When you experience an event that causes damage to your roof, in many cases your homeowners insurance will cover all or at least a portion of the costs of the repair or replacement. If you’ve never done so before, however, the process of filing and managing an insurance claim can be a bit confusing. To make things a little easier, we’ve put together the basics of insurance for roof repairs.

The Initial Claim

For the purpose of this article, let’s assume the damage to your roof was caused by hail. It’s important to keep in mind that hail damage on the roof isn’t always easy to detect. If you are in an area that experienced heavy hail, especially hail that was accompanied by strong winds, you should get your roof inspected by a professional. The sooner you catch the damage, the less likely you’ll be to have to invest in a replacement roof.

Once you’ve determined that there is, in fact, damage, it’s time to contact your insurance company. They will then send out an adjuster to assess the degree of damage and determine how much they are willing to pay for either the roof repairs or the new roof. It’s important to point out that there is room for negotiation with this. We strongly recommend having a roofing professional present at the time of the appraisal to ensure that you receive a fair settlement.

How the Insurance Company Pays

In most instances, you will receive a payout from the insurance company for what’s commonly referred to as the “ACV” (Actual Value Cost) of your roof. This amount should represent the actual cost of the re-roof or replacement roof minus any depreciation. It is possible to receive a settlement without depreciation, but this typically requires the negotiation skills and experience of a professional roofing contractor. In fact, with the right roofing company, you won’t have to do anything. Your contractor will represent your interest and arrange the repair or replacement on your behalf.

How Do I Get Started?

When you’ve got a roofing issue, such as that caused by hail damage on the roof, you really need to contact someone who is not only an expert in the field, but who also has experience working directly with insurance companies to ensure that their clients always receive the best settlement possible.

If you’ve recently experienced damage due to an external factor, such as hail, we encourage you to pick up the phone and give us a call right away. We’ll get right to work on your behalf handling your re-roof or new roof and working with the insurance adjuster to ensure that you don’t overpay. Contact us today!