by Guest » Wed Oct 03, 2007 02:38 am
Hail can cause severe damage to your roof. If you have hail damage protection for your home you can rely on the insurance company to get your roof fixed. You don't have to worry about the rain wetting the inside of your home or the snow falling on your head with hail damage coverage.
Is your roof impact-resistant?
To know whether your roof is impact resistant or not, you can use the Underwriters Laboratories' measuring stick. This test would involve dropping various steel balls of different sizes from a certain height that stimulates the similar force as felt by free falling hailstorms on the roof. There are 4 impact-level designations that help make a comparison between the products. Roof coverings that earn Class 4 rating means that it is the most resistant while a Class 1 rating means that it is the least resistant.
This is by far the best method to determine the strength of the roof. However, it is not perfect and has better results for certain types of coverings than others.
This is by far the best method to determine the strength of the roof. However, it is not perfect and has better results for certain types of coverings than others.
What kind of roof covering should you have?
By suggestion you should have the best roof covering to be able to protect yourself and your home from hail damages to your roof. However, it also depends on your taste and finances what kind of roof you would like to have. Here are a few types of roof coverings that you may choose from:
- Asphalt - This is found in most homes and can be strengthened with fiberglass or organic materials.
- Fibreglass - This lasts for up to 20 years and has fire rating of Class A.
- Metal - These last up to 40 years and are also light weight and usually have a Class A or B fire rating. The one disadvantage of metal coverings is that unlike other shingles it does not ease back into shape.
- Tile - Although it is quite popular with many, their performance during hailstorms depends on the types. Concrete tiles last long (more than 20 years) while clay tiles may break easily. Slate tiles are heavy. If you are using them then you must make sure that the structure of your home is able to support the weight.
- Modified asphalt - This includes SBS which is a rubber types compound or APP which is a plasticizer. These have high durability during hailstorms.
- Slate - This covering is quite expensive and can last for up to 100 years. You will need skilled people to install slate on your roof. This means it will add to the already expensive slate and raise the cost further. Slate is also quite heavy and not all homes may be able to support the weight. Check with an architect or a design professional to see if it will fit your home.
What to do if hail damages your roof?
Once you have detected hail damages inform your insurance company who will either send an adjuster to determine the cost of your loss or simply give you the money you deserve in such claims to get your damage repaired. If your insurance company pays you the repairing cost, you can select your own repairing shop and get your damages repaired. You may look around and get quotes from more than 2 shops and based on your common sense and what the repairing shop offers, may get your damages fixed. Once the insurance company has given you the money they owe you in claims, it is your money entirely. However, you must remember that if your house is again immediately damaged by hail, the insurance company will not pay you once more.
Related Readings:
- Hail damage fraud
- About hail damage repair
- Hail damage to your home
- Insurance cancellation during hail damage
Hello! My Minnesota neighborhood was hit about two months ago with a huge hail storm. We met with our insurance adjuster and filed a roof damage insurance claim to have our roof replaced. No work has been done on our home yet, and we're currently looking for a roofing company to do the job.
My issue: We were told by a contractor today that if the total claim amount that we're paid [check from our insurance co] EXCEEDS the amount we pay to repair the damage and we keep the difference, then we're committing insurance fraud.
Is this a correct statement, or is this contractor trying to scare me into giving him the full amount of the claim, regardless of the actual repair costs? Is there harm in having contractors bid the job, work the bids against each other, then put the excess into a different home project? I'd appreciate any comments!
Thanks in advance!
My issue: We were told by a contractor today that if the total claim amount that we're paid [check from our insurance co] EXCEEDS the amount we pay to repair the damage and we keep the difference, then we're committing insurance fraud.
Is this a correct statement, or is this contractor trying to scare me into giving him the full amount of the claim, regardless of the actual repair costs? Is there harm in having contractors bid the job, work the bids against each other, then put the excess into a different home project? I'd appreciate any comments!
Thanks in advance!
Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 11:04 pm Post Subject:
The ones that crack me up are the ones that pocket a ton of money...then call a few months later wanting their adjuster to help them with 'joe jack just came into town to rip you off roofer'... :roll: yeah that's gonna happen. :roll:
Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 04:49 pm Post Subject: The law about settlement differences
State statute determines if pocketing the difference between the insurance settlement and the lowest bid is acceptable. This is completely acceptable in Colorado per the Colorado Attorney General's office, Division of Insurance Fraud. There is nothing illegal about this, as long as you do not falsify any documents or make false claims.
Once the insurance claims adjuster cuts you a check, then you are free to use that money how you wish, including doing the work yourself or hiring a discount contractor and keeping the difference. There are many discount contractors who will do a as-good-as or even better job than a high-priced contractor.
There are many in the roofing industry that are on a national campaign to misrepresent the law and assert that this is insurance fraud, when in most states it is not. They make this assertion because it reflects their own self-interests, not the law. If you have any questions, contact your state Attorney General and clarify, then expose the roofing company for misrepresenting the law as they use this tactic to intimidate customers. Also make sure that you get bids and do not let any roofer to have any contact with your insurance company or have any information regarding the settlement.
Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 07:00 pm Post Subject:
Revived a thread that was 2 years old. Wow. :roll:
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 05:17 am Post Subject: Fencing insurance claim paid
My insurance co. SF paid insurance claim for Privacy wood Fence that was damaged from tornado. Can i use the money for a chain link fence instead of wood fence?
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 03:37 pm Post Subject: svUAbPXByH
Wow, this is in every rpesect what I needed to know.
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 03:33 am Post Subject: Roof repair witrh insurance claim
Recently my roof was damaged by hail. My insurance company covered the loss and wrote made a check out to me and the holder of my mortgage, Wells Fargo. I took the check to Wells Fargo and they endorsed it and I deposited the check in my savings account. It's been 9 mos and the money is still there. Wells Fargo is bugging me about fixing the roof. What if do not fix it......what can Wells Fargo do? If anything.
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 05:35 am Post Subject:
what can Wells Fargo do? If anything.
Your loan contract will tell you what they can do. It could include suing you in civil court for breach of contract, or foreclosing on your property. Are either of those possibilities ones you had considered?
What's your reason for not fixing the damage as you should? You are jeopardizing your future loss protection.
Add your comment