Homeowners insurance claim question

You need to call Garcia ASAP

It is common for insurance companies to use engineers as field experts.

If it is confirmed by their own guy to be hail damage, how the hell can they deny a claim? That should be one of the primary things you are insured for.

Ask for the specific paperwork from each visit and a specific reason for the denial.
Check the exact wording of your coverage.

My experience in dealing with insurance companies is that you have to go to war with them to get what they owe you. The worst scum on the planet. You have to be willing to put in the time and energy thoug.

Yes, insurance companies stack the deck all the time with these structural engineers who show up in Cole Hahn shoes just to deny you. I would get with a qualified roofing company and give them full authority to talk directly to the desk adjuster. The roofing company can even hire a public adjuster if it gets to that point. Also keep all communique (emails, texts, etc) you have with the first field adjuster to date.

This is a layup for a qualified roofing company like Coleman, Ryson et al.

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It is common for insurance companies to use engineers as field experts.

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I wouldn't say common, but I know of a few roof claims where engineers were sent out to inspect.

To OP, what did they state was the reason for the denial? Did the engineer say that it was old hail damage which would've predated your current policy and/or been beyond the length of time you have to report damages for a claim (typically a year)? Or that the leak was a result of a roof that leaked due to excessive wear due to normal deterioration from age, as opposed to leaking due to damage caused from a particular wind or hail event (ie. not replacing a roof that needed to be changed due to typical property maintenance/upkeep)?

They’re supposed to send me the engineers report. I asked for the adjusters report but they denied it.

Seems like more insurance companies aren’t paying to replace roofs so easily these days. Even USAA is like that. They try to find some kind of damage and write a check.

It was probably an independent adjuster who did not have authority to speak for the carrier. However, by doing so anyway the adjuster may have created estoppel for his client and ultimately an errors and omissions claim against himself.

When the carrier's examiner viewed the photos he may have questioned whether there was hail damage or just ordinary wear. That may actually be the case, but the adjuster should have just remained non- commital if he had no authority to accept the claim on their behalf.

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Seems like more insurance companies aren’t paying to replace roofs so easily these days. Even USAA is like that.

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My USAA adjuster told me I didn’t have any hail damage last April. USAA claims office called me a couple weeks later and literally told me this : “Mr. Gumbo, your adjuster said there was no hail damage but I clearly see hail damage in the photos he submitted (I made him take photos of each spot I suspected). I’m sending a new adjuster to you because I disagree with the first report”.

Second adjuster came out and one week later I had a $22,000 check in the mail for a new roof. Sometimes you just have to have an insurance company who is not a piece of shite. USAA is not a piece of shite. It also helps if you are an insurance agent yourself, like me, who knows what to look for and what to point out.

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Maybe, I’m basing that on my personal experiences.

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Doubt they canceled you just for making a claim. Probably elected to no longer write policies in your area.