Need a New Roof? 5 Tips to Filing Your Insurance Claim

If you are a homeowner, you probably dread the damage that storms, trees and other hazards that can do to your home’s roof. Roof replacements can be very costly so most homeowners have insurance for their property that covers this part of the home. Filing a claim for roof replacement or repair can be a tedious process but there are ways to make it easier and more successful.

1. Check your home after storms hit. If you own your own home, you should make it a point to go out and examine your home and your roof for any damage to it. After a big storm, you may see shingles all over the ground around your home and that is a big sign that there is damage to the roof. If you do not see shingles, you should not assume that you home escaped the bad weather unscathed. Take a look at the roof itself to see what its status is. There may be a clause in your homeowner’s insurance policy that you have to get your claim in within a certain amount of time so that you can get the money to handle your repairs so you should not delay doing this.
2. Get documentation of the damage to your roof. Take some photos of any damage that you find. If you have an experienced roof replacement or repair professional come in and look over the damage they find, you can get them to list what they see in your home. They may also take pictures of the damage you and they talk about in your home. Even if you do not end up filing a claim to your insurance carrier, but it is still a good idea to keep the records and documentation of the damage. If you do have it repaired, you should also take pictures of the areas that were fixed. This can help if you need to deal with your insurance carrier in the future.
3. Call your insurance carrier. The next thing you need to do after you have talked to a roof servicing company and discovered the damage and call the company with whom you have an insurance policy. They can tell what is and is not covered by your particular policy. Remember, you only have a set window of time in which you can file a claim with your insurance company.
4. Keep an eye on your policy. There are often clauses in homeowner’s insurance policies that dictate how old a roof can be and still be covered. You may need to have your roof inspected, it is recommended homeowners have this done every year, on a certain timetable. The goal of all insurance companies is to pay as little as possible for repairs. That is not a slight against them, it is just how they stay in business. Therefore, to get what you need fro then when you need it, you need to keep up with your responsibilities as the owner of a home and the holder of a policy like this.
5. Get the right roofer to do the work. This is more than just finding a roofer who is good at roof replacement and repair jobs, though that is also important. You need to find a roofing services company that understand how to work well with the insurance companies. If you hire one that has experience working with your insurance carrier. Ask them about the following:
   1. Make sure they have the right insurance of their own. If they do not have this, you can be responsible if someone is hurt working on your home. Double check whatever they tell you.
   2. Make sure they have the right qualifications. There may be different rules and regulations where you live so check on that before you hire anyone.
   3. Make sure they get the right permits. Most contractors handle that but you will pay the price if they do not have the right permits for your job.
   4. Make sure you know what is being charged and what it is far. Get all of the quotes in writing to prevent extra charges. That is never fun but can be avoided with some work in advance.