- Hi, I'm Bill Ragan with Bill Ragan Roofing Company,
and thanks for watching The Roofing Channel today.
Roof claims are supposed to be simple.
You have storm damage to your roof, and you get a check
from your insurance company to replace it.
Well, for some insurance companies it can be easy,
for others it can be a real battle
trying to get your storm damage roof claim approved.
When this happens and you know that you have a valid claim,
there are several important things to keep in mind
to get your roof claim approved.
In this video, we're gonna be going over five different ways
to win that battle with your insurance company.
So let's get into it.
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Document and take many photos.
When you have storm damage,
you can never take too many photos.
I have a customer right now that sent me 30 photos
of the damage to their home that was crucial
in helping us win that insurance claim battle.
When you're taking photos, highlight the damages.
Either point to the damage in the photo,
or you can use sidewalk chalk like us roofers do
to circle the damage or even point to the damage,
whether it's on, say a downspout,
or maybe even a ding in a garage door.
Now, if you're looking for damages on a metal roof,
then what we do is take a piece of chalk,
turn it sideways, and rub it over the surface.
And any dings in that metal roof
is not gonna have chalk on it, and they're very easy to see.
We strongly suggest hiring a professional
to get up on your roof
to take any photos or inspect for damages.
I know some of you are do it yourselfers and are go-getters.
So remember, if you're gonna get up on your own roof,
make sure and take all kind of safety precautions.
We want you to come back and watch more videos.
Get a contractor that fights for you.
A good roofing contractor can take
a world of stress off of you
during the insurance claim process.
They'll take care of documenting all the damages,
dealing with your adjuster.
And all you have to do is sit back
and watch the circus.
Perseverance, when an adjuster comes out
and denies your roof claim,
well, that's not the end of the process.
Some insurance companies just deny your claim
until you give up.
Other insurance companies will approve the claim
for a portion of what the true cost is gonna be
to replace your roof.
And that's when we come in and supplement the claim.
The insurance company is hoping that you're gonna give up.
So hang in there.
This process could take anywhere from a month, three months,
even six months sometimes to get your insurance company
to approve the claim like it's supposed to be written.
Bring in outside help.
Usually there's only you, the homeowner,
your adjuster, and your roofer,
but sometimes it's necessary to bring in a fourth party.
One of those might be a public adjuster
who is someone that does the adjusting work
but does not work for any particular insurance company,
an engineer who would come out
and write an engineer's report on your roof,
an arbitrator who helped settle the claim
between you and your insurance company.
And in the worst case scenario,
you might even need to hire an attorney.
Educate yourself, insurance companies like to use
your lack of knowledge against you.
Just by watching these videos alone,
you're gaining more knowledge
of how the insurance process works.
Most homeowners live in their home for 20 or 30 years
and never have an insurance claim.
So make sure and educate yourself
before you go into this insurance claim process.
If you'd like to educate yourself more
about finding storm damage, then click on our link below,
or just hang around after this video
and watch our next video coming up
on how to spot roof damage.
I'm Bill Ragan with The Roofing Channel.
Remember, like and subscribe
so other homeowners like you can get educated
on how to take care of the insurance claim process.
Thanks for watching, and we'll see you on the next one.
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