Getting your insurance provider to cover the cost of a roof replacement can be tricky, regardless of whether you are entitled to a roof replacement according to your coverage. This review helps you understand how the process works and what steps you should take to ensure the process goes smoothly and at a minimal cost to you, the homeowner.
Getting Insurance To Cover Your Roof Replacement Cost
Every roof replacement is a unique situation. Your experience submitting a claim for a roof replacement after serious damage occurs may look different. However, there are certain steps you can expect throughout the insurance claim process and important actions you must take to ensure your insurance provider covers the costs they are obligated to cover.
Most notably, the steps include learning more about your insurance coverage, documenting the damage to your roof, submitting an insurance claim and hiring an experienced roofing contractor to perform the roof replacement.
Understand Your Coverage
Your homeowner’s insurance policy should specify what is covered and what is not. There should be two types of coverage — repair coverage and replacement coverage. If you notice damage to your roof, then you can begin the process by examining your insurance policy to determine if your roof should be covered.
Not all types of roof damage are covered by insurance providers, so determining which costs you may be liable for based on the policy you have is a great first step.
Document The Damage
The next step is to document the damage to your roof. This allows you to show the insurance company precisely what the issue is. You will need a reliable camera for this. Taking pictures also likely requires climbing onto your roof. Be sure to use a reliable ladder and have someone help you with this step to ensure optimal safety.
While you may be able to document the damage yourself, the best way to ensure you have the documentation you need to have your roof replacement covered by the insurance company is to hire a roofing professional. They can conduct a roof inspection and make a professional assessment as to whether or not roof replacement (or roof repair) is necessary.
Submit An Insurance Claim
After you reviewed your insurance coverage and ordered a professional inspection from a reputable roofing company, you can then submit an insurance claim. It can take up to two weeks for the insurance company to review your claim and make a coverage determination.
Once they approve the insurance claim you can start working with the contractor of your choice, assuming they are licensed and approved by your insurance provider.
Hire An Experienced Roof Replacement Contractor
Scammers sometimes target homeowners whose roof was damaged by bad weather, making them promises of a free roof and other promises that they cannot deliver upon. It is important to avoid these scams and only work with a roofing company that has experience with insurance claims. This helps ensure you do not have work done on your roof that is not covered by your insurance provider. Additionally, it is important to choose a roof replacement company who offers a workmanship warranty.
Follow The Claims Process Closely
Insurance companies sometimes look for ways to avoid paying for roof replacements. Even for honest and trustworthy insurance companies, it is essential to follow the claims process closely to ensure they cover the cost of the roof replacement.
This also reduces the risk of setbacks in the process and ensures you get the roof repair or replacement finished in a timely manner. Therefore, be sure to closely review all requirements that you must follow and ask your insurance provider or roofing contractor for clarity if there is any ambiguity that arises along the way.
Tips For Choosing The Right Roofing Company
As discussed, choosing a reputable roofing contractor is essential to ensuring your insurance provider pays for your roof replacement. However, it is also important to choose the right roofing contractor to ensure the quality of your roof and minimize the costs that you are responsible for.
Additional tips to help you choose the right roofing contractor for your roof replacement include:
- Check insurance and licensing
- Look at reviews of previous work
- Discuss the timeline for the replacement
- Ask about their experience with similar projects
- Discuss material choices
Most roofing companies offer multiple types of roof material. Determining the right material for your roof is also important after you verify that the company is trustworthy and accepted by your insurance provider.
Hire A Reputable Roofing Contractor At Adelphia Exteriors
Do you have severe roof damage? If so, then contact our Northern Virginia roofing contractors at Adelphia Exteriors to schedule a roof inspection. We have experience working with home insurance companies to ensure you get the coverage that you are entitled to receive. You can reach us by message or give us a call at (703) 386-7357 to get the roof replacement process started.