The Homeowner s Guide To Roofing

Transcription

1 1304 W. Euless Blvd., Suite 200 Euless, TX Office: Fax: The Homeowner s Guide To Roofing Presented To You By Restoration Roofing Consultants & Construction 1304 W. Euless Blvd.,Suite 200, Euless, Texas OFFICE: (817) , FAX: (817)

2 DEFINITIONS Insurance claim Adjuster Estimate Deductible Depreciation ACV-Actual Cost Value RCV-Replacement Cost Value Homeowner notifies their insurance company about potential hail damage The insurance company representative who examines and determines the damage of the roof. A written assessment determined by insurance company or roofer to replace The portion of the policy that homeowner is responsible to pay The decrease in the roofs value from the original construction cost. Each year the roof decreases in value simply because of age and wear. The portion of money after the deductible and depreciation is subtracted Generally this is the first check issued by insurance company. The total amount to be paid by insurance company upon completion of the job. It is the total calculation of the actual cost value plus the Recoverable Depreciation. Did You Know That? Even before a hail storm, 20% of all roofs in the DFW area are in need of replacement. A hail storm is a great opportunity to have your roof replaced compliments of your insurance company! A new roof will increase the value of your house tremendously. By installing class IV Impact-resistant shingles you can even reduce your insurance premium 27%-32%. That can save you hundreds of dollars per year! Leaks usually do not appear after a hail storm. Water finds its way through the damaged shingles to reach the fractured decking. The water then absorbs into the structure of the roof like a sponge and deteriorates the integrity of the roof. This process sometimes takes months or even years for the homeowner to discover, and by then it is too late! Most insurance companies require that a claim must be made within the first 6 to 12 months of the initial damage. An untrained and inexperienced eye easily overlooks hail damage. Even though the shingles may look undamaged from a distance (from your yard for example), a closer observation reveals deep pit holes. The damage to a roof is not limited to the surface of the shingles; the backing (mating) under the shingles is also affected. The impact of hailstones cracks the matting and many times the decking, which can lead to major leaks and damage to the property. Insurance company s fly in adjusters from outside Texas, from places like Florida and California, who do not always have extensive experience with hail damage. A local DFW insurance negotiating specialist such as RESTORATION ROOFING & CONSTRUCTION should be there with the adjuster during the appointment to prevent a low damage estimate. The adjuster should also be informed of any hail damage to other areas of the property. Many time adjusters are paid per claim resulting in a rushed assessment which undervalues your roof. Not only does your company prevent this from happening, but we also help with determining the extent of the damage and with verifying the accuracy of the adjuster s assessment. Collecting free estimates from roofing contractors benefits the insurance company, not you! A contractor s estimate that is lower than the insurance adjuster s estimate will decrease the amount of depreciation paid to you. For more details see item #6, The improper way to work with the deductible. DO NOT USE a roofer from outside the local area. Many storm troopers will show up hoping to take advantage of the situation and unsuspecting homeowners. However, most contractor s from other cities will not return to correct problems should they develop. Some of these companies have even changed their name to avoid their warranty responsibilities. It is always better to hire an established local contractor with a great reputation than someone from outside the area.

3 Specific Advice In Relation To Your Insurance Company State Farm Damage must have occurred during the coverage period of insured. Immediately releases depreciation based on signed contract between you and your roofing contractor. Damage is determined per square and based on surface area of the roof. All State Claims should be made and work completed within 12 months after date of occurrence otherwise the actual cash value of the roof is applied. Damage is not estimated based on surface area only, but based on all roofing materials (vents, ridges, gutters, etc.) Farmers Claims should be made within 6 months after date of occurrence otherwise the actual cash value of the roof is applied. Work should be completed within 12 months of occurrence. Generally does not use independent adjusters. Texas Select, Nationwide, USAA Texas, Chubb, Liberty, Foremost, National, Safeco, Hartford, Amica, Republic, ASI, American National: Often independent adjusters used, lots of different damage estimation mechanisms, Claims should be made within 3 to 12 months after occurrence. Example Estimation of the damage $10,000 Deductible -$1,000 Insurance payment $9,000 Depreciation -$3,000 First Payment $6,000 Explanation of Example After you file a hail damage insurance claim, an adjuster will come to your house to inspect for damage. If the damage is confirmed, he will measure the dimensions of your roof and present an estimate of damages. In this example, the estimated damage is $10,000. The total insurance payment equals the estimated damage ($10,000) minus the deductible ($1000). The insurance payment for this example, then, would be $9,000. This amount is paid in two steps. The depreciation of your roof is held back by the insurance company until the installation of your new roof has been completed. The insurance company pays $6,000 for the first payment. Only after a new roof has been constructed is the remaining $3,000 paid. The Improper Way to Work With The Deductible Many people believe they can cover the cost of their deductible by hiring a less expensive roofing company; however this benefits the insurance company, not the homeowner! For example: your total claim is $10,000 and your deductible is $1000. You might hire a contractor for $9000 instead of $10000 trying to side step your deductible. Your insurance company has already issued you a check for $6000 (ACV). After the roof job is completed you forward your roofer s invoice of $9000 to the insurance company in order to receive your remaining $3000 (RCV) depreciation. However, the insurance company will reply that the damage estimation of $10000 was an estimate. Since you were able to replace your roof for $9000, their estimate was apparently too high. They are only responsible for the actual cost minus your deductible. Based on your roofers invoice, the insurance company will lower the insurance claim to $9000. Your deductible will still be $1000 which means you will only receive $8000 total. Since they would have already sent you $6000 in the first payment, your held-back depreciation will be reduced to $2000 instead of the original $3000.

4 The Proper Way to Work With Deductibles Insurance premiums are collectively based on deductibles being paid by policy holders. Rebates and kick backs are not legal. However, there are instances where roofing companies pay a reasonable amount for advertising with a sign in your yard or paying you bonuses for customers who are referred by you. These fees are not related to your deductible and cannot be excessive. This is the correct way to save! How to Get The Claim You Deserve Hail does not just damage the roof of your house; it can also damage the roof of your garage, barn, shed, dog house, well house, etc. It can also damage other assets on your property besides shingles, like siding, windows, screens, AC units, tools, etc. Some homeowners ACV on these items to upgrade the shingle on their roofs or to off set the cost of their deductible. BIG TIP: Let us check your fence for hail damage! Old Insurance Model verses New Insurance Model In the past, insurance companies would work with so called estimates to determine the damage. In this case, you changed. It is not the roofing construction company that determines the damage; only the insurance can estimate the damage. Therefore, finding a cheap contractor only serves to reduce your held back depreciation money and leave you with a lower quality roof. The key is to get the highest quality roof by the highest quality contractor for the amount allocated by the insurance company. What to Do After a Hailstorm 1. Hail storm 2. Call insurance negotiating specialist. 3. Insurance negotiating specialist inspects the roof and surrounds of the house and advises you whether or not to make a claim. 4. Make a claim with your insurance company 5. Get your claim number and make an appointment with the adjuster 6. Call insurance negotiating specialist and fill them in with date and time of adjusters appointment. 7. Adjuster and specialist inspect the roof together. 8. Insurance company pays the damage minus the deductible and depreciation 9. Roofing company constructs new roof. 10. Roofing company sends invoice to insurance company. 11. Insurance company pays the remaining. Held back depreciation based on paid construction invoice. How Can We Offer Insurance Negotiating Services For Free? As stated, we do not charge our customers for inspections, nor for meeting the adjuster representing your insurance company. Many ask how can we afford to provide this service at no charge? Simply because we trust you will grant us the exclusive right to perform your roofing work based on the insurance adjuster s report. We will never charge more than what the insurance adjuster pays. Addendum We hope that this guide has increased your level of knowledge and understanding of the roofing process and about your own roof. Please let us know if you have any further questions or if you believe we failed to cover something in this guide. Remember, we are here to serve you!

5 Information 1a. Name: 1b. Address: 1c. City + State+Zip: 2a. Home phone: 2b. Work phone: 2c. Cell phone: 3. Name of Insurance Company: 4a. Did you already make a claim? YES / NO 4b. If no, call us first for a free inspection, then go to #7. 4c. If yes, what is your claim number: 5a. Did an adjuster already visit your house? YES / NO 5b. If no, call us first for a free inspection, then go to #6. 5c. If yes, call us a after-adjuster inspection, then go to #7. 6a. Do you have an appointment with an adjuster? YES / NO 6b. If no, make an appointment with an adjuster, let us know the date and time, then go to #7. 6c. If yes, when is the meeting with the adjuster? 7. How old is your roof? Reading this guide may only take you 10 minutes But it will educate you and save you the headaches of all the insurance complexities related to your hail damaged roof!