Tips for Filing Claim for a New Roof?

[spacejamz]

Any tips or useful info on filing a claim for a new roof?

My home is about 10 years old in the North Dallas area. It has been through a couple of hail storms over the years and I noticed that I have a missing shingle after last week's storms (tornados in Dallas).

Some of co-workers of mine have 'made' money (few hundred bucks) by 'working' with their roofing guys (I assume they used a high end company to get an estimate and then find someone to do it cheaper or something). Is this common practice? I definitely want to keep everything legit.

Just wanted to see I can find out anything useful before I talk to my agent who I am sure will do anything to maximize the insurance company's profits...

TIA

 

[MrChad]

You lost one shingle and you want insurance to pay for a brand new roof?

 

[Capt Caveman]

You lost one shingle and you want insurance to pay for a brand new roof?

Seriously, why not just have the missing/damaged shingles replaced?

 

[spacejamz]

Seriously, why not just have the missing/damaged shingles replaced?

The roof is over 10 years old and has been through several hail storms since I have been in the house. I replaced several missing shingles last year. Trust me, I am pretty sure I need a new roof.

Many of my neighbors have already had new roofs done in the past 2 years (all of the homes in my subdivision are the same age)...

 

[ch33zw1z]

I suggest 30-50 years architectural shingles. Do you have an HoA/any specs you have to adhere to?

 

[EagleKeeper]

Best to have an independent appraising company look at the roof. Then provide that to your insurance.

 

[spacejamz]

I suggest 30-50 years architectural shingles. Do you have an HoA/any specs you have to adhere to?

I have an HOA, but there are no stipulations on shingle color.

 

[danzigrules]

my insurance adjuster met the roofing people at my house, they walked the roof, took some measurements and the adjuster cut me a check on the spot and I signed it over to the roofing people.

 

[cbrsurfr]

Your insurance company will inspect the roof and tell you to get 3 estimates. I had hail/wind damage and it was a piece of cake working with insurance and this was within the first month of moving in. I wasn't looking to make any money on it though... Damage was minimal and I only expected half the roof to get replaced, they did the whole roof.

Your rates could go up with a claim. Mine weren't affected.

 

[Ausm]

You lost one shingle and you want insurance to pay for a brand new roof?

^^

 

[sactoking]

A) "Working" with your contractor to pocket money is insurance fraud and a felony.
B) One bad shingle does not warrant a completely new roof.
C) Homeowners insurance does not cover 'wear and tear' or degradation over time. If you cannot point to a single causation event then your claim should be denied.

 

[KB]

Many insurance companies will not pay completely for a brand new roof, but will pay a reduced rate based on how old the roof is. You might want to check your policy.

 

[sourceninja]

My insurance company came out and appraised the roof. They then cut me a check for "replacement value" which was about 1 grand over what it cost for me to have the roof put on professionally (although I did shop around for a good price).

I double checked and they were perfectly happy with our keeping the extra cash. They originally only wanted to replace a portion of the roof, but the color would be off and I complained. They then offered the full replacement.

 

[Train]

A) "Working" with your contractor to pocket money is insurance fraud and a felony.
B) One bad shingle does not warrant a completely new roof.
C) Homeowners insurance does not cover 'wear and tear' or degradation over time. If you cannot point to a single causation event then your claim should be denied.

this.

 

[spacejamz]

I am not going to commit any fraud over a new roof. I moved into this house when it was brand new in 2003. As I stated earlier, many of my neighbors have had their roofs replaced and their homes are the same age as mine and have been through the same storms. Since they were all built by the same builder, the materials should be the same.

This whole insurance thing is one big game and I just want to find out if there are any rules or tips in my favor before I play.

Sourceninja's post is a good example of this. I am sure most insurance companies will not help you do this when you begin the claim process. Based on what I have gathered so far, alot of this depends on the insurance company and their claims process.

I forgot to ask this earlier...Many roofing companies state they will work with your insurance company so you don't have to pay your deductible 'out of pocket' (if I am understanding this correctly). Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[slag]

A) "Working" with your contractor to pocket money is insurance fraud and a felony.
B) One bad shingle does not warrant a completely new roof.
C) Homeowners insurance does not cover 'wear and tear' or degradation over time. If you cannot point to a single causation event then your claim should be denied.

Y'all really need to stop skimming and read through the posts. The OP stated he has replaced individual shingles on this roof in the past year and is still having them come off as it is happening now. This is a classic sign of a roof that needs replacing due to wind/hail, etc. Get your adjuster out there to look at it and see if it can be replaced under policy. Worst case is she/he says no and you pay for it out of pocket. If you are friendly with your neighbors, ask them if they have had hail damaged roofs that were replaced. If so, good chance you can get yours done also.

 

[Phoenix86]

I forgot to ask this earlier...Many roofing companies state they will work with your insurance company so you don't have to pay your deductible 'out of pocket' (if I am understanding this correctly). Does anyone have any experience with this?

Yes, it's very common, I expect most of them will do this. If they don't offer force their hand by saying all the other ones are doing this...

Your best bet is to shop around and find a good roofer and go from there. I'd contact your insurance first because policy terms can vary a bit, and they will have to send an adjuster out first.

 

[sactoking]

I'd be more than happy to offer advice, since I used to do claims and have since left the Dark Side, but I won't advise anything illegal or what I consider to be unethical.

Contractors waiving the deductible is a grey area. When you make a claim you are contractually obligated to pay the self-insured retention (deductible) amount and the insurer is only obligated to pay if the loss exceeds that. When the deductible is waived the contractor prepares an estimate for the total cost of the repair and submits that to the insurer. The insurer pays the amount in excess of the deductible to the contractor and the contractor then waives the payment from you or revises the estimate down by the amount of the deductible.

From certain perspectives this is fine, since once the initial estimate is completed the insurer is obligated to pay a specified amount. So long as the amount the insurer pays is reasonable whatever arrangements the insured makes are outside the purview of the insurance contract.

From other perspectives this is not fine. If the contractor waives the payment from you then technically you have not paid your deductible and an argument could be made that coverage has not triggered; it depends on your jurisdiction as to whether the payment of the deductible is a trigger for coverage or a result of coverage. Additionally, if the contractor creates an estimate (say $10,000) and waives your deductible (say $1,000) a case could be made that the job wasn't a $10,000 job, it was really a $9,000 job since that is what they were willing to accept. Finally, such arrangements might incentivize the contractor to artificially inflate the estimate; a $10,000 job with a $1,000 deductible might end up with an $11,000 estimate so that the contractor isn't out any money.

 

[sourceninja]

I am not going to commit any fraud over a new roof. I moved into this house when it was brand new in 2003. As I stated earlier, many of my neighbors have had their roofs replaced and their homes are the same age as mine and have been through the same storms. Since they were all built by the same builder, the materials should be the same.

This whole insurance thing is one big game and I just want to find out if there are any rules or tips in my favor before I play.

Sourceninja's post is a good example of this. I am sure most insurance companies will not help you do this when you begin the claim process. Based on what I have gathered so far, alot of this depends on the insurance company and their claims process.

I forgot to ask this earlier...Many roofing companies state they will work with your insurance company so you don't have to pay your deductible 'out of pocket' (if I am understanding this correctly). Does anyone have any experience with this?

The insurance company in our case took the deductible out of the payment. So the adjuster told us our roof was worth $7000 for replacement value and we got a check for $6500. We found a company that replaced our roof for around $5700 and kept the rest after notifying the insurance company and they told us they didn't care.

 

[Fritzo]

This reminds me of one time last summer...

I was laying in bed, looking up at the stars, beholding the moon's magestic glow, watching Venus and Jupiter slowly wander across the night sky. I pondered my place in the universe, when it hit me...

WTF HAPPENED TO MY ROOF?