Insurance Claim Process

Filing A Roof Damage Claim With Insurance

The insurance claim process for a damaged roof can be a complex and confusing process, but understanding the steps involved can help make the process smoother and more efficient. It is important to note that the insurance claim process for roof damage can vary depending on your insurance company and the specific details of your policy. If you have any questions or concerns about the claim process, it is best to contact your insurance company for guidance.

Roof Claim Process Overview

We’ve found that filing a roof damage claim can be broken down into 6 simple steps.

Step 1

Get An Inspection From A Licensed Contractor

Step 2

File The Claim With Your Carrier

Step 3

Meet The Carrier’s Adjuster At The Insurance Inspection

Step 4

Review Your Roof Estimate, First Check, And Claim Documentation

Step 5

Select Your Materials & Colors

Step 6

Get Your Roof Installed And Pay After Completion

Seems easy right? If you want to know more… read below about the details of each step or better yet, go ahead and set up a free Lake Murray Roofing roof inspection and roof damage claim consultation! It’s FREE!

Before You File An Roof Insurance Claim!

Don’t file a roof damage claim with your insurance carrier until you’ve had a thorough roof inspection and have consulted with a licensed roofing professional to ensure the amount of damage sustained to your roof would be eligible for repair or replacement. What appears to be roof damage from the ground level could often be age or wear that your policy may not cover.

During your initial inspection, ensure your contractor thoroughly documents all damage with photos and provides an inspection report. This will save time and reduce the likelihood of having multiple reviews to ensure your carrier extends coverage. When selecting a roofing contractor, ask how many insurance claims they typically work with annually to ensure they have experience handling a claim.

Lake Murray Roofing will thoroughly document your loss and take extensive pictures from the ground, in the air with a drone, and on your roof. You and your carrier will need these photos and a damage report to expedite the claims process. Once we complete our inspection, and if it’s determined that a claim should be filed, we’ll let you know to proceed to the next step in the roof damage claims process.

Filing A Roof Insurance Claim

After roof damage has been confirmed, the next step is to file your claim directly with your insurance carrier. You can do this either online, by calling your carrier’s general customer service number, or by contacting your agent. You’ll likely be asked a few essential questions that you should be prepared for:
What is damaged? When did you notice the damage? What date did the damage occur? (Your contractor will provide a date of loss) What is the dollar value of the damage? (Get an estimate from your contractor) Do you have any photos or other documentation of the damage?
After providing the relevant information to your carrier, they will schedule a field adjuster to come to your property to inspect the reported damages. We’ll discuss this inspection appointment in the next step.

Adjuster Meeting & Inspection

After your claim has been successfully filed, your carrier will schedule a time for their field adjuster to visit your property and inspect all damages reported in your claim. It would help if you had the qualified contractor of your choice on-site for this inspection. Some carriers will suggest a contractor for you or even tell you that you must use their approved contractor to repair the damages. While this sounds harmless, most states give homeowners legal rights to select contractors for insurance claim-based repairs.
While most insurance carriers have good intentions, sometimes due to an adjuster’s ignorance or ill will (due to illegal monetary kickbacks) will occasionally play a part. Due to the nature of an insurance claim, it’s always the best choice to hire your own contractor after doing research and due diligence on reputable companies in your area. One of the best things you can do is read online reviews of the contractor you’re thinking of hiring.

Review The Repair Estimate

Most carriers these days use one of two software programs to write insurance roof repair estimates. Whether it is a Xactimate roof estimate or a Core Logic estimate, sit down with your contractor and review this estimate in detail. The estimate will detail items, labor, and materials needed to restore your roof to its pre-loss condition. You should also receive the ACV (Actual Cash Value) portion of your claim total by check with this estimate. Read more about ACV and RCV on our Understanding Your Insurance Estimate page.
Missing or Incorrect Items Many times, there are missing or incorrect items from the carrier’s original estimate that need to be added. Your contractor should be able to quickly identify what is missing and get those items sent to your carrier for additional payment. (Usually local code-related items, incorrect shingle types or missed damage during the inspection)
Supplements Supplements are items that were either left off the original estimate or additional damages found during installation that could not be identified without tearing off the existing roof. If these items are found after review, your contractor should write a supplement using the carrier’s preferred software, and submit it to your insurance carrier for additional payment.

Select Your Materials

Once your insurance carrier and contractor have agreed upon the scope of work, it’s time for the fun part. It is selecting your new roof materials and colors.
Upgrades: Work directly with your contractor on the materials and colors best suited for your home. Many homeowners use this time to upgrade their previous roof to a better-quality material, such as a multi-layer premium asphalt shingle, a standing seam metal roof, or even something in the luxury designer range, such as slate or cedar shake. Some want to upgrade their gutters or venting systems to increase energy efficiency. No matter what you choose, just remember you can install any new materials you want, and your contractor will be able to give you a quote for the upgrade, which will be an additional out-of-pocket expense on top of your insurance deductible.
Contract Signing: Once all the materials and colors are selected, everything should be put into a contract. If your contractor just asks you to sign the estimate without any firm commitments and deliverables or offers other things that sound too good to be true, be cautious. A contract is in place to protect both you and the contractor from loss, and identifies all terms including the new roof’s warranty.

Roof Replacement

Tentative Scheduling: Once a contract is signed, your contractor should provide a tentative date of installation. Depending on the month of the year, a Lake Murray Roofing installation typically runs about 1-3 weeks from the date of the contract depending on where you’re located. Keep in mind, this initial date is tentative. The schedule can change pending weather and many variables go into timelines. Your contractor should keep you up to date on any changes to the tentative schedule. Installation Confirmation: For Lake Murray Roofing, our process is to notify our customers three days before their scheduled date, they’ll get a confirmation call with their roof material order, color, and planned installation date. Once started, installation can take anywhere from 1 to 5 days depending on the size of the home. Most homes under 40 Squares of roof material (4,000 Sq. Ft.) can be completed in one day. Job Completion & Notification To Carrier After the job is fully complete, your contractor should notify the insurance carrier and provide a “Certificate of Completion” and a final invoice. Once they receive this paperwork, any recoverable depreciation or code upgrades held from the original payment will be released to the homeowner typically within 7-10 business days. Final Payment Collection The last thing to do is pay the final outstanding balance, which is usually the recoverable depreciation (Difference of RCV minus ACV) plus any additional supplements, insurance paid code upgrades, or homeowner paid upgrades. Lake Murray Roofing collects this payment after it is received by the homeowner.