Started By
Message

Home Owner Insurance: Roof Claim

Posted on 5/1/21 at 11:21 pm
Posted by The People
LSU Alumni
Member since Aug 2008
4207 posts
Posted on 5/1/21 at 11:21 pm
How difficult is it to get my home owners insurance to pay for a new shingle roof?

Moved into an older home a year or so back that has tan colored shingles that I hate. Roof is around 10 years old according to neighbors.

We received some spurts of hail several times during those strong April showers in the Baton Rouge area.

None of the shingles or roof appear obviously damaged, but I am no expert. There are a few low spots that look as if moisture may have warped the wood underneath in 2-3 areas from what I can see from the ground.

How does this process work? Due I have to pay for the insurance adjuster to come out if he ultimately says the roof is fine? How often are roofs replaced in south Louisiana?

Moved from my first house before the last roof needed replacing.

Any input or experience in this is appreciated.
This post was edited on 5/2/21 at 12:15 am
Posted by fatboydave
Fat boy land
Member since Aug 2004
17979 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 12:04 am to
They won't cover it.
Posted by Hopeful Doc
Member since Sep 2010
14931 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 12:32 am to
quote:

How difficult is it to get my home owners insurance to pay for a new shingle roof?


Probably fairly difficult if
quote:

None of the shingles or roof appear obviously damaged.
quote:

There are a few low spots that look as if moisture may have warped the wood underneath in 2-3 areas from what I can see from the ground.


If the moisture isn’t in the attic, I doubt they are going to do much to remedy this.
quote:

How does this process work? Due I have to pay for the insurance adjuster to come out if he ultimately says the roof is fine?
probably not, but when you call your company to ask for an adjuster to come out, this is a great question to ask.
quote:

How often are roofs replaced in south Louisiana?


I have a 23 year old roof that I am replacing after several shingles were ripped off during recent storms and a lot of my ridge caps were flapping in the wind during the storm. The roof is in fairly good shape and doesn’t leak currently, but I called and explained that this happened, there was not a huge rush as many others were in far worse shape than me. I had someone there within a week or two. He took pictures, made a report, called back a few days later to tell me it was approved and $X was the estimate.

I called a local roofing company. I got a quote, I got them my insurance estimate. They are about 10% off. Roof company agreement is that I’ll pay the deductible, and they’ll do it for the insurance reimbursement and do the fighting/haggling on that end.




Most architectural shingles seem to be given a 20-30 year estimated lifespan. Hurricanes and hail can dramatically lower that. 3-tab shingles I usually see estimated to be around 15 on the long end for the gulf coast. I got a quote on interlocking metal shingles for my replacement. For the low price of 3.3x architectural or about $12/sqft, you can have a 50-year manufacturer guaranteed roof.
Posted by AmosMosesAndTwins
Lake Charles
Member since Apr 2010
17886 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 12:50 am to
If there’s any chance you have hail damage, and hail is much more destructive to roofs than you realize, have a roofer you trust walk it and that will determine whether you file a claim. Never let an adjuster be your first advice - they’re there to mitigate losses to their employer above anything.

quote:

There are a few low spots that look as if moisture may have warped the wood underneath in 2-3 areas from what I can see from the ground.


Sounds like hail damage.

And, again, make sure they WALK the roof. None of those drone shite.
This post was edited on 5/2/21 at 12:51 am
Posted by Hamma1122
Member since Sep 2016
19784 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 6:19 am to
Not happening
Posted by WigSplitta22
The Bottom
Member since Apr 2014
1433 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 7:16 am to
Don’t call an insurance adjuster lol. Most roofing companies will come out for free to walk the roof. They want money so if they can make a claim they will. A hail storm is a goldmine for roofing companies.
Posted by LSUfan20005
Member since Sep 2012
8806 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 7:58 am to
Insurance won’t cover hail damage if you don’t have a valid hail date (likely in the last year) while you also owned the house.

OP - You need to wait for the next hail storm.
Posted by BigDropper
Member since Jul 2009
7600 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 8:41 am to
We had shingles blow off our roof a few years back & our HO insurance company (Statefarm) said that if they come out to inspect, they are required to start a claim. (I live in Georgia) Not favorable considering a claim here guarantees an increase of our premium.

So we had a roofer come out instead & he recommended a roof replacement due to the damage & the fact that the shingles were installed incorrectly on the original roof.

So we call & SF sends out their guy who nickel & dimes the whole thing & they end up patching up three areas of the roof instead of replacing the whole thing. The job didn't even meet the deductible so we paid out of pocket.

Neighbor two doors down has similar damage but USAA insurance. Bastard got a brand new roof. A really nice new roof.

So to answer your question, it depends... Your best course of action is to call your instance company first & find out the details beforehand.
Posted by couv1217
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Sep 2007
3320 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 8:43 am to
The people....email me
Matt@elitecontractorsofla.com
Posted by deanwelles
EBR Parish Prison
Member since Mar 2008
177 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 9:01 am to
I'm not ThePeople but can I email? I have a similar situation
Posted by baldona
Florida
Member since Feb 2016
20368 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 9:09 am to
First off you still pay your deductible, 2ndly do they not depreciate it? If it’s a 10 year old roof with 15 year shingles they aren’t likely to just pay for the whole thing especially if it’s not 100% necessary.

Lastly, of course a Roofer is likely going to want the work and side with replacing it...of course roofers say another roofer didn’t install correctly...I’ve had a roofer literally go down the street trying to get work from hail and we haven’t had hail in forever. So this is not abnormal for an insurance adjuster to deal with.
Posted by wickowick
Head of Island
Member since Dec 2006
45786 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 9:17 am to
I get hail maps emailed to me for every event in Louisiana with hail over 1", there have not been any hail events in the Baton Rouge area with hail over 1" this year. The hail that has fallen has been smaller. A 10-year-old roof will need at least 1" (quarter size) to cause shingle damage to that roof.
Posted by Stexas
SWLA
Member since May 2013
5992 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 9:20 am to
My personal experience says they won’t pay unless there is significant visible damage. I didn’t have missing shingles but the entire south and east sides were lifted and warped from Laura and Delta and they didn’t want to pay for anything but leak damage. Maybe your experience will be different. Good luck!
Posted by BMoney
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2005
16251 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 9:31 am to
quote:

Statefarm


Found your problem.

How do you expect them to replace your damaged roof when they have to pay Mahomes and Rodgers to be in all those commercials?
Posted by WPBTiger
Parts Unknown
Member since Nov 2011
30821 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 9:49 am to
My insurance company paid for a new roof do to hail damage.

quote:

Most roofing companies will come out for free to walk the roof. They want money so if they can make a claim they will.


This, my neighbor owns a roofing company. He walked the roof and even marked the hail damage. He said there was enough to file a claim. If I am remembering correctly, they look at a 10' x 10' area and it has to have so many strikes. Adjuster just basically looked at what he had marked. Most roofing contractors usually know the adjuster that comes out. My roof guy also came back when the adjuster came out.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO CALL INSURANCE COMPANY AND HAVE THEM FIND DAMAGE ONLY FOR IT NOT TO BE ENOUGH TO GET NEW ROOF.
This post was edited on 5/2/21 at 9:54 am
Posted by ItzMe1972
Member since Dec 2013
9751 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 11:13 am to
Just be honest. Tell them you hate tan and did not notice the color when you bought.

Then let them know you will change insurance providers if don’t cover this type of condition. Be firm.
Posted by AmosMosesAndTwins
Lake Charles
Member since Apr 2010
17886 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 1:02 pm to
quote:

If I am remembering correctly, they look at a 10' x 10' area and it has to have so many strikes.


Yeah, something like this. Want to say my adjuster got to 50 pretty quickly and called for total replace. To the poster’s point on qualifying hail event, you’re likely correct. My adjuster explained he was fairly sure the hail damage was significantly older than Laura, but the wind damage made that all moot in my case. I was in dire need of roof and A/C replacement and was able to work those into Laura claim, including interior/exterior units and all ductwork and registers.

OP, any out of pocket job you do is going to cost you an arm and a leg with the price of shingles what it is, due to hurricanes and hail events recently. Ton of people here just got new roofs per hail damage like a year before hurricanes. In my case, my new roof was completed after Laura and a week before Delta, 50% needing replacement again.
Posted by Hopeful Doc
Member since Sep 2010
14931 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 6:41 pm to
quote:

Just be honest. Tell them you hate tan and did not notice the color when you bought.

Then let them know you will change insurance providers if don’t cover this type of condition. Be firm.



If this doesn’t work, latex paint isn’t that expensive.
Posted by Tiger Prawn
Member since Dec 2016
21835 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 7:22 pm to
You’ll need an approximate date for a hail claim because the insurance company will check weather service records for the area to confirm there was hail in the area so they know you aren’t trying to claim old, pre-existing damage that pre-dates your policy with that company.

Get a roofer to come check it for you to see if you have hail damage
Posted by Icansee4miles
Trolling the Tickfaw
Member since Jan 2007
29145 posts
Posted on 5/2/21 at 10:30 pm to
I’m almost the only one in my neighborhood that hasn’t had a roof replaced by insurance due to hail, including my neighbors across the street and next door. Not sure who they have m, but I have State Farm, and their answer is always no. And several local roofers have told me they are the absolute worst to deal with. I’m seriously considering switching based on these experiences, I’ve paid those bastards the price of several replacement roofs in premiums over the years.
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 2Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitterInstagram