A roof made of high-quality asphalt shingles could last up to as much as 30 years. In the blink of an eye, though, a severe storm could bring rain, ice, wind and more that could cause serious damage to your roof.
Since the roof protects the most important part of your home — the people living underneath it — it’s essential to invest in one that’s built to last. If the roof suffers any damage, it’s important to repair it as quickly as possible.
Sometimes, repairing roof damage can be as simple as replacing an individual shingle. Other times, a full roof replacement is necessary.
Most homeowners have insurance in place to cover them in case the home sustains damage from a storm or other unplanned event. Yet, filing an insurance claim can actually be quite complicated. If you don’t do everything properly, you could find yourself out of luck with your insurance company.
Below are some steps that you need to follow to file a roof insurance claim.
Assess the Damage
The first thing you need to do is assess the damage to your roof. If the damage is only minor, you might be able to repair it yourself, or by hiring a local expert and paying out of pocket.
If the damage looks significant, it’s time to call your insurance company. When you begin the claims process, you’ll need to describe what happened and what damage was done.
A claims inspector will eventually visit your home to take a look in-person, but it’s incumbent on you to do this general inspection first. That’s because, according to most home insurance policies, you must do your best to immediately fix any damage that could cause other damage to the home.
For instance, if you leave a hole in your roof unfixed until the insurance company comes out, you could end up paying for any damage that future rain causes to the inside of your house.
Document the Damage
While you’re assessing the damage, it’s important to document it as well. Take pictures with your cellphone of as much of the roof as you can so that you have proof of what it looked like immediately following the damage.
This is important to have in case the insurance company tries to fight with you later and claim that the damage wasn’t caused by the storm in questions, for instance. You can also send these photos to your insurer, which will help speed up the claims process.
Contact the Insurance Company
After assessing and documenting the damage to your roof, it’s essential to immediately contact your insurance company. You don’t want to delay this at all, for many reasons — most importantly, that many insurance policies require notification of a claim within a certain time after damage happens.
While you are speaking with an agent, make sure you know what procedures you need to file to get your roof repaired and/or replaced. If you need a short-term fix while a long-term replacement is in the works, ask your agent how that would work.
The agent will walk you through the rest of the process, including any documentation you need to submit or sign. They will also likely schedule a time for an insurance adjuster to visit your home for an in-person inspection.
Contact a Local Roofer
Before the adjuster even comes to your home, it’s a good idea to contact a local roofer to have them assess the damage and provide an estimate for what work needs to be done, as well as a cost for doing so.
Make sure that you get that estimate in writing, including not just the price but details of what work will be done and why. This document will be important for you to have in case there’s a discrepancy between what the insurance company says and what the local roofer says.
Meet with the Adjuster
The insurance adjuster will come to your home at an agreed-upon time to see the damage for themselves. This serves as validation that your claim is legitimate.
If it’s possible to have your local roofer present at this time, that could be advantageous to you as well. It shows that you are being proactive about getting the roof fixed and that you already have moved the process along.
In addition, having the roofer present allows them to talk with the adjuster about possible solutions to the problem.
Wait for the Claim Approval
Following the in-person visit, the claims adjuster will submit a report to the insurance company, and an agent will get back to you with a final claim decision. Typically speaking, you should hear back within a few days, at the most.
The agent will tell you whether your claim is covered under your insurance policy, as well as how much money it will pay out for the claim. Remember that the insurance company will also factor your deductible into this covered amount.
If you are satisfied with the result of the process, you can accept the decision and move onto the final step.
Fix or Replace the Roof
Once your insurance company has approved your claim, it’s time to get your roof fixed or replaced. The next step is to contact your local roofing company to get the work started.
Depending on your insurance company — or what you prefer — you’ll either receive a check for the work from the insurer, or the insurer will pay the roofing company directly for the work.
Work with a Roofing Company You Can Trust
If you follow the steps above, you’ll have better success of having your roof insurance claim streamlined and approved so you can get your damaged roof fixed or replaced.
In addition to staying on top of everything you need to be doing in regards to the claim itself, it’s important to work with a local roofing company you can trust.
At The Roof Resource, our experts take a unique approach to roof replacement. We differentiate ourselves by offering virtual, cost-effective roof replacement services. This model enables us to provide services at about 50% less than traditional methods.
That being said, we only use high-quality asphalt shingles for our roof replacement projects, ensuring you get a top-of-the-line roof to protect your home, your loved ones and your other possessions.
For more information, or to get a free estimate, please contact us today.