Have you or someone you know recently had damage to their roof? Maybe you are in a debate about whether homeowners insurance will fix it? Well, there are some cases where homeowners insurance will fix a roof. However, there are times when they will not. Let’s go over what they cover.
What caused the roof damage will determine on the insurance companies pay out. Almost all natural disasters are covered by insurance. That can mean a number of things. You never know what may cause damage to your roof, but you can bet that insurance is required even if they won’t cover it.
Let’s take a look at the common reasons that damage has occurred to a roof that insurance will indeed cover.
Basically, “Acts of God”. These are considered things that you cannot control. You had no way of stopping the damage from happening. This is what homeowners insurance will cover. However, they may be able to get out of doing that under certain circumstances.
There are a couple of reasons that may exempt the homeowners insurance from paying when it comes from the causes listed above. As you know, those things should be covered, but not if you wait around.
If you do not put in an insurance claim with your homeowners insurance as soon as you know that there has been damage to your roof, then they may not pay to have it repaired. The reason for this is that more damage can occur. If it does, then how is the company supposed to know what they should cover?
Basically, if you have $300 in damage and report it right away the insurance company can then have it fixed. If you wait around, more damage can happen such as mold and deterioration. This can result in over $1000 in damage. If it had been reported on a timely basis it would not have received that much damage. The insurance company does not know how much it would have cost.
Greenes Roofing Contractors (http://greenesroofing.com/), a West Hartford roofing contractor, notes that in addition to the insurance hassles, delays in addressing roof damage can result in serious issues in your house.
So, aside from natural disasters and such, what about a leak? Let’s face it, leaks can happen at any time. It is important to know if the homeowners’ insurance can fix a leaking roof or not. Like everything else, there are times when they will and times when they won’t.
A lot of times the damage that comes from a leaking pipe will be covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy. However, just like anything else it has to be reported on time. Now, just because they will fix the damage caused by the leaking pipe does not mean that they will fix the pipe itself. You will need to make the claim and have the pipe fixed.
You can find more information on insurance coverage related to roof leafs at Realtor.com.
It is raining and your roof starts to leak. How many people has that happened to? A lot! Well, homeowners insurance may or may not cover this. A few things will be taken into consideration. The insurance company will want to know when the leak started and if you need a new roof.
If your shingles are more than 10 years old, the insurance company may not cover it. Sometimes there is a warranty on your roof. It is good to find out if there is and if it will pay for a new roof or at least for some repairs to the leak.
There is one thing that is certainly excluded from coverage when it comes to roof damage. That is wear and tear. The insurance company will not cover this. Things break down over time and they do not find themselves liable to for the damages that may happen due to natural wear and tear.
Note: You will not be able to find homeowners insurance that covers wear and tear. That would be a terrible business move and would possibly shut down the insurance company. You can find more information on wear and tear as it relates to your homeowner’s insurance at Consumer’s Advocate. This can help you better understand what the term “wear and tear” actually consists of.
There is a lot to take in when dealing with a homeowners insurance company. There are so many rules and words in the contract that can be hard to understand. Always try to take your time before agreeing to anything in a document Never sign something you do not understand or feel safe with.
You can visit this YouTube video for more information. Thanks for reading!
