Home roof hail damage

[bdc101]

This is the second time we've had somebody around wanting to look at the roof after a hailstorm. We had a bad one in 2021 and another one this past summer. Both times somebody came around and wanted to look at the roof for inspection and convinced me to get an insurance adjuster out to inspect.

In 2021 I didn't arrange for the roofer to be there when the adjuster came. The adjuster says, no damage.

This time, I let the guy convince me to have him be there with the adjuster during the inspection. Adjuster says, you get a new roof and we'll throw in some gutters too.

What's the catch here? My spidey senses feel a little off but also, I'm not the expert on roofing or hail. The insurance adjuster spent over an hour up there with the roofer and says it is damaged. In the 2021 storm we did lose half a maple tree. But there have been no leaks at least that I have seen (though we had an extremely mild winter with no snow or ice).

Is there anything unethical here that I am missing? Or are my spidey senses just going off because it was a dude going door to door? Seems too good to be true.

 

[JohnnyG]

Totally unethical, and common practice. Happens a lot, even here in Florida. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford homeowners insurance that is.
Anyway, Insurance companies here force you to get a new roof every 15 years, so who exactly is being unethical?

 

[Rand]

It can be a scam(on your insurance company)

My roof was hail and wind damaged and you could see it from the ground
missing cap shingles.. all the algae(and lots of granules) blasted off the shingles from the hail etc.

but after 6 months of back and forth(and alot of ghosting from the insurance company) the insurance said AI determined it wasnt hail..
and the offered payout of $500 was final. (after 1000 deduct)

I just paid $$$$ to replace it. It wasnt leaking but was in rough shape.

 

[Nukeman7]

Be sure to review the terms of your home insurance policy concerning storm damage to your roofing. Most policies now have a 2% deductible ...which is 2% of the total value of what your home is insured for, not 2% of the roofing replacement cost. Hence, if your home is insured for a value of $400,000, you will be responsible for an $8,000 out-of-pocket deductible.

 

[SShooterZ]

First off, don't sign anything. They will ask you to commit to them if your insurance agrees to pay. Then they farm out the work to the cheapest labor they can find. Yes, you'll get a new roof, no, it won't be great.

If you truly have damage though, get your insurance adjuster to approve it. It helps to have an NOAA storm report for your area for the date you think the damage was done. Then, see if the insurance company will recommend who they like in the area for roof replacement. Things typically go a lot more smoothly that way.

Be prepared, depending on who your insurer is, for them to try and claim either no damage and/or no storm the day you claim the damage was done. I even had someone from State Farm once yell at my wife claiming we went on the roof and dinged it with a ball-peen hammer. That was the end of being a State Farm customer for me. Apparently it happens though.

 

[slo town]

I would call your insurance company and verify that it was one of their claims adjusters that came out. And call a number listed on their website, not the number on the business card of the adjuster.

Scott

 

[EvoMan]

Totally unethical, and common practice. Happens a lot, even here in Florida. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford homeowners insurance that is.
Anyway, Insurance companies here force you to get a new roof every 15 years, so who exactly is being unethical?

15 years if it’s a shingle roof. It’s considerably longer for metal roofs.

 

[bdc101]

My insurer has already told me they will replace the roof and the gutters.

The roofer did not ask me to sign anything and I haven't committed to using him or even doing the job.

The storm was on Aug 3rd and we were not home at the time, because we were trapped in our car under a tree. We had 2 inches of hail and tree branches covering the car and my children were terrified because it was the loudest noise any of us had ever heard in our lives. So this storm was totally real.

My insurance deductible is $2,000 for home insurance claims (not a percentage of home value).

 

[robbobster]

If your insurance adjuster says there’s damage, then there’s very likely damage, enough for an insurance claim…insurance adjusters aren’t paid to replace undamaged roofs.

 

[SShooterZ]

My insurer has already told me they will replace the roof and the gutters.

The roofer did not ask me to sign anything and I haven't committed to using him or even doing the job.

The storm was on Aug 3rd and we were not home at the time, because we were trapped in our car under a tree. We had 2 inches of hail and tree branches covering the car and my children were terrified because it was the loudest noise any of us had ever heard in our lives. So this storm was totally real.

My insurance deductible is $2,000 for home insurance claims (not a percentage of home value).

Sounds like you're in good shape and covered all your bases.

More importantly, hopefully no one was hurt.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

I had mixed results from my corporate insurance adjusters. In one county I owned a house that was damaged. Adjuster had no issues with approval a full new roof.

Different county, different main office and my trusted roofer had to fight tooth and nail twice to get approval on repairs. Most everyone in this neighborhood got new roofs; I got repairs. On the other hand, I fully disclosed the age of the roof to my buyer, and he didn't care.

In between I talked to a lot of "carpet bagger" companies who wanted to replace the roof only. No repairs, which to me borders on probable scam. If you like the work done, keep the roofer as needed. The good ones deserve your business.

Things work out in really odd ways.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I’m going through this now as well. Insurance approved the claim for a roof and gutters. Now I just need it replaced to collect my replacement cost portion by late July.