What type of roof damage is covered by insurance in Fayetteville?
If your home or neighbors home was recently damaged by a storm you may be wondering what damages are covered inside your current insurance policy. Each insurance company will have different amounts of coverage and various policies that they offer their customers. The majority of home insurance companies cover a variety of damages, for example your deductible for hail and wind damage may be different compared to a fire or medical expense. Since different insurance providers offer various types of roof damage coverage the fastest way to understand what damages are covered within your policy is to contact your agent. They will help go through your policies and different deductibles that are part of your plan. To help provide some more details and insight we will discuss the different potential coverages for common roofing damages.
Damage to the roof cause by wind or hail
Wind damage and hail damage are among some of the most common roofing damage claims that insurance companies receive. If you were to consider different ways a roof can get damaged there are only a few besides a wind or hail storm. Crazy accidents or circumstances such as a massive tree falls through the roof are quite rare and almost never happen. Hail storms can damage the roof and home very quickly if the pieces of ice become larger than a golf ball, some hail storms that produce baseball sized hail can fall from the sky at over 60 mph. It makes sense why hail damage claims are the most popular since the roof takes all the force of the storm to protect the inside of the property.
The majority of insurance companies will cover hail damage inside certain policies but the deductible may be a bit higher compared to if your home was struck by lightning since hail happens more often in comparison. With most insurances a roof damage policy is covered by the dwelling coverage portion of said policy. There may be exceptions and determining factors you will need to discuss with your insurance agent so be sure to give them a call.
Depending on the severity of roofing damages it may make more sense not to file a claim. This may seem odd to say but for example let's say that a medium sized hail storm came through town and left the roof with “dings and dents on the shingles”. The shingles still function properly and there are no leaks anywhere on the roof, in most cases the insurance company would classify that damage as cosmetic and not be willing to replace the roof since it still works ok. In this instance you wouldn't want to file a claim because your deductible may go up and offset the costs it would have been required to do the repairs yourself or hire a roofing contractor in Fayetteville like ourselves.
There are ways to mitigate or prevent future hail damage and wind damage claims. One of the easiest things you can do is install storm-proof and impact-resistant shingles. Impact resistant shingles are designed to be much stronger and can be resistant medium sized pieces of hail much better than common asphalt shingles. If you install these types of shingles on the home you will have a much lower chance that you have to file a roof damage claim due to hail and wind storms. Some insurance companies actually have incentives and endorsements which they will give you if you install safer and more durable shingles on the roof. Check into your policies and endorsements by calling your insurance agent or looking on their website.
Roof damage caused by fire, peril, snow and peril
Almost all insurance companies will accept your roof damage claim if something happens such as a tornado, fire caused by lightning or other extreme cases. In some cases even small damages such as a leak or broken corner can be reimbursed if you can prove it was not just from common aging of the roof and shingles. However It is also possible that during the insurance claim process the company finds that your roof was most likely damaged because of a lack of maintenance over the years. This may seem confusing but If the roof was not maintained and THEN damaged your claim may get denied and you would be required to pay the bill to replace the roof. It is also good to remember that some insurance companies will not include coverage for roofs that are over 25 years old (these roofs will be paid out based on their ACV which is the actual cash value).
Roof leaks
If your roof is leaking it can really put a damper on your day, especially if it is expected to rain for several days in the forecast. If your roof started leaking “out of the blue” then there is a good chance that your roof was damaged by something on the outside such as a tree branch, wind or hail. Insurance companies often cover the cost of roofing leaks but only if the leak was caused by peril which is an event that occurred rather than aging over time. If your roof is 35 years old, has not been taken care of and then starts to leak we doubt any insurance provider would cover the cost of a leaky roof since the roof is so old and most likely needed to be replaced anyway. If your leak has accumulated over several years then the roof repair will be placed on your shoulders for the costs and potential repairs.
Determining if your leaking roof will be covered can sometimes be difficult depending on the area in which you live. For example let us say that you live in an area which receives inches and inches of rain each year and your roof has been getting bogged down in flat sections with water build up each season for several years. One night in July a large storm blows through and dumps buckets of rain for several hours and your roof begins to leak on the inside of the ceiling. After the storm has passed you may be under the impression that the leak was caused by some sort of damage in the rain storm. However, during inspection with the insurance company they found that the leak was actually caused by lack of maintenance and the storm would not have damaged the home had the roof been maintained properly. Even though the big storm was the event that caused the leak your insurer may determine the leak was actually caused from gradual damage overtime and deny the roof replacement claim all together.
Damage to the roof cause by wind or hail
Wind damage and hail damage are among some of the most common roofing damage claims that insurance companies receive. If you were to consider different ways a roof can get damaged there are only a few besides a wind or hail storm. Crazy accidents or circumstances such as a massive tree falls through the roof are quite rare and almost never happen. Hail storms can damage the roof and home very quickly if the pieces of ice become larger than a golf ball, some hail storms that produce baseball sized hail can fall from the sky at over 60 mph. It makes sense why hail damage claims are the most popular since the roof takes all the force of the storm to protect the inside of the property.
The majority of insurance companies will cover hail damage inside certain policies but the deductible may be a bit higher compared to if your home was struck by lightning since hail happens more often in comparison. With most insurances a roof damage policy is covered by the dwelling coverage portion of said policy. There may be exceptions and determining factors you will need to discuss with your insurance agent so be sure to give them a call.
Depending on the severity of roofing damages it may make more sense not to file a claim. This may seem odd to say but for example let's say that a medium sized hail storm came through town and left the roof with “dings and dents on the shingles”. The shingles still function properly and there are no leaks anywhere on the roof, in most cases the insurance company would classify that damage as cosmetic and not be willing to replace the roof since it still works ok. In this instance you wouldn't want to file a claim because your deductible may go up and offset the costs it would have been required to do the repairs yourself or hire a roofing contractor in Fayetteville like ourselves.
There are ways to mitigate or prevent future hail damage and wind damage claims. One of the easiest things you can do is install storm-proof and impact-resistant shingles. Impact resistant shingles are designed to be much stronger and can be resistant medium sized pieces of hail much better than common asphalt shingles. If you install these types of shingles on the home you will have a much lower chance that you have to file a roof damage claim due to hail and wind storms. Some insurance companies actually have incentives and endorsements which they will give you if you install safer and more durable shingles on the roof. Check into your policies and endorsements by calling your insurance agent or looking on their website.
Roof damage caused by fire, peril, snow and peril
Almost all insurance companies will accept your roof damage claim if something happens such as a tornado, fire caused by lightning or other extreme cases. In some cases even small damages such as a leak or broken corner can be reimbursed if you can prove it was not just from common aging of the roof and shingles. However It is also possible that during the insurance claim process the company finds that your roof was most likely damaged because of a lack of maintenance over the years. This may seem confusing but If the roof was not maintained and THEN damaged your claim may get denied and you would be required to pay the bill to replace the roof. It is also good to remember that some insurance companies will not include coverage for roofs that are over 25 years old (these roofs will be paid out based on their ACV which is the actual cash value).
Roof leaks
If your roof is leaking it can really put a damper on your day, especially if it is expected to rain for several days in the forecast. If your roof started leaking “out of the blue” then there is a good chance that your roof was damaged by something on the outside such as a tree branch, wind or hail. Insurance companies often cover the cost of roofing leaks but only if the leak was caused by peril which is an event that occurred rather than aging over time. If your roof is 35 years old, has not been taken care of and then starts to leak we doubt any insurance provider would cover the cost of a leaky roof since the roof is so old and most likely needed to be replaced anyway. If your leak has accumulated over several years then the roof repair will be placed on your shoulders for the costs and potential repairs.
Determining if your leaking roof will be covered can sometimes be difficult depending on the area in which you live. For example let us say that you live in an area which receives inches and inches of rain each year and your roof has been getting bogged down in flat sections with water build up each season for several years. One night in July a large storm blows through and dumps buckets of rain for several hours and your roof begins to leak on the inside of the ceiling. After the storm has passed you may be under the impression that the leak was caused by some sort of damage in the rain storm. However, during inspection with the insurance company they found that the leak was actually caused by lack of maintenance and the storm would not have damaged the home had the roof been maintained properly. Even though the big storm was the event that caused the leak your insurer may determine the leak was actually caused from gradual damage overtime and deny the roof replacement claim all together.