The Big Question… Will My Insurance Company Cover My Roof?
Insuring your home or roof is important to protect you from certain situations. Sometimes damages happen due to reasons like a storm, fire, vandalism, or defective products. When any of such events occur, you do not want to be stuck with the cost of repairing or replacing your roof so suddenly.
Thankfully, homeowners insurance can cover roof damage but with regard to what caused the damage in the first place.
What kind of roof damage does my insurance cover?
First, it’s safe to say it covers a lot.
If your roof was damaged due to a storm, your insurance will cover it. Storm damages can be anything from wind and hail, to a tree falling over during a storm and damaging your roof, heavy snow, ice storms, hurricane force winds, and so on. These are all acts of nature, and they qualify a homeowner for partial or complete repair or replacement of the roof from the insurance company.
The important thing to note is that your insurance company mostly covers accidental and unexpected damages to your roof and not wear and tear that comes with aging of materials.
How about discontinued shingles?
Discontinued shingles are simply shingles that are no longer in production. The company stopped manufacturing them. Shingles can be discontinued for many reasons, not just because they noticed a defect. Noticing a defect in the product can be one of the reasons for a discontinued shingle but others include that better manufacturing processes were discovered or the product just wasn’t a hit in the market.
So what does this mean for homeowners who already used these shingles for their roofs? It indicates that finding the parts to repair your roof would be difficult, but here’s how damages go down with your insurer.
If a roof with discontinued shingles gets damaged in a storm, your insurance company will cover the repair and possibly replace the roof entirely as the parts are no longer available. Lab tests are available to confirm the availability of matching materials.
If your insurer is refusing to make the repair or replacement and making claims you are unsure about, you should consult with an expert and review the wordings of your policy.
Precautions to get the most out of your insurance
Get your roof inspected by a roofing contractor. Your insurance company will not cover damages that seem to occur due to negligence. Sometimes this might get mixed up with an actual damage and you get the short end of the stick. Carry out regular inspections on the roof with a contractor to know the condition of the roof always.
Fix minor problems. Minor issues like a weak spot or a broken shingle should be fixed before it’s too late. Your insurer can easily show up unannounced and finding such negligence can lead to canceling your policy.
Reach out to us here at MLM for more information, inspections, or installations.
