Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I had a 20 year old roof on a Florida home get replaced for nearly 100% by my insurer. They inspected it and identified a number of places where it had been damaged from the weather. I didn't argue with them, I let them replace it.
As for as the rationale for complete replacement, think of it this way - the insurer will be paying out for more for the damage to the house in contents if the roof is bad.
My house is about 18 years old and probably due for a new roof, we have 2-3 shingles now missing.
I've had 2 different companies knock on my door and say they can have the roof replaced under insurance because of a large storm that came through within the past 2 years or something.
My worry is they'll start doing the work and insurance will back out, or it will go through insurance but then I'll be black listed or something stupid.
I also have a rental property, so I don't want my insurance to go up across the board and it end up costing me more money on the back end in a couple years anyway... anyone have any experience with this?
I had my homeowners insurance replace my roof and siding.
I highly recommend it. You will save a lot of money.
Several years ago during an inspection while selling our house, we were shocked to hear our roof had considerable hail damage. I called my insurance guy and told him I wasn’t sure when it happened. He laughed and threw out a date about 6 months prior and said he (well, State Farm) had replaced a ton of roofs in our area due to that storm.
A good argument for having a local agent. Some guy sitting in a cubicle in Timbuktoo wouldn’t have that knowledge.
My house is about 18 years old and probably due for a new roof, we have 2-3 shingles now missing.
I've had 2 different companies knock on my door and say they can have the roof replaced under insurance because of a large storm that came through within the past 2 years or something.
My worry is they'll start doing the work and insurance will back out, or it will go through insurance but then I'll be black listed or something stupid.
I also have a rental property, so I don't want my insurance to go up across the board and it end up costing me more money on the back end in a couple years anyway... anyone have any experience with this?
You should report any damage caused by storms to your insurance company. That is the process. Then they will inspect your roof and determine what they pay for. I would not trust ppl coming to your door saying they'll reroof you and charge your insurance....it sounds like a scam.
Our 29 year old original roof got dinged in a hailstorm and though there were no leaks it was at the end of its lifespan. However, a hail storm did occur a year prior and dinged it a bit. It was suggested by many people to put in a claim and we did. Since we have full replacement, the roof was paid for minus deductible. While the rate itself didn't go up, we do have the 'stigma' of having filed a claim for the next three years. I'll gladly deal with that though. The roof was the ONLY break we've had when it comes to replacements in this home so I don't feel bad. Instead I feel grateful. The insurance companies aren't stupid and they're not being taken advantage of. considering that during all of our years as homeowners up until that point we've filed not one claim, again I don't feel bad.
My house is about 18 years old and probably due for a new roof, we have 2-3 shingles now missing.
I've had 2 different companies knock on my door and say they can have the roof replaced under insurance because of a large storm that came through within the past 2 years or something.
My worry is they'll start doing the work and insurance will back out, or it will go through insurance but then I'll be black listed or something stupid.
I also have a rental property, so I don't want my insurance to go up across the board and it end up costing me more money on the back end in a couple years anyway... anyone have any experience with this?
Short answer is the insurance company and the insurance company ALONE decides whether they will pay for a new roof - or pay to replace missing shingles* - regardless of what 1 or 2 or 15 roofers tell you.
(* how long have the shingles been missing? you can't let that go unattended as it WILL lead to serious home damage if water gets under the felt barrier)
Call your insurance company and tell them you think you have hail damage. Were the shingles missing a storm- or wind-related event? Insurance companies track big storms. Your local agent will advise you on what to do and will get an adjuster that represents the insurance company if needed. With my insurer, you have one full year from storm date to have the roof checked by an insurance company adjuster to get it handled by them if needed (work does not need to happen within 12 months, only verified and signed off by the adjuster within 12 months).
Personally, before doing that, I would find a roofer I trust (if you do not know one, ask neighbors, check Angies's List, NextDoor, etc.) to take a look at the roof and weigh in. Roofers track storms as well. An honest roofer - and there are honest roofers - will tell you what they see. If they think there is enough damage to warrant a new roof and want the work, they will also offer to meet the adjuster on site to inspect the roof.
I don't work with contractors who knock on doors for business. I research and contact them.
And, seriously, get those missing shingles dealt while you are at it.
In terms of age, when we had a hailstorm damage our roof, the insurance company paid two checks. One, for the amount of loss based on depreciable age (it was only 2 years old), and a second for the difference between the depreciated value and the replacement cost.
They did it this way to avoid paying out in full for a repair that a customer might choose not to make. It made sense to me.
But yes, I never allow anyone knocking on doors to get on my roof to check for damage. I can almost guarantee they'll find some, even if I don't see a small ball peen hammer in their belt.
My roof is about 17 years old, having been replaced after hurricane Charley. I have no missing shingles, but a lot of grit washes off during a heavy rain. If I can get three more years out of it I’ll be happy.
I had a roofing guy hit me up recently while I was on a walk who told me he could guarantee that he could write up a report that my insurance company would accept and pay for me to get a new roof. Ummm...sure you can, and no thanks.
Usually there is a time limit between time of damage (storm, hail, etc.) and filing a claim. I had similar situation in Virginia and the limit was 1 year.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
