Your insurance company provides limited protection for your Huntsville-area home. We say limited because every homeowner policy differs. Some provide complete coverage for all manner of storm damage; others may have high deductibles. Some will pay replacement costs; others will provide minimal coverage. When dealing with a storm-damaged roof, you will understand the process better by putting yourself in the shoes of your insurance adjuster.
Patience Matters
You have one home. Your insurer protects many properties. Your emergency roof repair may not be an insurance adjuster’s first priority. When you call your insurer to report damaged shingles, torn away metal roofing, or shattered tiles from a recent hurricane, remember you are one call among many. Consciously exercise just a bit more patience than you think you can summon. It will pay off.
Immediately after speaking with an insurer, contact your local, reliable roofer. Though a roofer may not be able to proceed with complete repairs, your friendly roofer can protect your home against further damage.
This is also an insurance issue. You have an obligation to mitigate the damage as best you can to protect the validity of your claim. Your roofer may temporarily tarp your roof. An adjuster seeing that knows you are genuinely concerned about protecting and restoring your own property, not cashing out with a claim check.
Speed Matters
Insurance companies dealing with widespread damage stretch their adjusters very thin. Know key telephone numbers and email addresses (roofer, insurance agent, adjuster’s contact information).
Have all your paperwork ready to go for the moment the adjuster arrives:
- Your policy and policy number
- A roofer’s written estimate detailing the scope of needed work
- Photographs of the damage, which will save the adjuster time in assessing the damage and setting a value
The faster you, your roofer and adjuster can be onsite and planning repairs together, the faster your home will be restored.
Honesty Matters
You will make the roofer’s, adjuster’s and your own life simpler by sticking to the storm damage. Filing only honest claims helps you avoid storm-chasing, itinerant, substandard roofers. Deal only with a legitimate, licensed, local roofer with a known physical address. The insurance company has probably dealt with that roofer before and knows to expect good work from the contractor.
For fast, reliable repair of storm-damaged roofs, contact us at Yellowhammer Roofing today! We offer emergency repair service, annual inspection and maintenance, and much more.
