Roof Insurance Claims Made Easy
Severe wind and hail can cause major damage to your shingles. If you’re unsure whether your roof was damaged, check our signs of hail damage and inspect your roof and property for missing shingles.
Done Right Roofing will be happy to arrange an inspection of your roof if you are unsure and provide your roof insurance company with a letter reporting our findings.
We all know it’s no fun dealing with roof insurance companies. Record the exact date the damage occurred and notify your insurance company as soon as possible. Insurers generally have a time limitation on filing claims.
Don’t let your insurer persuade you to choose a specific contractor. Insurance companies like to minimize their claims and may be recommending a roofing contractor that is less expensive, and not necessarily of high quality.
You have the right to choose your own contractor and should take as much care in doing so as you would if the insurance company was not involved.
Want More Information?
Roof Damage Insurance Claims
Discover the top 10 misconceptions about insurance claims and hail damage. Some of these may apply to you.
Preferred Contractors
Should you use the contractor recommended by your insurance company? Learn about the things you should consider before making the decision.
Insurance Claims & Hail Damage: The Top 10 Misconceptions
If you want to make sure your roof is done as soon as possible, call us today for a free roof quote. We’ll help you with the roof insurance claims process and install your new roof in a timely manner.
The hailstorm in August 2012 caused about $200 million of damages and you may have been affected, possibly without even realizing it. And you might be making some assumptions about the process that could have serious consequences.
Our goal is to provide you with a better understanding of the issues so you can get the result you deserve:
1 You’re waiting to file your claim
You should contact the claims department of your insurance company as soon as possible and find out how long you have to file a claim. If you don’t file a claim within the allowable time, usually one year, you may end up footing the bill yourself.
And waiting for spring to file your claim could be a costly mistake. Click here to learn why.
2 You think you have to use your insurer’s preferred contractors
In most cases, insurers will not force you to use the contractors they recommend. Although their preferred contractors are reputable companies, there’s no guarantee you will get the quality you deserve. Click here to learn more about preferred contractors.
If you, or your friends and neighbours, have had a great experience with a different contractor, you will probably feel better about using them than trying someone new.
We have successfully helped many homeowners with their insurance claims. We will do a free, detailed inspection of your roof and provide a complete report to your insurer.
3 You’re not sure if you have hail damage
Hail damage isn’t always easy to spot. You may not see any damage and believe you just got lucky. But even the smallest amount of damage can cause leaks later. Click here to learn how to spot hail damage.
4 You don’t think you have enough damage to file a claim
Even minor damage can cause serious, expensive leaks in the future. An inspection will confirm how much damage you have and whether your roof needs to be repaired or replaced.
You should file a claim not matter how little damage you think you have. If it requires only minor repairs (less than your deductible), you don’t have to proceed with your claim.
5 You have a new home and believe the Alberta New Home Warranty Program will cover the hail damage
The warranty program only covers structural defects and defects in materials and workmanship. Hail damage is not covered.
6 You believe the shingle manufacturer or roofing contractor warranties will cover the hail damage
Manufacturers’ warranties specifically exclude hail damage. Similarly, roofing contractors offer warranties covering their workmanship, not acts of god. If you have hail damage, you should file a claim with your insurer as soon as possible.
7 You don’t want to file a claim because you don’t want your policy cancelled or your rates to increase
Insurers aren’t allowed to cancel your home policy due to these types of claims. Your insurance will remain in effect without any penalties to you.
Insurance companies may be forced to raise rates for all homeowners after costly disasters such as hail or wind storms. Your personal rates, however, won’t increase by filing a hail damage claim.
If you don’t file a claim and overall rates increase, you’ll simply be subsidizing other homeowners who did file a claim.
8 You filed a claim but want to wait until the spring or summer to get quotes to have the work done
Most people don’t think of getting their roofs done in the winter. But the hailstorm will create spring chaos in the roofing industry. Click here to learn why waiting until spring could be a costly mistake.
9 You received a payout from your insurance company and you’ll find your own contractor, but there’s no rush
You will likely have a hard time finding a quality contractor in the spring. See the above comments about spring roofing.
10 You filed a claim but it was denied
After a major hailstorm, insurance adjusters and roofing contractors are swamped. As a result, you may not have had a thorough inspection of your roof or your claim may simply not have received the attention normally required.
You have every right to appeal this decision, especially if you know your area was hit by hail and your neighbours have had their claims approved. You should get another independent, detailed inspection so you can provide your insurer with evidence that might have been overlooked.
Preferred Contractors for Insurance Claims
Do You Have To Use Your Insurer’s Preferred Contractors?
In most cases you are under no obligation to do so, but you should contact your insurer’s claims department to make sure. Replacing your roof is a major renovation and the most important consideration is whether you’ll get a high quality, problem-free and long-lasting roof. A preferred contractor may be a good choice. But you can’t really know unless you get some other independent quotes for comparison purposes. You’re the only one who can decide who you choose to do this important work.
Who Do Preferred Contractors Really Work For?
Preferred contractors are in a difficult situation. A substantial source of their revenue comes from insurance company referrals and, naturally, they don’t want to jeopardize this valuable source of business. On the other hand, you are their real client and they don’t want to damage their reputation by doing a mediocre job. The bottom line? It’s up to you to decide whose needs are most important to the recommended contractor. You can do that by evaluating their attitude when you speak with them:
- Are you just another “number” in the long line of insurance claims or do they take the time to make sure your needs and problems are being addressed?
- Do they just want to do the work the insurer will pay for, or do they assess all the work required and tell you they’ll work with the insurer to pay for it?
Is It Less Expensive To Use A Preferred Contractor?
You may get a lower quote but we all know that high quality and low prices don’t go hand in hand. Anyone can replace the shingles on your roof but there’s much more to a quality job than properly installing shingles. Even with properly installed shingles, your roof may develop leaks in as little as 4 – 5 years because other parts of the job weren’t done. For example, we routinely replace all flashing instead of reusing existing flashing. Why? Because most roof leaks are caused by improper or deteriorating flashing. Click here to learn more about flashing.
Protect the Investment in Your Home
Your question shouldn’t be whether or not to use a preferred contractor. It should be which contractor, regardless of their situation, will give you the problem-free, long-lasting roof you deserve. Call us today for a free hail damage inspection. We’ll explain the damage and give you an independent assessment of what’s required to make your roof better than new. And we’ll work with your insurance company to help you with your roof insurance claims on your behalf.
Need More Advice?
Call us today and we’ll be happy to answer your questions and address your concerns. We’re experts at hail damage inspections and claims, and can work with you to make the insurance process easy and stress-free.
“A special thank you from Sandstone Estates for the great work done replacing the shingles on our remaining buildings (6 in total) for 2012. So nice to have it completed. Chase and his crew were very pleasant to work with. We did miss Antoine this year. Also a special thanks to Amanda for always being there to answer hundreds of questions, keeping the ball rolling to get this job done so soon. I’m sure dealing with insurance companies isn’t easy. Her pleasant personality and knowledge is an asset to your company. Again, our thanks!”
Bonnie Ingeberg, President