Think your roof was damaged after the recent storms hit our area of Franklin, TN? Are you wondering what exactly you should do about it?
It can get confusing if you’ve never been through the insurance process. This is especially true if you don’t already have a trusted roofing company to guide you.
However, you can get ahead of any confusion or frustration by simply knowing what to do and what to expect. That’s exactly what you’ll learn here.
For over 30 years, Bill Ragan Roofing has helped homeowners in Franklin, TN, with their insurance claims and guided them through the process. Whether you become a customer or not, I want you to have the information you need before starting the process.
By the end of this article, you’ll learn:
- 6 things to do when a storm damages your roof in Franklin, TN
- What happens after your roof damage claim is approved?
1. Don’t panic if someone knocks on your door
Anytime there’s a storm in the Middle Tennessee area, you can count on door knockers canvassing neighborhoods, especially from out-of-state companies. If you get a knock on your door, it’s important not to panic.
Depending on your insurance policy, you usually have 1 year to file a claim. This gives you time to research and find a local Franklin roofing company to guide you through the process.
Now, you shouldn’t wait that long to start the process. But if a company knocks on your door, you should take the information, ask if they’re local, and don’t sign anything or let them on your roof without permission.
2. Make sure roof damage is covered in your insurance policy
Once you think your roof has storm damage, the first thing you need to do is make sure it’s even covered under your policy. Most homeowners insurance policies cover roof damage caused by extreme weather or a storm event.
For roofing, this includes damages caused by straight-line winds (aka damaging winds), hail, and fallen trees/limbs. As long as there aren’t exclusions, most insurance policies will pay for roof damage caused by wind or hail.
However, you still need to ensure what is and isn’t covered before pursuing a claim.
3. Check if you have an ACV or RCV policy
While checking your coverage, you also need to check the policy type to learn if you have Actual Cash Value (ACV) or Replacement Cost Value (RCV) coverage. This is crucial because the policy you have determines your payout from the insurance company to put towards your new roof.
An Actual Cash Value policy only provides the depreciated value of your roof. So, you’ll only get a payout for your roof’s current value at the time of the claim.
On the other hand, a Replacement Cost Value policy pays out what it costs to replace your entire roof with a brand new version of itself. Getting a new quality roof system fully paid for is rare without putting in some work (more on this in a bit), but an RCV payout will always cover a large portion of the cost.
4. Consider your deductible
No matter what anyone says or what you hear, you must pay your deductible once your insurance claim is approved. Deductibles greatly vary, so you need to consider this before filing a claim because you’ll end up paying it in the end.
Let’s see it in action for both an ACV and RCV policy for a roof replacement costing $15,000 and a $1,000 deductible.
If you have a higher deductible, you definitely need to keep this in mind. However, this is up to every individual homeowner to decide based on their policy and deductible.
5. Reach out to your insurance company
After checking your policy and deciding to move forward, I recommend contacting your insurance company to ensure you follow their exact steps. They’ll get all the relevant information, walk you through their process, and send out an adjuster or tell you to contact a roofer first.
It doesn’t matter who comes first because the adjuster and the roofing company you choose will perform their own inspections. However, having your roofer handy for the adjuster appointment is a good idea.
That way, you have someone in your corner and to keep the adjuster honest during their inspection.
6. Get a storm damage roof inspection from a local Franklin roofing company
Now, all that’s left to do is to get a storm damage roof inspection from a local Franklin roofing company. Even though this is the last step, getting an inspection from a roofer to feel 100% confident about moving forward is common.
Most cases require an inspection from an adjuster, even if a roofer has already done theirs. Whoever is there first will perform a full roof inspection and mark roof areas with missing shingles, granule loss, hail marks, dents in metal, and any other damage with chalk.
After marking roof damage, they’ll take pictures of everything and determine if there’s a viable claim. Just keep in mind that most adjusters aren’t professional roofers, which is why keeping your roofing company informed when insurance is coming for their inspection is important.
What happens after your roof damage claim is approved?
After the inspections, you’ll learn if your claim is approved or denied. If you get a denial, you need to decide if you want to pursue options available to challenge it.
However, the process after approval depends on the policy. Let’s look at the process after approval for both policies.
What happens when your claim is approved with an ACV policy?
An ACV policy only provides one check for the depreciated value of your roof once the claim is approved. You’ll get a quote from a roofer, use the actual cash value payout (minus your deductible), make up the price difference out-of-pocket, and get your roof replaced.
Keep in mind that the payment is yours to use as you wish after paying your deductible. However, this could leave your home vulnerable, and future claims can be denied if you don’t take care of the issue the first time.
What happens when your claim is approved with an RCV policy?
Once an RCV policy is approved, another process begins. Below is a breakdown of what happens once your roof damage claim with an RCV policy is approved.
Supplement anything missing from the insurance estimate
Once approved, your insurance company provides an estimate for the scope of work to replace your roof. The initial estimate usually won’t cover the full cost because certain line items and important things businesses need to be covered (mainly overhead and profit) are left off.
If you’re happy with the payout, just pay your deductible and cover the rest out of pocket. But if you want to get more covered, you’ll need to supplement your claim.
To do this, you’ll take the roofer’s estimate, compare the line items to the insurance estimate, make the appropriate changes, and submit it to your insurance company for approval. Getting approval without hassle is possible, but there’s usually some back-and-forth before coming to an agreement where everyone is satisfied.
Get your roof replaced per the scope of work
Once the estimate is finalized, you’ll get a check for the Actual Cash Value from the insurance company to cover the initial deposit. After that, your roof will be replaced per the insurance claim’s scope of work.
If anything is missing or you didn’t supplement, your roofer will also work off their own estimate to ensure you get a quality roof up to local codes.
Get the final check from the insurance company
After your roof is replaced, your roofer will take photo documentation and submit it to the insurance company to prove it was done per the claim. As long as it matches the scope of work, you’ll get a second check (minus your deductible) with the recoverable depreciation to put towards what’s left.
If you didn’t pay the full amount upfront, you must sign over the second check with the recoverable depreciation to cover what’s still owed to your roofer. Once that’s done, your roof replacement through insurance is complete.
Ready for a storm damage inspection from a roofing company in Franklin, TN?
After reading this article, you know the 6 things you need to do if your roof has storm damage and what happens after getting approved. Every insurance company does things differently, but most of the information here is pretty standard.
Just know the insurance process is long and tedious, so you need a trusted local Franklin roofing company with insurance claim experience. So, if you want a free storm damage inspection, don’t hesitate to reach out.
For over 30 years, the team at Bill Ragan Roofing has provided top-quality residential roofing services to homeowners in Franklin, Brentwood, and surrounding Middle TN areas. On top of our insurance claim expertise, we offer roof replacements, skylight replacements, and roof repairs (repairs on hold for new customers due to labor shortage).
We take extreme pride in our work and back it up with a lifetime workmanship warranty on our new roofs. That’s why I’ve always said, “When you work with us, you’ll never have to worry about your roof again.”
Get a Free Quote here or call our office at (615) 242-0333 today to schedule your free storm damage roof inspection today.
