“My neighbors got a whole new roof!” Heard that! In fact, we hear that quite often and we have to admit, it’s a very frustrating situation to be in, especially if you are not familiar with storm damage and the claims process. And that’s ok, that’s what we are here for!
While it is natural to look over the fence, we just want to throw out there that the grass isn’t necessarily greener over there. What we mean by that is, without all the facts, we cannot know for sure why their roof is being replaced while yours is getting denied.
Let’s take a look at possible reasons why your claim was denied:
1. Oh Hail Naw
There was legitimately no storm damage to your roof.
HOLD UP! Before you go getting angry, hear us out: every storm has an edge. Like a famous country singer once said, every hail storm runs out of ice…or something like that. In other words, it is within the realm of possibility that the hail didn’t extend to your roof. That isn’t such a bad thing, is it?
Do you have any large trees nearby? Tree coverage may have provided a shield, protecting your roof from said frozen falling participation.
The directionality of the storm. Perhaps you were only offered a partial roof replacement. This is actually quite common due to the directionality of storms. Many times, insurance companies estimate for a singular slope because the wind drove the stones in an angular trajectory which may have only impacted your rear slope. Would it be nice to get a full replacement so your slopes match? Absolutely, but let’s remember, insurance technically only owes for what is actually damaged.
Remember: indemnity-a contractual obligation to compensate for damages or losses experienced.
2. Age Before Beauty: Age and Condition
Age really isn’t just a number, it is a big factor in determining things like depreciation, life expectancy, and repair v. replace of a roof. The newer the roof, the more resistant it is to damage. This doesn’t mean a newer roof won’t get damaged, but in comparison to an older roof, it is less likely.
As roofs age, they undergo wear and tear from exposure to the elements. For example, heat and prolonged sun exposure leads to a phenomenon known as blistering. Blistering occurs when moisture, air, or gas gets captured in the shingle, resulting in a bubble in the shingle. When that bubble pops, the granules loosen and release from the shingle. Not only does this compromise the integrity of your roof, but it can often appear to look like hail to the untrained eye. Unfortunately, blistering is typically not covered by insurance companies as it falls under the category of wear and tear.
“Wait! If heat causes damage to a roof, shouldn’t insurance pay for it??” Ehhh…well, here’s the thing (there’s always a thing) it is isn’t solely heat directly from sunlight. Yes, the sun bearing down is a factor, however sunlight is typically not considered sudden or accidental and the heat radiating from your attic plays a major role.
“Wait! If heat from weather causes excessive heat in attics, that causes blistering to shingles, shouldn’t insurance pay for it??” Ehhh…well, here’s the other thing (there’s always another thing) excessive attic heat is typically the result of poor attic ventilation. Unfortunately, poor attic ventilation is also not typically considered sudden or accidental.
So, all of that to say that an older roof, with greater prolonged exposure to heat, is more likely to get bought be it a lack of repairability due to granular loss or misidentification of damage, as blisters and hail impacts look very similar to the untrained eye.
3. Shingle Type
How often do you really notice roofs? Chances are, until you are dealing with your own, you probably don’t scope out the other roofs in your neighborhood. Roofs come in all shapes and sizes but also, in many different shingle types, rated for various events.
The most common we see is going to be the 3 tab roof and the laminate roof. The 3 tab roof has a projected life expectancy of 20-25 years, whereas the laminate roof boasts a little bit longer longevity (anywhere from 30 to 50 years).
If you have a higher-grade shingle on your roof, that decreases the odds of having damages. For example, there are shingle types known as impact resistant shingles. Impact resistant shingles have a supporting polymer-based mesh on to the back of the standard asphalt shingle. The purpose of mesh in the asphalt shingle is to assist in holding the asphalt shingle together so that it does not split when whacked by hail or wind driven debris.
4. Overlapping Damage
Have you had a claim on your roof before that you maybe didn’t repair? We’re not judging you, sometimes it is hard to find a contractor willing to do spot repairs (clears throat, we know someone who will) or sometimes the cost of the repair doesn’t meet the deductible. We get it. But insurance companies are not a fan.
You see, what happens when the insurance company writes an estimate for damage, no matter how minor, that damage technically becomes their property. So those 5 or 6 creased shingles belong to them, they bought them once, they aren’t going to buy them twice. Have you ever looked at your receipt and noticed you were charged twice for an item? It’s essentially the same thing for them.
“But a few shingles here and there doesn’t change the fact there is more damage to my roof!” Again…ehhhh. Though you are technically correct, let’s put this into perspective:
Let’s say your roof is 30 SQ and littered with hail hits, but last year you submitted an insurance claim for wind damage. Last year’s insurance claim resulted in the insurance company estimating for 2 SQ due to the confined area in which your wind damage was located, however, the amount in which the insurance estimate totaled did not meet your deductible so you did not proceed with repairing the storm damage. If the roof repairs were never completed, your insurance company is only obligated to pay for 28 SQ, regardless if your overlapping or previous damage didn’t exceed your deductible.
5. Roof Manipulation and Manufactured Roof Damage
Unfortunately, roof manipulation is an ugly truth in the roofing business that roofers have been known to carry out. Let us just start by saying we do not condone roof manipulation. But we do know that roof manipulation does happen by over eager roof salesmen.
Most insurance adjusters have been trained to identify roof manipulation, however there are cases where it sneaks by them. Manufactured roof damage can present itself in a variety of ways, from roofers bending shingles to create what appears to be creased shingles or rubbing out blisters with their thumb to give the appearance of hailstone impacts.
Whether the roofer is attempting to “help the homeowner” or simply trying to line his or her own pocket with a roof sale, manufacturing roof damage to secure a sale of a roof is not only unethical, it is illegal.
6. Incompetent Roof Inspection
Sometimes you just get a bad initial roof inspection; maybe the roof was wet at the time of the inspection or maybe the insurance adjuster was not very experienced. Maybe your insurance adjuster confused hail damage for roof blistering, maybe your neighbor’s insurance adjuster confused roof blistering for hail damage. There are a variety of reasons a roof inspection can be botched. Fortunately, it’s rather simple to request an additional roof inspection to confirm findings and give you peace of mind.
Let Hammer Down help
For your peace of mind, give us a call and we will re-inspect your roof for any missed or overlooked storm damage, free of charge. We absolutely do not condone the manufacturing of storm damage, so rest assured if there was not storm damage before we got there, there will be no “storm damage” when we leave.
Unfortunately, we cannot hop on your neighbor’s roof, without their permission, to compare notes but trust us that we will work in your best interest and know that sometimes there is a perfectly good reason why your neighbor is getting a full roof and you are not.
