Roofing Services
Help With a Roof Insurance Claim
At a Glance
- You file the claim. Nobody can file it for you
- We document the damage and meet your adjuster on the roof
- Nobody should ever offer to cover your deductible
- A denial is not always the end of it
A storm claim is not complicated, but it has a shape, and knowing the shape removes most of the stress. Here is the whole thing, in order, with the parts people get wrong marked.
The Order It Happens In
- Something damages the roof, and that date becomes the date of loss
- Get an inspection, so you know whether there is a claim at all
- You call your carrier and open the claim. Only the policyholder can do this
- The carrier assigns an adjuster and sets a time to inspect
- We meet the adjuster on the roof and show what we found
- The carrier issues a scope of loss and a first payment
- The work is done and the final paperwork goes back for the rest
What the Words Mean
| Term | What It Actually Means |
|---|---|
| Date of loss | The day the storm hit, which starts your filing clock |
| Scope of loss | The carrier's list of what it agrees to pay for |
| ACV | Actual cash value, the price minus wear, paid first |
| RCV | Replacement cost value, the rest, paid after the work is done |
| Depreciation | The gap between those two, recoverable on most policies |
| Deductible | Your share. It is always yours and it is not negotiable |
| Supplement | A request to add something the first scope missed |
The detail that surprises people most is that the first check is smaller than the estimate on purpose. The rest arrives after the roof is on. That is normal and it is not a dispute.
The Deductible Rule, Said Plainly
If a contractor offers to waive, absorb, eat or rebate your deductible, walk away. It is insurance fraud in Iowa and in Illinois, it puts the homeowner in it as well as the contractor, and a company willing to do it is telling you exactly how it handles everything else.
If the Claim Is Denied
A denial often means the adjuster did not see what we saw, not that the damage is absent. Reinspections happen and they change outcomes.
We will send our photographs and our written findings and ask for another look. If the answer is still no, we will tell you it is no, and price the work as a normal job. We are not going to argue a claim that is not there.
Questions About Insurance Claim Help
Can you file the claim for me?
No, and neither can anybody else. Only the policyholder can open a claim. Any company that says it will file for you is describing something it cannot do.
Should I get an estimate before I call my insurance company?
Get an inspection first so you know whether there is real damage. Opening a claim that turns out to be nothing is not free of consequence.
Why is the first check so much less than the estimate?
It is the actual cash value, the price minus depreciation. The recoverable part comes after the work is complete and documented.
Do you charge to meet the adjuster?
No. It is part of the job and it is in everybody's interest that the adjuster sees what we saw.
Get It Looked At First
No sales call. A roofer looks at the roof and tells you what it needs.