Sometimes, the presence of a storm makes it easier to document and present damage to your roof. Other times, water stains or falling shingles make the presence of a damaged roof sudden and unavoidable and a little hard to explain.
Either way, even just thinking about insurance claims can be more than a little daunting. Since it involves your roof, which keeps your home and property safe, it can also be particularly inconvenient.
Here are 6 tips that you can start doing in advance to ensure you are prepared for any roofing insurance claim that drops into your lap.
Key Takeaways
- Document every angle obsessively, both wide angles and close-ups.
- Review your insurance coverage and ask questions when necessary.
- Get in touch with an experienced assessor to give independent estimates on the damage.
- Contact your insurer without delay to avoid missing the window of response.
- Record, document, and organize everything you have related to the insurance claim.
- Keep things simple and smooth for yourself from start to finish.
Make It a Smooth Ride from Insurance Claim to Approval with These 6 Tips
You don’t need to wait for roofing damage to come around before laying the groundwork for successful insurance claims. Anticipate the need for damage repairs and prepare accordingly.
Here are 6 ways to take the burden off your shoulders and lay the foundation for a successful insurance claim process.
1. Document Like You’re Vlogging It
Vloggers need to be onsite in real-time to get valuable shots. You need that level of dedication to documenting the damage to your roof and home.
- Take clear, wide shots that show the overall damage to your roof. You can also use them to point to specific areas of concern especially for storm restoration, such as an area of cracked or missing shingles, or where the leak is generally coming from.
- Take clear, close-up, multiple-angle shots that highlight the specific damage to your roof. Show how clean the new cracks are, or how the granules were stripped from the shingles. Set up lighting if you have to. Make it a whole production.
- Leave no stone unturned. There may be some damaged areas you did not notice until after a storm made inspection urgent. Document everything and let professionals do the assessment.
Label each photo and detail where each one is situated on the roof.
Do it even before you plug any leaks or shore up any sagging areas unless there is immediate danger to yourself or anyone else in your household.
With the evidence in your hands, insurance adjusters are much more likely to accept your claim.
2. Review Your Actual Insurance Coverage and Investigate Inclusions
One thing you would probably not want to do is jump into filing for a claim without even knowing if your policy covers you. That would make for some complicated conversations.
Even before contacting a roofing contractor or third-party insurance assessor, review your insurance policy thoroughly. Consider the damage you are hoping to file a claim for, and clarify whatever language you need to.
Keywords to look out for:
“Replacement cost” vs. “actual cash value.”
They may sound similar, but they have a profound impact on the cash-out of your claim.
- “Replacement cost” means you get back whatever you spend to repair or replace whatever you need to.
- “Actual cash value” means your payout will be adjusted based on the condition of your roof and the actual value of what you are repairing or replacing at the moment.
“Exclusions” and “endorsements.”
“Exclusions” are what are not included in your policy coverage, such as floods and earthquakes for Northeast Ohio. “Endorsements” are small adjustments to your policy you might be signing in without knowing how they change it.
“Unless otherwise stipulated / provided for.”
This phrase means that that statement holds until legally held or struck down within the same policy.
3. Contact More Than One Organization for Roofing Repair Estimates
To check on the claim, the insurance policy will send an adjuster.
The adjuster’s job is to review the damage, bring the pertinent details back to the insurance company, and secure a payout estimate.
The challenge can sometimes be that parts of your claim may be questioned.
You may be asked if the damage is older, if it was caused by human negligence, if it is actually related to the claim you are making (for example, for storm damage).
Before you contact your insurance provider, to credibly back up your claim vis-a-vis the adjuster, you need:
- Roofing contractors who are actually from the area and are familiar with the effects of heavy snow or high winds or persistent humidity on a roof.
- Licensed and certified contractors.
- Contractors who have experience in assessing for insurance claims and have experience dealing with adjusters.
It might be to your benefit to have the contractor with you when the insurance adjuster comes, to help you back up your claim.
Remember not to contact your insurer until you have a detailed repair estimate of your own ready!
4. Let Your Insurer Know About the Proposed Claim ASAP
Talking to your roofer and to your insurance provider should ideally happen one right after the other, possibly even within the same day.
You already have your coverage details in hand, and you have a repair estimate that backs up your claim.
Before the insurer’s time limit (if any) runs out, and before they can pin the damage on post-storm dates, you need their adjuster at your home.
To streamline your claim, prepare the following:
- Your thorough documentation, in photo form with videos also prepared in a digital drive;
- The repair estimate of the roofer, with the details and license clearly outlined;
- Your own copy of the insurance policy.
The sooner you can get everyone together, the better it will be for your insurance claim.
5. Keep Your Own Records and Make Them Accessible
Even before the need for any insurance claims, make sure your policy is close to hand and kept well away from possible damaging elements such as fire or leaks.
Once the need for claims begin, get everything on the record. Get phone numbers and call times, names and companies, have email threads with contractors and insurers.
Some insurance companies first check to see if you have done everything necessary for the upkeep of your roof.
- Have you had regular maintenance checks with a local professional roofing company?
- Have you been cleaning your gutters?
- Have you had any repairs done that predate the claim?
Accusation of negligence can get you a denied claim, so get all of your receipts ready.
Digital drives are a great way to keep everything in one place, even with tagging and a directory. Insurance companies would also have easy access to data you want to share with them.
6. Don’t Let the Stress Get to You
While constant communication with all the parties involved may help keep everything on track, it can take its toll on you.
Once you have contacted your insurer, politely stick it out until they send their adjuster. Your professional repair estimate should back you up there.
Waiting for the claim’s status can be a nerve-wracking experience, but not one that warrants a call or email every day. You might want to limit polite check-ins to once a week.
If the insurer’s replies become more and more vague, or they seem to be avoiding you, consider contacting a public adjuster as well.
However, if they are responsive, maintain a good relationship and take care of yourself first.
Navigating an Insurance Claim? Royalty Roofing Is Here for You.
Preparing to meet an insurance adjuster can be worrisome, especially if you personally are not confident to make your claim. At Royalty Roofing, we can help you with a professional roof assessment and a detailed breakdown of damages and issues that you can present to make your claim. Repair estimates would be included. Ready to back up that insurance claim? Contact us today at (330) 919-6661, and let us be there for you throughout the process.
