Roofing Insurance Claims
Does your roof have storm damage and you’re wondering if your insurance company will cover it? When choosing USA Roofing & Gutters, LLC our roofing professionals will use our 20 years of knowledge and expertise to guide you step by step throughout the entire insurance claim process. We offer start-to-finish support that helps you navigate the restoration and repair process for residential and commercial roof claims. We have developed a strong working relationship with many of the nation’s leading insurance companies, making the process of an insurance claim as smooth and stress free for you as possible. We have the experience needed to help you get the best possible results depending on your insurance roofing coverage.
Most Alabama property owners have homeowners insurance or property insurance to ensure that their roof is protected when unforeseen problems occur. However, there can be times where their roof has become damaged and it is not covered under their insurance policy. When this happens, homeowners and business owners become frustrated and confused as to why their policy is not covering the roof damage.
The majority of insurance companies will cover roof damage caused by a severe weather event. Some examples of severe weather would include damaging winds, heavy thunderstorms, hail storms, snowstorms, and tornadoes. In addition, most insurance companies will also cover the roof damage if it was caused by fallen tree limbs. Typically, insurance companies will pay to replace or repair any roof that is damaged from weather events, depending on your insurance coverage.
It is important to remember that ultimately it’s up to the insurance adjuster and what the adjuster finds during the inspection report if there’s actually enough damage to require a full roof replacement. Although, as long as a weather event caused the roof damage, most homeowners insurance or commercial property insurance will cover the damage and pay to replace or repair the roof.
With that being said, there are a couple instances where an insurance claim may be denied. The most obvious reason is if after inspecting the roof, no storm damage was found. The second reason an insurance claim could be denied is if the homeowner waited too long to file the claim. The timeline varies from each insurance company on how long they will cover damages from the date of loss. Typically, that timeline is 1-2 years to file a claim after the storm damage has occurred. Another common reason insurance companies deny roofing claims is the roof was improperly installed. Unfortunately, we see this happen often to both homeowners and commercial building owners. This is why we stress to homeowners and business owners the importance of researching a roofing contractor before hiring them.
For more information, check out this Roofer’s Checklist Page we created for you to understand which questions to ask roofing contractors. Now, take a look below at the step-by-step process of filing an insurance claim when working with USA Roofing & Gutters, as well as all the insurance companies we have dealt with over the years.
Step by Step Insurance Process
1) Contact Your Insurance Company and File Your Claim
Once it has been determined that the roof has significant storm damage and a claim should be filed, we are happy to assist with the claims process or you can call the toll free number located on your homeowner’s policy to file your claim.
2) Schedule an Appointment with the Insurance Adjuster
The insurance adjuster will normally call you to schedule a time to evaluate the reported damages. Schedule an appointment time that is convenient for the adjuster and we will try to work around our schedule to accommodate the appointment. Please accept the following times: Monday – Saturday between 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Write down the name and number of the adjuster so we can call them to reschedule if there are any scheduling conflicts.
3) Meeting with the Adjuster
Our representative will meet with the insurance adjuster for the inspection and together will evaluate the damages. We will also discuss the scope of work and details pertaining to the damage.
4) If approved, within the next few days, you should receive a scope of loss/statement and the 1st check. Please make a copy of the complete statement for USA Roofing & Gutters, LLC
Call USA Roofing & Gutters, LLC once you receive the check and insurance statement scope of work to schedule an appointment to complete the work order for your new roof design, including shingles, colors, and any upgrades or additional work. If the check is over a certain amount, the insurance company will add your mortgage company on the check and you will need to send the check to them to have it endorsed.
The insurance company uses a 3rd party estimating system and will pay the fair market price to complete the repairs. We will review the insurance statement with the estimated pricing and scope of work and if there are any discrepancies we will contact the insurance company to have the estimate corrected and send any supplement and documentation needed. We do not provide an estimate unless the insurance company request one from us. We are level 2 certified with the Xactimate estimating software system which is used by the majority of insurance companies. We use the Xactimate estimating system when working with an insurance claim so there are no pricing discrepancies and to make the process smoother.
5) Upon completion of the work we will send a final invoice to the insurance company
We will send a final invoice to the insurance company, including the total charges for all of the work that we have performed and any supplement that was not paid on the original scope of work. You should receive the final payment from the insurance company within 7 – 10 days from the time we invoice them. Once you receive the final check, call us to schedule a time to finalize the job.
