Severe storms can strike unexpectedly in Austin, Texas, causing significant damage for homeowners or business owners.
Your roof stands a big chance of suffering storm damage. Therefore, you could use tips on filing roof insurance claims to prepare for the storm season if you have homeowners’ insurance.
Here are tips by Austin Roofing & Water Damage | WDR on how to get a storm damage roof repair insurance claim.
Filing a Claim for Storm Damage Repair
After the storm passes, you can file an insurance claim by email or phone. However, this is what you must keep in mind:
Read the Insurance Policy
Despite not being the most interesting document to read, you must never ignore reading your insurance policy. This is because you’re likely to find some vital information to help you throughout the process, including:
- Nature of roof storm damage covered
- Statute of limitations
- Amount of your deductible
- Maximum roof insurance claims
- Policy exclusions
- State or local policy that may affect your claim
Every insurance company covers wind damage claims differently. Some companies consider roof repairs but not complete roof replacements. The age of your roof matters to other insurance providers. These may cover roof repair for up to a given number of years.
Related Article: Does Insurance Cover Roof Replacement?
Don’t hesitate to Contact Your Insurance Company
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Your insurer has a statute regarding the limitations of filing claims, but you shouldn’t wait until the 11th hour to contact them. When the storm passes, get a storm damage assessment. This allows seeing the extent of storm damage from the ground.
Call a professional roofing contractor to inspect roof damage you can’t see from the ground. A thorough inspection helps you to describe the extent of storm damage accurately.
Don’t wait too long since your insurance policy may have a time frame to file the insurance claim. Besides, doing this sooner speeds up the process of storm damage roof repair.
Another reason is that the insurance company also handles claims from other homeowners. Filing your claim earlier puts you on top of the insurer’s priority list. Have your policy number, inspection reports, or estimates handy before calling the insurance company.
When contacting the insurer, let them understand your family’s specific needs to get special consideration. Inquire when to expect the insurance adjuster to prepare for his visit. A good idea is to have the adjuster’s supervisor’ number in case he’s in a location with broken cell phone masts.
Document Your Loss
The insurance company will send an adjuster to assess the damage and write you a check on the spot. However, the insurance provider may request you to send photos of the storm damage and estimates before approving your claim. It’s the right moment to call a roofing contractor.
An experienced roofer understands how to look beyond broken shingles and structural damage while documenting the extent of the storm damage. The contractor will take pictures that show the significant roof damage, which they will give you, along with a professional estimate.
Take photos of your roof before severe weather, especially when you maintain it, and mark them with a date.
The photos must be from different angles of your roof, and they must show the condition of the roofing materials. These will prove that your roof was in good condition before the severe storm.
Don’t discard all damaged items and materials before having the roof inspected by an insurance adjuster. However, you may do so after taking photos of them if required by your local municipality for safety reasons.
Don’t Wait for the Check
If you have water leaking into your interior because of missing shingles, you don’t have to wait for the check from your insurance provider, especially if you have severe damage on your roof. The company is likely to reimburse emergency tarping to limit the extent of storm damage.
Doing this is very important since insurance claims are not approved the same day they are filed. You’re less likely to get penalized for limiting the hail damage extent before the check comes. The insurance company will send you a check to cover materials and another to complete the storm damage restoration.
You will need a roofing contractor to fix the serious damage on the roof, but some need a deposit to start the job. Starting repairs on storm-damaged roofs is strongly recommended since the check from the insurance company may take some time.
It depends on the number of claims they are handling and how soon you filed your claim. The insurance adjusters also have many homes to inspect before approving your claim.
Avoid Making Impulsive Decisions After Hail Damage
You’re likely to have various roofing contractors knocking on your door after the first day of the hail storm. These come with promises of having solutions to fix the hail damage on your property. The rule of thumb is not to trust an out-of-town contractor to fix the damage to your roof.
Consider talking to two or three local contractors before making a decision. Compare the service providers by considering aspects such as possession of general liability cover and workman’s compensation insurance. Don’t fall for those whose deals sound too good to be true.
A good idea is to choose a company that offers free inspection of hail damage and estimates. There’s a chance that the contractor will help you deal with your insurance provider to make the claims process more manageable.
Look out for contractors promising to cover or waive your deductible. It’s insurance fraud which is a felony in Texas. Similarly, watch out for those asking for a cash deposit. Due diligence is essential to avoid ending up with more problems.
Find an Experienced Roofing Company to Replace Missing Shingles
Don’t let the claim process intimidate you, although handling things yourself seems overwhelming. Find an experienced roofing contractor with an excellent reputation to help restore your roof from hail damage.
The ideal contractor will help you handle the documentation process and submit the documents to your insurance company. Some insurers have roofers that they recommend after vetting.
However, it’s not mandatory to stick to those.
The rule of thumb is to find a reliable, experienced roofing company in Austin, Texas, to repair or replace your roof quickly and professionally.
Conclusion
Filing an insurance claim helps you get assistance from your insurance company to restore your home’s roof after a recent storm. A local roofing contractor will make the process easier and stress-free.