Get a “before” photo of your roof. It can help prove just precisely how bad the damage is. If you don’t have one, pull one off of Google Earth or look at your bank’s loan documents. [2] X Research source
Don’t get more than one quote. If you get multiple quotes, the insurance company will just use whatever the lowest quote was. Getting a quote isn’t required, but it may help speed up the process or incentivize your insurance company to pay for the roof.
If you work with a larger insurance company, you can probably do this online or via their app. Keep in mind, your monthly premium may go up if your claim is approved.
Smaller insurance companies tend to move a little faster than the bigger firms—especially if there’s a big natural disaster and the larger firm has to send all of their adjusters out at once.
If the insurance company doesn’t pay you the full amount necessary to cover the repair/replacement, you’ll need to go out of pocket for the rest of the bill. You can file an appeal with the insurance company if they deny your claim, but it’s going to be extremely time-consuming and, unfortunately, unlikely to work.
The reason for this is that roofing insurance doesn’t cover normal wear and tear. Since it’s impossible to know just what percentage of the damage can be chalked up to the age of the roof, the insurance company will just make a small adjustment.
A large tree on the street is hit by a car and falls onto your roof. There’s a blizzard and the weight of the snow adds enough weight to your roof that it collapses. Your neighbor flicks a cigarette into your gutter and your roof goes up in flames. A windstorm rips up a portion of your shingles.
A raccoon chews through a beam in your roof joists and your roof collapses as a result. You fail to clear the gutters out for over 2 years and water rots through the subroof as a result. An earthquake rattles your home’s foundation, which separates your roof from the walls. Your roof is older than 25 years of age and normal wear and tear has caused your roof to leak.
A new roof will cost anywhere from $5,500 to $22,000 depending on the size of your roof, the height, and the material. You typically have to make repairs within 6 months of the damage if you want to keep your current insurance policy. Don’t leave your roof open to the elements for too long. [11] X Research source
A temporary roof will give you enough time to weigh your options, wait for insurance to finally get their things in order, or get approved for a loan. Contact Operation Blue Roof if your roof is damaged as the result of a national disaster. Operation Blue Roof will temporarily fix your roof free of charge.
It’s better to take a small financial hit now and take out a loan than it is to let roof damage run out of control.
