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Theoretically you can. Some insurance companies will require an inspection after the repairs are done. If your insurance company doesn't inspect and you pocket the money, the next claim you have will deduct for the prior payment and damage and you won't be happy if you don't have the money set aside.
Often on the next renewal, the underwriters will want evidence that the roof was replaced or they won't renew the policy.
Don't think it doesn't happen. I've paid to replace many a roof where people pocket the money. Next year a storm totals the roof again. The computer tells me that there was a prior claim. I see that I paid for a re-roof that wasn't done. Sorry, no money today and I order the policy non-renewed. Customer squeals like a stuck pig. I shrug and move on to the next customer.
Same with car damage. You can keep the money and not make repairs but it will reduce the value of your car if you go to sell it or have a total loss. And when the next damage occurs, an adjuster will be able to differentiate between old damage and new damage and reduce the settlement accordingly. Nobody's ever happy when that happens.
Insurance companies keep claim files with pictures and report claims to CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) so that other insurance companies can get the claim information instantly.
When we received a claim on our roof for hail damage, one of the roofers said we only needed some repairs, so we went with that, saved the rest of the claim money and then did a full re-roof a few years later. Had to pay a higher price out of pocket.
I've wondered if the insurance company would penalize us if they knew we waited.
This is what happens when people don't read their insurance policies.
If you have Replacement Cost on your home your insurance company pays the replacement cost of the roof using reasonable and customary rates for labor and materials.
You get the depreciated value of the roof up front. When the job is done you submit the bill to your insurance company and get paid the rest of the replacement cost.
You can use whatever roofer you want but if that roofer's prices exceed the reasonable and customary rates for labor and materials you might be out of pocket so here's my suggestion. Whatever estimates you get from roofers, hand them your insurance company's estimate and ask them to do the job for that amount. If yes, you should still only end up paying your deductible. If not, then use the insurance company's preferred roofer. Contractors often provide discounts to insurance companies for a steady flow of business.
By the way, for a two month old roof with only a few spots of hail damage, you can still get the same shingles and have the damaged ones replaced with no problems.
I am not complaining about what my particular insurance company has in their policy. Of course I am not going to read that long, drawn out legal mumbo jumbo multi page policy. I have a broker who I trust to get me a policy with the information required to get me covered. I don't need to know all the extraneous info unless I file a claim. I know I have the correct dollar amounts to be paid out, and I am comfortable with that.
I have no problem paying the difference (for depreciation) if I choose to go with my own, well known, recommended roofer. Too many no names are out there, like everything in my life now I want one stop shopping, with one call maintenance or repair assistance. Two of the roofers are quite familiar with the insurance process and will step in for me if necessary to interact with them. I have an amount in mind I am willing to pay out of pocket for it all to be done.
I used to have an insurance company that was downright anal about roofing claims. I constantly received letters about roofs, and just what they covered.
We moved into a 12 year old house 3 years ago, and we conditioned the purchase upon a bunch of roofing repairs.
A month ago, we had big storms with 50 mph winds that blew a bunch of shingles off our roof. We made a claim and their adjusters were too busy with floods in Ft. Lauderdale and huge claims in Dallas after monster storms. The adjusters are working 7 days a week.
They sent out an inspector who climbed all over our steep roof and took pictures, etc. He said we need a completely new roof and also new gutters.
We have about 12 roof planes and it's a 60+ squares--$26,000. They sent me a check for $23.5K and will still pay for a $6K higher cost roof than standard and the gutters. The insurance company subscribes to a service that investigates the cost of supplies and the cost of labor in our market--and I feel good that they've done their job.
I guess I know now why my homeowners' insurance is $3,600 per year.
I used to have an insurance company that was downright anal about roofing claims. I constantly received letters about roofs, and just what they covered.
We moved into a 12 year old house 3 years ago, and we conditioned the purchase upon a bunch of roofing repairs.
A month ago, we had big storms with 50 mph winds that blew a bunch of shingles off our roof. We made a claim and their adjusters were too busy with floods in Ft. Lauderdale and huge claims in Dallas after monster storms. The adjusters are working 7 days a week.
They sent out an inspector who climbed all over our steep roof and took pictures, etc. He said we need a completely new roof and also new gutters.
We have about 12 roof planes and it's a 60+ squares--$26,000. They sent me a check for $23.5K and will still pay for a $6K higher cost roof than standard and the gutters. The insurance company subscribes to a service that investigates the cost of supplies and the cost of labor in our market--and I feel good that they've done their job.
I guess I know now why my homeowners' insurance is $3,600 per year.
Can you answer my question about why I should take a 'claim ding' for asking an adjuster to look at the roof after a major weather event? I have no idea what's 'bad enough'. 'Minor' to the roofer may be more than that to the insurance company. I'm not trying to get a new roof for cheap or get over on the insurance company... I already paid for the new roof a couple months ago. I just don't want to pay a penalty for having the expert answer the question of 'do I need it' replaced.
Sorry, but that's not your insurance company's job. If you want your roof evaluated to see if it's damaged and needs repair you get a roofer to give you an estimate and take pictures. You decide if you want to get your insurance involved.
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