Here's What To Do If You Have Recent Storm Damage

Was your roof damaged in a recent storm? Not sure what to do next?

The most important advice I can give in this situation is not to panic. Unless you have a hole in your roof, most storm damage won’t lead to an immediate leak.

However, you’ll still need to determine if it’s covered, if there’s a viable claim, and if moving forward is worth it.

We will give some guides to help you navigate through the insurance claim process.

First, we’ll get into the 5 things you need to do if your roof has storm damage. After that, I’ll break down what happens after your claim is actually approved.

1. Make sure roof damage is covered in your insurance policy.

Most homeowners insurance policies cover roof damage caused by extreme weather or a storm event. For roofing, this includes damages caused by straight-line winds (aka damaging winds), hail, and fallen trees/limbs.

So, first, you need to learn what roof damage is covered under your policy. As long as there aren’t exclusions, most insurance policies will pay for roof damage caused by wind or hail.

However, you still need to ensure what is and isn’t covered before going any further.

2. Check if you have an ACV or RCV policy.

When checking for what’s covered, you also need to check the policy type to learn if you have Actual Cash Value (ACV) or Replacement Cost Value (RCV) coverage. Both policies provide a payout from the insurance company, but the amount is very different.

An Actual Cash Value policy only provides the depreciated value of your roof. This means you’ll only get a payout for what your roof is valued at the time of the claim to put towards the overall cost.

On the other hand, a Replacement Cost Value policy pays out what it costs to replace your entire roof with a brand new version of itself. However, getting the full cost of a new quality roof system covered is rare without putting in some work (more on this in a bit).

3. Consider your deductible.

No matter what a roofer says or what you hear, YOU must pay your deductible once your insurance claim is approved. So, you need to keep this in mind when filing a claim because you’ll end up paying it in the end.

Let’s see it in action for both an ACV and RCV policy for a roof replacement costing $15,000 and a $1,000 deductible.

Just remember that deductibles greatly vary, so you must also consider how a higher deductible affects the amount you’ll end up paying. However, this is up to every individual homeowner to decide based on their policy.

4. Reach out to your insurance company.

After checking your policy and deciding to move forward, I recommend contacting your insurance company to ensure you follow their exact steps. They’ll get all the relevant information, walk you through their process, and send out an adjuster or tell you to contact a roofer first.

Who comes first doesn’t matter because the adjuster and roofer will perform their own inspections. However, having a trusted roofer handy for the adjuster appointment is a good idea.

That way you have someone in your corner and to keep the adjuster honest during their inspection.

5. Get a storm damage roof inspection from a trusted roofer.

Now, all that’s left to do is to get a storm damage roof inspection. Even though this step comes after contacting insurance here, getting an inspection from a roofer to feel 100% confident about moving forward is common.

Most cases require an inspection from an adjuster, even if a roofer has already done theirs. Whoever is there first will perform a full roof inspection and mark roof areas with missing shingles, granule loss, hail marks, dents in metal, and any other damage with chalk.

After marking roof damage, they’ll take pictures of everything and determine if there’s a viable claim. Just keep in mind that most adjusters aren’t professional roofers, which is why you should have your roofer there.

What happens after your roof damage claim is approved?

After the inspections, it’s a waiting game to find out if your claim is approved or denied. If it’s denied, you’ll need to decide if you want to challenge the decision.

Once your claim is approved, the next steps depend on your policy. Let’s break down what happens for both types of policies.

What happens with an ACV policy?

With an ACV policy, you’ll receive a single check for the depreciated value of your roof once the claim is approved. You’ll get a quote from a roofer, use the actual cash value payout (minus your deductible), cover the price difference out-of-pocket, and get your roof replaced.

Remember, the payment is yours to use as you see fit after paying your deductible. However, neglecting the repairs could leave your home vulnerable, and future claims for the same area will be denied if you don’t address the damage.

What happens with an RCV policy?

When an RCV policy is approved, a different process begins. Here’s what happens after your roof damage claim with an RCV policy is approved.

Supplement anything missing from the insurance estimate

Once approved, your insurance company will provide an estimate for the scope of work to replace your roof. The initial estimate often won’t cover the full cost because certain line items and essential business needs (like overhead and profit) are left out.

You’ll need to supplement your claim by comparing the roofer’s estimate with the insurance estimate, making the necessary adjustments, and submitting it to your insurance company for approval. It’s rare to get approval without some back-and-forth, but eventually, an agreement is reached.

If you’re satisfied with the payout and don’t want to deal with supplementing, you can simply pay your deductible plus the difference in the estimates.

Get your roof replaced per the scope of work

Once the estimate is finalized, you’ll receive a check for the Actual Cash Value from the insurance company. This will cover the initial deposit, and the roofer will schedule your roof replacement.

Your roof will then be replaced according to the insurance claim’s scope of work. If anything is missing or you didn’t supplement, your roofer will follow their own estimate to ensure you get a quality roof that meets local codes.

Get the final check from the insurance company.

After your roof is replaced, you’ll need to get the final check to cover what’s left after the ACV check. Your roofer will take photo documentation and submit it to the insurance company to prove the work was done according to the claim.

Once the insurance company verifies that the work matches the scope, you’ll receive a second check (minus your deductible) with the recoverable depreciation to cover the remaining costs. If you’ve already paid the full amount out of pocket, you’ll keep the second check.

If not, you’ll need to sign over the recoverable depreciation check to cover what’s still owed to your roofer. Once that’s done, your roof replacement through insurance is complete.

How do you find a reputable roofer for a roof damage insurance claim?

Now that you know the steps to take if your roof has storm damage and what happens after your claim is approved, it’s important to find a trusted roofer to guide you through the process. Unfortunately, insurance work can bring out the worst in the roofing industry. Unfortunately we can't do anything about those kinds of roofing companies, but on the other hand we do our best to be the best. To provide the highest quality and standards while being transparent and honest in every thing we do.

We hope you consider Durbin Roofing for all of your storm damage needs!