Roof Damage Home Owners Insurance Question...

[PredatorSlayer]

I had an 'insurance specialist' from a roofing company knock on my door the other day and asked if he could inspect my roof for damage. We have had some high winds and hail, so I said sure. In the past I have just paid for shingles to be replaced. The house was built in 2006 and still has the original roof. He got done with the inspection today and showed me some pictures of hail and wind damage - he said a new roof will be covered by my insurance and because it is considered an act of god, my individual insurance rates won't go up because of a claim. I have never filed a claim with any home owners insurance policy before and I also have made it a habit to not trust people in general, so I am reaching out to my rokslide family to see if I should have any concerns moving forward with this and what I need to be aware of?

 

[Crusader]

Last month I had a similar situation....the roofing company's "specialist" knocked on our door and said it appeared we had damage and could he inspect it. I said sure, go for it. When done he said we had damage that he felt would get us a new roof. He/we then proceeded to file a claim with our insurer, State Farm. SF then sent their adjuster out about a week later to inspect. Sort of as I expected (because we hadn't had a "real"/dangerous storm and the roof seemed ok), the SF adjuster said no, there wasn't enough damage for a claim. More like just normal wear and stuff. Shocker, but the roofing guy took off before I finished speaking with the adjuster, didn't say a word to me. So, these roofing guys are really more like marketers, just trying to drum up business, "throwing stuff against the wall to see if it sticks." Probably every so often through this process they'll get a roof damaged enough to be replaced and covered by insurance and their company does the work and gets paid; I guess it happens enough to keep their "specialists" out in the field, prospecting for business.

 

[Luked]

Did a similar thing to our house a few years ago. We had a pretty bad storm and I saw some shingle chunks in the yard and on the patio.
Called the insurance guy and he had an inspector out in 2 days. They even paid for the roof on the small 12x12 shed we have in the back yard.
Sent us a check and my brother who is a contractor and myself and a nephew put a metal roof on instead of shingles. Have had multiple storms since and no issues at all since.
Our premiums never went up because of it either.

 

[KHNC]

There has never been a "roofing specialist" that has NOT found damage on a roof. LOL

I have been an insurance agent for 32 years. We have had plenty of roof damages and claims in NC /SC over the last couple years. If you live in these states and feel like your roof may have damage, it probably does, if its over 10 years old. Otherwise, the above poster is correct about specialists.

 

[MattB]

I am surprised that someone selling something and telling you that you will essentially get it for free wouldn’t be 100% above board.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I am surprised that someone selling something and telling you that you will essentially get it for free wouldn’t be 100% above board.

LOL

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I had a leak in my roof, apparently missed some damage a while back. Called a roofer and he climbed up and took some pics, said normal wear and tear and no way insurance would cover it so provided some financing options, etc. I called the insurance company and they sent an inspector out, covered it 100%. I can't say my rates have gone up but I also don't follow it all that closely since it's kind of disconnected from my view and just handled in escrow account.

 

[hikenhunt]

I have a buddy that held that job for while and from what I recall, most of his went through insurance just fine, but he is a stand-up guy so he probably wasn't reaching for straws on his roof replacement recommendations. Not sure about whether it increases rates.

 

[5MilesBack]

I would never allow a "roofing company" specialist on my roof........until I'd had my insurance company adjuster on my roof.

 

[KenLee]

Many homeowners policies have a one year time limit to report storm damage. Get a copy of your policy and look before you make a claim. If there hasn't been significant sized hail in the last year, making a claim may give the insurance company documentation to deny a future claim.

 

[Crowmangler]

did he offer to revitalize your headlights & fill your tires with nitrogen while he was there?

 

[jmez]

Don't trust the "specialist". I like in hail central. Bought my house in 2008 and am currently on my 4th roof. You need your insurance company to send an adjuster out.

Your premiums will go up with hail claims and you will also get dropped over hail claims.

Sent from my moto g power 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk

 

[ddowning]

I do roofing as part of my business. There is a wide range of immoral/unethical as well as salt of the earth people on both sides. If I find no damage I say so. If I find questionable damage I say so and let the homeowner decide if they would like to file a claim.

On steep and high roofs, most insurance adjusters don't want to get on the roof to inspect. They will either just total it so they don't have to get up there, or they will pretend to look either from the top of a ladder or with a drone and say there is no damage. I have had people call me because their roof was totalled by their insurance company even though they had no damage. I have also had customers with undeniable damage. The insurance company has hired a 3rd party inspection to determine if there is damage after fighting and saying their adjuster found nothing. It is rare that the 3rd party does not find the same damage that I have found. Also, having your roof replaced using your homeowners insurance is not free. You still have to cover the deductible.

There have been enough storms recently that some reinsurance companies are in bad shape. It is common for an adjuster to take bad measurements and miss things or even add things that aren't there. There is just a lot of incompetence all around.

Another favorite is when people have their agent come look. Some insurance companies pay agent bonuses based on claims. In other words, the less claims their clients file, the bigger the bonus. Of course, those with an off kilter moral compass don't find any reason to file a claim. This isn't tinfoil hat stuff. I did some remodel work for a guy that was an independent agent that told me this, and also one of the 3rd party inspectors that the insurance company hired told me that. I don't know that all insurance companies operate that way, but there are al least a few that do.

Ultimately, if the roofing guy seems like a sleazy salesman, run. If he seems like a straight shooter them let him help you. In my area, the residential reroofing business is a joke. Most companies send a crew that speaks zero English with no supervision. The salesperson shows up for the sale and to collect a check. The quality of work depends completely on the crew. No one wants to stick around to solve problems, do quality control, and make sure things don't get damaged. If you find a roofing company with a reputation of having a representative on site during the work, you are usually in pretty good hands.

Also, I forgot to add, never sign a contract with a roofing company before you have the damage appraisal from your insurance company. If the contractor sees things differently they can argue it with the insurance company and you will get an updated report. If someone is trying to get you to rush into something before you have things sorted out with the insurance company, they definitely are not in business to help customers.

 

[Mihunter99]

I’m an insurance agent, I’ve had a lot of my customers get new roofs this year due to roofing guys going door to door in an area they were already putting a roof on. Nothings free, we’ll all pay for that eventually in higher rates. Already happening in Mi, homeowner rates are terrible here. If the damage is legit, the insurance should be on the hook to pay for it, minus the deductible of course. Some of my companies going to a 1% or 2% deductibles on roofs now depending on how old it is.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I’m an insurance agent, I’ve had a lot of my customers get new roofs this year due to roofing guys going door to door in an area they were already putting a roof on. Nothings free, we’ll all pay for that eventually in higher rates. Already happening in Mi, homeowner rates are terrible here. If the damage is legit, the insurance should be on the hook to pay for it, minus the deductible of course. Some of my companies going to a 1% or 2% deductibles on roofs now depending on how old it is.

That is what the guy said when I asked him about my rates increasing. He said they will likely go up because so many people in my neighborhood are getting new roofs, but there shouldn't be a rate increase on just my policy.

 

[Wheels]

I have a friend that is an independent adjuster, and he will often go out to inspect roofs just to put miles on his truck to write off as a business expense.

 

[Rich M]

I'd actually call a roofing company and ask if they want to check the roof.

My neighbor got scammed for this - roof was gonna be $14k, ins agency gave neighbor $7k and said we'll pay the remainder when roof is complete and inspected. He gave the $7k to "roofer" and never seen him again.

I really hate that insurance agencies do the roofs. It is part of the FL insurance debacle. They keep bleeding for these "damaged roofs" and scam artists.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I'd actually call a roofing company and ask if they want to check the roof.

My neighbor got scammed for this - roof was gonna be $14k, ins agency gave neighbor $7k and said we'll pay the remainder when roof is complete and inspected. He gave the $7k to "roofer" and never seen him again.

I really hate that insurance agencies do the roofs. It is part of the FL insurance debacle. They keep bleeding for these "damaged roofs" and scam artists.

Good point - this guy works for the roofing company. The roofing company is legit, they are knocking out a few homes in my neighborhood.

Side note, would it be a dick move to get a couple quotes from other roofing companies if I decide to file a claim and the insurance company agrees to pay for it?

 

[5MilesBack]

Your premiums will go up with hail claims and you will also get dropped over hail claims.

I was looking at a house last fall, so called USAA to get an estimate for insurance on it. They quoted me $6400/yr and that included a 2% (of the total value) deductible for wind/hail. At that point wind/hail insurance is worthless to me.

 

[id_jon]

Side note, would it be a dick move to get a couple quotes from other roofing companies if I decide to file a claim and the insurance company agrees to pay for it?

Nope. I'm a roofer myself, and I feel that anyone who doesn't encourage you to get at least a couple estimates is probably a hack. Unfortunately most "roofers" you'll talk to, especially if they usually do insurance work, are just salesmen who hardly know a thing about roofing and will be sending a crew that they likely don't even know any of their names, and wouldn't even be able to tell if they're doing anything wrong. I'd recommend finding a local roofing supplier and going in and asking them if they have a couple guys/companies they recommend. They probably have a good idea of who is good.