We have all experienced it....a severe thunderstorm here in northern Indiana!  But what about when you experience damages to your roof? 

Did you know that Michiana residents are getting their roofs bought and paid for by their insurance company for hail and wind damages?? But the question is, how do you know if there's enough damage to file an insurance claim?

Secret #1: Know Your Policy!

It's critically important that before you entertain the thought of filing a claim that you get out your policy and look at the protocol for filing a claim, what your policy actually covers, if there's any special hail and wind clauses...and if you have an Actual Cash Value [ACV] or Replacement Cost Value [RCV] policy. 

Whether you have an ACV or RCV policy is absolutely critical to know because it ultimate determines how and what your insurance company will pay for your damages.  In essence, an ACV policy will ONLY give you the value of your roof AS IS leaving the homeowner with a smaller payout and more out of pocket.  Whereas a RCV policy will pay for your roof to be fully replaced with your deductible as the only out-of-pocket expense.

The special hail and wind clauses are often given to homeowners to reduce their monthly premiums, but when there is storm damage and those clauses exist, it could increase your deductible by several thousand dollars.  You can typically find out if those clauses exist on the first few pages of your policy in the declaration portion.

Secret #2: Know Your Insurance Company!

We have all seen those insurance commercials promising everything, but sometimes they fail to deliver on those promises!  WE HAVE SEEN IT HAPPEN!

The solution is to know the buying habits of your insurance company. 

However, that's easier said than done!  We have assisted 100s residents in Elkhart, Goshen, Granger, Middlebury, South Bend and Warsaw through the entire claims process succesfully...

...but through our experience we have seen entirely different experiences with the various companies and resulting in totally different outcomes.  It's important to have professional guidance through the claim process, which leads us to Secret #3...

Secret #3: Know Your Contractor!

This is probably the most important because not all contractors know how to accurately look for damage, help you file your claim and then properly work the claims process to get max property coverage.  This is critical because you could be losing thousands of dollars, that in turn, you would be responsible for. 

For instance, every insurance claim will have "cost-incurred" items which need to be properly documented and submitted to insurance for them to release the funds.  If you don't have a contractor who knows the protocol, and as mentioned above, the buying habits of each individual insurance company; you could be stuck with unforeseen expenses [from underpayment] in order to complete your roof.

You can see t's critically important that your local roofing contractor works regularly with insurance companies/adjusters to ensure that you're making the right decision so you're properly equipped to get your roof approved.

Conclusion...

Getting your roof approved by your insurance is a benefit of your policy, however, make sure you know what your policy actually says, you know your insurance company's buying habits and that your roofing contractor can help you successfully navigate the process. 

If you have any questions or want to set up an inspection...call or text us at 574-218-0642

If you would like to see if you qualify to have your roof replaced by your insurance simply tap here to get the process started!

P.S. [WARNING TO HOMEOWNERS!]

Filing a claim without professionals to assist you could result in a claim denial, extreme underpayment and a lot of frustration with understanding and properly filing ALL the paperwork!

We have had many homeowners call us to help salvage their claim because they were denied as they tried to do handle to process themselves. [HINT: DON'T DO THIS!]

There are several reasons for teaming up with us when you have storm damage such as wind and hail, but the main thing is the support we give every step of the way to ensure you have best chance of getting your roof approved to be fully replaced and all recoverable money is in your hand.