Think about how often you’ve claimed in the past three to seven years before filing a claim on your homeowner’s insurance. Insurance firms keep a record of the number of claims that their customers have submitted.
Your premiums may increase if you’ve filed more than two claims on your home’s insurance in the past five years. If, on the other hand, the type of damage or amount is substantial, it is nearly always worthwhile to file a roof damage claim.
In most cases, the price of a new roof will exceed the savings from reduced insurance costs. Let’s look at some variables affecting whether your claim pays out in full and clears your record.
What’s the age of your roof?
Your roof’s age is an important consideration. Yet, when making a claim, a roof’s age is less important than how well it holds up. You may believe your roof is too old to benefit from a cover installed, but the reverse can be the case.
As a roof reaches the quarter-century mark in age, it is time to replace it. You may anticipate that your insurance will never help cover the cost of replacing it. Yet, an older roof may increase the likelihood that your insurance carrier will pay the cost of returning the roof.
You will need more than just an older roof to qualify for coverage. On the other hand, if your roof is older and sustains damage from a storm, such as wind or hail, it will be more challenging to repair than a more recent roof.
If you do make a claim and the insurance company only agrees to pay for a repair, then it is possible that you will not even be able to cover the cost of your deductible. You have a claim on file but have yet to receive compensation.
How much damage have you incurred?
Assessing the extent of storm damage to your roof can be difficult. Even those individuals with a significant amount of skepticism regarding the possibility of having their roof insured are surprised when their claim is approved.
For this reason, before deciding whether or not to file a claim, you should have a professional roof inspector look at your roof and provide you with their findings.
An adequate roof inspection will reveal damage to the roof that you may not be able to detect from the ground, such as cracked or creased shingles, hail damage, wind damage, or shingles damaged by wind.
To File or Not to File
Because it is the most significant advantage of some roofers to have their customers make claims whenever there is damage, those roofers may urge their customers to do so.
Roofing contractors might expect to find new work if there is a ten percent probability that their clients’ insurance will pay for a replacement roof. It would be best if you took charge of making the decision. But that requires adequate data for intelligent decision-making.
Finding a reliable roofer is crucial. Yet, more is needed. If you want to make an educated decision, you need to know how old your roof is, what your insurance policy covers, and what questions to ask the roofer.
In conclusion
Roof damage claims cost insurance companies billions of dollars annually to settle. Many insurance companies are looking for ways to refuse claims because roof damage is a problem for them. These firms could change their policies or limit the amount of coverage they provide.
If your roof has been damaged and you are in the process of filing a compensation claim, you must be aware of your rights. Also, if you buy home insurance, it is wise to review your policy annually if your insurance provider has made any adjustments.
Or you must file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance company if there has been damage to your roof. Either way, speaking with an insurance lawyer specializing in roof damage cases may be beneficial.