Storm Damage

Many times a week we get calls about storm damage, but more times than not we arrive to find multiple layers of damage that have occurred over several storms. We often ask ourselves, " Does the average homeowner ACTUALLY know what to do when their home is damaged by a storm?" More times than not, the answer is NO. Storm damage and insurance claims are a very tricky game- NO two storms are the same and no two insurance claims will be the same. Much like the Auto industry, the very first thing you should do is call a ROOFER. DO NOT CALL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY FIRST!!!!! When you call your insurance company, more times than not, mostly unbeknown to the homeowner, a claim is established whether you need one or not. Its best to let your licensed roofing professional inspect your damage and advise you whether you need to file a claim or not. Not all claims are worthy of filing, because the damage will never reach the value of your deductible. In todays times, Insurance companies are making the process for a complete replacement more and more complicated and your roofer can guide you in the process to start the claim for the highest chance of success, if warranted. The inspection process needs to be thorough, to include the damage to the roof, collateral damage to other parts of the home and adjacent structures, and soft metals on the roof. A roofer may get on your roof and "Chalk off" damage and take photos, or use a technique growing more increasingly popular- use a drone. Drones run varying softwares than can use standard photos to show damage, or potentially Ai-driven software to help find damage that may not even be visible to the naked eye! Next, if deemed neccessary, its time to involve your insurance company. Send them the copy of the roof inspection when you file a claim, they need it and its your inital proof of damage to your roof. The insurance agent may tell you to get several quotes, but DO NOT DO THIS! They are legally not allowed to do this, as agents are only allowed to broker insurance, not service a claim! It is the adjusters job next to come to your residence and verify the damage, and write a summary statement which will outline the damage and the allowable payments to repair said damage. Your roofer at this point can begin the working process-if possible. MOST times the adjuster is going to try to have an attempt at a repair completed even if a near total loss is at hand. Your Roofer can then help file for a "supplement" and potentially get your entire roof replaced, if necessary. Ultimately, at the end of the day, don't fall for the insurance company games- REMEMBER it is their job to NOT pay you and keep their profits in the hands of their share-holders. BE VIGILANT, don't back down and document everything. Adjusters will lie to you, claim false or no damage adjustments, and just blatantly try to keep a claim from being paid- to keep that money in house. Never ever forget that your insurance company is NOT YOUR FRIEND.