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Saturday, October 20, 2012

What You Should Bear In Mind When Filing Roofing Insurance Claim

By Steve Bruns


Storms are a huge danger to homes and being a homeowner the first thing you must do is take out a roofing insurance. This will save you a lot of pain from dealing with a damaged roof or split shingles. However, before you can go out and claim for repairs, you must ensure that you particular plan actually offers storm damage protection.

Many folks make sure that their home coverage contains protection against roof damage but they miss out on the fine print and later realize that they are not covered for storm damage. Hence, it is essential to read through all the clauses related with ceiling damage and storms so as to take complete advantage.

When you have just been hit by a storm and you suspect something wrong with the roof, it is in your best interest to call upon the expertise of a ceiling inspector. This inspection for damage may reveal a huge crack or it may not reveal anything but it is necessary to file for claims.

A common misinformation prevalent among homeowners is that if they file a claim for their policy early on then they are subject to the risk of having it cancelled or nullified. Well, this is true but if you have conducted an inspection and find repairs necessary then it is best to claim for repairs early on and save money rather than waiting for everyone else to do the same and find the rates going up. At least, by claiming early on you are paying premiums for your own repairs and not for others.

Most insuring agencies are very keen on preventing any kind of frivolous expense or fraud. The problem is that policy holders are more interested in making money than saving thus insuring companies have clauses that prevent this. Read thoroughly enough and you shall find the conditions or terms that speak on this more.

All insuring companies tend to provide complete roof replacement coverage provided the damage is not a result of the neglect or improper handling of the owner. Any damage that happens because of storm, hail or wind usually is covered under your policy but be very careful when asking for a claim since not all instances are covered.

The next area where filing claims require some research is the material used in your ceiling. Wooden shakes are usually denied outright by insuring companies because they are expensive to repair and tend to be less durable than other materials. Likewise some companies do not cover tile, stone or slate roofs. Make sure that you read through their clauses and find out what materials are covered. New age green roofs usually are never covered because they are untested and unknown commodities.

The older a roof is the less likely that you can file for claim on your roofing insurance. This is because older roofs are more likely to get damaged in a storm or with time. Hence, when you purchase a new home make sure to take a look at the roof and check whether the materials used are all relatively new or if they have been double layered. Using two layers of shingles too makes your roof policy invalid since the lowest layer is treated as the actual age of the roof by insuring companies. Hence, the most cost effective method to file for roof claims is to first change out the roofing material and then take out a policy.




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