Proper and timely maintenance can make your roof last longer relative to your environment. However, severe weather conditions can cause serious damage even to the toughest of roofing systems. A particularly strong storm with rough winds is a good example of a weather event that is known to damage homes.
This is exactly why you pay for insurance, to make sure that in the event of serious damage, you don’t have to pay out of pocket for a roof repair or replacement. But how should you navigate the insurance claims process? Here are some tips:
Read and Understand Your Insurance
Most homeowners are guilty of only reading some parts of their insurance policy and only when they already need to file a claim. Read and understand the terms and limits of your insurance, as well as your roofing warranties, before you even need them. If there’s bad weather ahead, review your insurance and warranties.
Learn How Warranties Affect Insurance
Your roof warranty covers your roofing materials if they fail, and your workmanship warranty covers installation mistakes. In most cases, the workmanship warranty is shorter. Learn everything you need to know about your warranties and how they play into your insurance costs.
Document Your Roof Issues
Take photographs of your damaged roof as soon as it’s safe to do so. Save the digital copies and print some for your insurance company. You may also give them all your pictures and videos saved on a thumb drive. Keep the receipts of any work done on your roof, from the installation to the maintenance. You might have to prove that you’ve been taking care of your roof.
Be Ready to Face the Insurance Adjuster
Review everything before signing it. Your adjuster is likely to give you a low initial offer. Bear in mind that they are expecting you to reject the offer. Haggle wisely until you arrive at an amount that you believe is fair.
Work With a Trustworthy Contractor
Find a residential roofing contractor in your area that you feel comfortable with. Ask people you know who have worked with the same contractor about their experience. Homeowners are likely to be honest with their reviews of somebody’s work when others ask them.
Get in touch with Universal Roofing & Exteriors for your roofing needs. Call us today at (317) 257-0779 or contact us here. We work with homeowners in Carmel and Zionsville, Indiana.
