairs or replacement.
If your insurance policy covers roof replacements for severe storm damage realted to natural causes, then you should get to work right away to document the damage. You should also call a professional roofing company to make an official report to determine if the damage can be attributed to the storm, strenthening your insurance claim.
Here is a short guide on how to work with your homeowners insurance company to replace your roof. If you follow these steps, you can maxmimze your chance of claim approval and a speedy roof replacement.
How to Make an Insurance Claim for a Roof Replacement
The following process is how a homeowner would make a roof replacement insurance claim on their own. This is without the help of a roofing company, so it highlights all the steps that would occur behind the scenes if your roofer handled the process.
1. Assess and Document the Damage
The first step you should take is to assess and get evidence for the damage on your roof. Document the extent of the damage with photos and videos. Make notes of any leaks, missing shingles, or other visible signs of damage. The more documentation, the better. Hold on to any fallen shingles as extra evidence if they were knocked off during a wind storm.
2. Review Your Policy
Review your homeowner’s insurance policy to confirm what your policy covers and what your deductible is for roof repairs or replacement. Some policies cover only certain types of damage, such as wind or hail damage, so it’s essential to know your coverage.
If you have a high deductible plan, it may be better to call a roofer and pay for the repairs on your own so you don’t risk raising your premium. However, if you have substantial damage and the deductible is significantly lower than the cost of a full roof replacement out of pocket, it may be worth it to pursue the insurance path.
3. Call a Professional Roofer
Regardless of what you plan to do, it’s important to get a professional roofing contractor to inspect your roof. This gives you important documentation of the damage, an expert’s opinion about the source of the damage, and you can also get quotes for the damage right away.
If you choose a company that is experienced with working with roof replacement claims, their pros can handle the remaining steps. This option is infinitely easier and saves the homeowner a lot of time, and honestly maximizes their results of getting a claim approved. If you choose to do it yourself, you can proceed with the following steps.
4. Contact Your Insurance Company
Contact your insurance company as soon as possible to report the damage to your roof. Provide them with all the documentation and evidence you’ve gathered, including photos and videos. They will then assign a claims adjuster to assess the damage and determine if your policy covers it.
If you just had a roofer over to assess the damage, you can provide your homeowner’s insurance company their estimates for the cost of repairing or replacing your roof. These estimates will help your insurnace company understand the scope of the work and provide vital documentation to strengthen your case.
The insurance company will then schedule an inspection of your roof by a claims adjuster. It’s good to be present during the inspection to point out any specific areas of concern.
5. Review the Adjuster’s Report
Once the claims adjuster has inspected your roof, they will provide you with a report detailing the damage and their assessment. Review this report carefully to ensure that it includes all necessary repairs. If the report is favorable, you are now one step closer to claim approval. If there are disputes about the storm damage qualifying, you can still advocate for help.
6. Negotiate with the Insurance Company
If you believe the insurance company’s assessment was insufficient to cover the cost of repairing or replacing your roof, (and most initial assesments are often like this), you should negotiate. Provide additional evidence or estimates from contractors to support your case.
If your roofer is handling this step of the process, they may come over with drones to provide additional photos and documentation while providing expert opinions on how replacing singular shingles isn’t enough to prevent more damage in the future.
7. Approval and Payment
If all goes well and insurance approves your claim, the insurance company will provide you with a settlement offer. Review the offer carefully to ensure it covers all necessary repairs or replacement costs. Once you accept the offer, the insurance company will typically issue payment to you or your contractor.
8. Choose a Contractor
Once you’ve received approval and payment from your insurance company, choose a reputable roofing contractor, like Noble Roofing, to perform the repairs or replacement. Ensure they are licensed, insured, and experienced in working with insurance claims.
If your roofer has been handling this claim the whole time, then it’s extremely likely they will complete hte job since it’s just a thousand times easier to let them follow this job through to completion.
9. Complete the Repairs
Work with your chosen contractor to schedule the repairs or replacement of your roof. Be sure to communicate with them throughout the process and inspect the work to ensure it meets your satisfaction. Congratulations: Now you have a brand new roof!
Filing a Homeonwers Insurance Claim for Roof Replacement
By following these steps and staying organized throughout the process, you can effectively work with your insurance company to replace your roof and restore your home’s protection. Please give Noble Roofing a call if you want to make this process infinitely easier.
Our roofing pros can handle all the communication with your insurance company, providing expert insights and documentation to maximize your chance of getting insurance to cover your roof replacement .
