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Is a Roof Replacement Covered By Insurance?

If your roof is damaged by hail, strong winds or storms, knowing the steps to filing an insurance claim is crucial. Your homeowner’s insurance policy covers your roof from damage caused by hail and other severe weather.

Although the claims process can feel overwhelming, the team here at Native Roofing and Construction is here to help you every step of the way. We want homeowners to feel knowledgeable about the roof replacement process – including how to file an insurance claim. 

After reading this article, you’ll have a better idea of how the claim process works for your homeowner’s insurance, if your roof may be eligible for coverage and when to involve a roofer in the process.

Home Insurance Basics

Understanding what may be covered under your home insurance policy is an important first step. Based on our experience, your insurance policy will cover any damage arising from “covered” events. Some examples of covered events would be roof damage resulting from wind, hail, lightening, fire and ice. 

For example, your homeowner’s insurance policy would normally cover any damage to your roof caused by a tree that was blown down by a wind or lightning event. Your insurance coverage would also cover you if a covered event caused direct damage to your roof, such as hail damaging the shingles. Similarly, your homeowner’s insurance policy often covers your fence or shed if they sustain damage. Note that you still have to pay your deductible amount and your policy covers the amount over that. 

It’s doubtful that your insurance provider would cover the expense to repair or replace your roof if the leak is the result of regular wear and tear, shoddy construction, poor maintenance, or some other uncovered incident.

It’s important to note that policies may differ. To get a full understanding of what is covered under your home insurance policy, contact your insurance agent.

How the Home Insurance Claims Process Works

Is-roof-replacement-covered-by-insurance

1. Step One: Contact your roofer!

Most Bixby roofing companies (Native Roofing included) offer free roof estimates and inspections. If a storm has recently hit your home or you have obvious signs of storm damage, 

scheduling a free inspection is a good place to start. A roof inspection will give you an idea of what kind of damage, if any, your roof may have. 

We suggest reaching out to your roofing contractor first simply because their interests are best aligned with yours. Your roofing contractor will act as your advocate throughout the claims process so it’s best to start working with them early, although you can loop them in at any stage.

In our experience, homeowner’s insurance providers sometimes leave off damaged items. To guarantee that your roof is repaired to its pre-storm state, your roofing contractor will assist in pointing out every item to your adjuster. If you hire a skilled roofer, they’ll make sure you are paid for all covered damages even if you’ve previously received a check from your insurance provider.

Your roofer is employed by you, not by your insurance provider. When analyzing a roof, it’s critical to consider both the interests of the homeowners and the insurance company in order to provide a fair decision for all parties.

2. Starting the Claims Process

You can formally start the claims process by filing a claim online.  Once your claim is submitted, this will start your home insurance’s claims procedure. It’s important to start the claims process in a timely manner. Many homeowner’s insurance contracts contain a deadline for filing a claim after a storm in order to be covered.

After your claim is received, your insurance company will typically send an insurance adjuster out to examine your roof. It’s important to keep your roofing contractor in the loop during this process. Oftentimes, your roofing contractor will come meet your adjuster and explain their findings. After their inspection, your adjuster will then approve or deny your claim. If your claim is approved, your adjuster will give you a list of all the repairs that will be covered by your insurance company. 

3. Figuring out next steps if your claim is denied

What can you do if you home insurance claim was denied? First, the insurance adjusters are typically not experienced roofers – they’re trained to look for damage. 

If your claim was denied and you have yet to involve a roofing company to perform an independent inspection, it’s still not too late. Find a trustworthy, Tulsa based roofing contractor to perform a roof inspection and evaluate the basis of your claim’s rejection.

Every day, homeowners’ insurance claims are rejected. These rejections are sometimes for appropriate reasons and sometimes for reasons that are difficult to understand. There are measures in place that allow you to appeal your insurance claim rejection. Depending on the nature of your claim, your roofing contractor can help you prepare and collect supporting evidence to supplement your appeal. 

Conversely, if you’ve already had a roofing contractor work with you and your home insurance company and your claim was still denied, you can still appeal this decision. Depending on what the basis for their rejection and the urgency of your repair, most roofing companies offer financing options to ensure your roofs gets the repairs it deserves to function properly.

One important thing to note here, your homeowner’s insurance will not cover your roof if it was improperly installed. Unfortunately, this happens to unsuspecting homeowners and is one of the many reasons why it’s important to hire a reputable Tulsa roofing company to handle your repair. 

For example, if a big storm with strong winds tears through the Tulsa area and rips off some of your shingles in its path – this may not be a covered repair if your shingles were improperly installed to begin with. This is just one of the many reasons why it’s important to work with a reputable, experienced roofing company that offers a competitive craftsmanship warranty on their work. 

Best Home Maintenance Practices

We strongly recommend having your roof inspected once a year to ensure its functioning properly, and there has been no storm damage. Even if your roof isn’t showing signs of a leak, having your roof inspected regularly ensures that your roof is functioning properly. Roof inspections are free from most Tulsa roofing companies (Native Roofing included!). 

Next Steps – Getting Your Roof Evaluated

The roofing company you hire is YOUR advocate during the insurance claims process. Make sure you choose an experienced, knowledgeable Tulsa roofing company to represent your home.

Native Roofing and Construction has earned stellar accolades from successfully advocating on behalf of Tulsa homeowners.  We have extensive experience repairing storm damaged roofs and working with home insurance companies. If you suspect your roof has been damaged by recent hail or storms – or if it’s simply time for your free annual check-up, contact us today to schedule your free roof inspection!

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