ALWAYS have your roof checked by a trusted, professional roofer before you decide to file a claim with insurance. Why?
In the first instance, be aware that all calls to your insurance company are “claims” even if they pay out no money.
The usual standard for non-renewal of a customer’s policy is two claims within two years. No, you won’t be “canceled,” but the effect is the same. You become a high-risk client and go into a pool for high-cost insurers. Sure,
your preferred company may give you a break if you don’t do this often, but sometimes
not. If you had had two claims within two years, even when these things were not your fault (storm damage, for instance), be sure to shop for a new insurance carrier BEFORE your renewal
date. “I’ve been with them for years. They wouldn’t do that to me.” Yes, they would, and they probably will. Their numbers tell them that you’re expensive, regardless of who is at fault. So what is the “fix”? When you have had a storm event, have your roof pre-checked by a professional. Frequently, storm damage is often not visible from the ground. GET ON THE ROOF! Call a company you feel is trustworthy. (Established companies will tell you the truth if you’re OK for now and expect to earn your business later.) Ignore neighborhood signage and solicitors. That guy on the doorstep is trained to get you to file a claim, no matter what. Do not fall for that. Believe it or not, the standard for door-to-door roofer salespeople is a 60% “buy rate.” That means they are doing their job when the insurance carrier rejects 40% of the filed claims. If you are one of the 40%, you just wasted a claim. Guess what happens later when you have legitimate damage. You get dropped. Count on it. In the second situation, in Colorado, there is a one-year insurance reporting requirement. Hail damage used to be hail damage, plain and simple. However, insurance carriers increasingly reject coverage because
“the damage is not consistent with the reported storm date.” Not reporting legitimate damage is no bargain. To be fair to insurance companies, blame the internet. It is just too easy to go online every year, shop for the cheapest homeowner’s policy, and roll older damage onto a new carrier. If you were your insurance company, how would you feel about paying for three-year-old storm damage for which some other co
mpany was responsible?
The first thing insurance companies look at are government-verified storm dates. Nowadays, insurance claim reps and inspectors are trained to distinguish older damage from “fresh” damage. So, how is a homeowner going to know precisely when their home was damaged? Often, they may not know, give the insurance intake clerk the wrong date, and then be “invited” to file a second claim with a different date that matches the observable damage. This now happens regularly. Worse yet, you have the two-claim problem again.
What is the fix for this? Always, always, always have your home inspected by a reputable, licensed roofing contractor before you decide to file a claim. Most established contractors have access to the storm data. So, if you have damage that ought to be claimed, you can provide the correct date. In addition, many contractors utilize the same software that insurance companies use to calculate the cost-to-cure the visible damages. That can save a lot of shopping time and “wrangling” with adjusters over a fair price for appropriate repairs.
As I said at the beginning of this post if hail or wind hits your home…
ALWAYS have your roof checked by a trusted, professional roofer before you decide to file a claim with insurance.