After a major storm does significant damage to your home, you might be asking, “Will homeowners insurance cover a new roof?” The answer depends on your policy and the previous state your home. Hopewell Roofing will show you how to establish motivation for an insurance company to replace your roof, but your homeowner’s insurance stipulations will be necessary to seal the deal.
When Will Homeowners Insurance Cover a New Roof?
After major damage, it helps to give your insurance agent a call. Ask for the steps needed to file a claim and what help is available. Ask about exclusions. This prevents you from installing a new roof only to find none of the work falls under insurance coverage.
If you work with a discount insurance provider and don’t have an agent of your own, make sure you get a copy of your policy so you can see your coverage for yourself. They might not want to tell you about additional services, like mold remediation or Additional Living Expenses (ALE).
Specifically, ask what you need to do to have your roof replaced. Then collect that evidence and submit it with your claim. For instance, to completely replace a roof, some companies require estimates from three different roofing companies. All three must stipulate a replacement is necessary, versus a repair.
If it is clear you’ve maintained your roof, you did not cause the damage and your roof was not in need of replacement before the damage occurred, there’s a good chance your policy will cover the replacement. Just make sure you check in advance regarding exclusions.
When Homeowners Insurance Refuses to Pay
Old roofing isn’t covered under most policies because it is already so near to replacement at the owner’s expense. Age restrictions vary by policy, but anything 20 years or older is likely a wash. This relates to the first layer of roofing in place. According to the online magazine Money, most roofs can have two layers of shingles. More than that and your insurance company might have the loophole they need to reject your claim.
Why? Because it shows a lack of basic maintenance on the part of the homeowner. Records indicating regular inspections and repair work, photo evidence or even posts on social media regarding clearing out leaves, and evidence of trimming trees might be necessary to justify a total roof replacement. Even then, depending on your type of roof cover, you might be out of luck. For instance, it’s common for slate roofing to require a rider due to the inflated costs.
Next time you find yourself asking about the roof requirements for homeowners insurance be sure to call Hopewell Roofing. We provide accurate estimates and top-quality repair and replacement work for residences throughout the Cumming, Georgia, area.
