After the storm.
As a property owner, you are responsible for reporting storm damage to your insurance carrier.
What happens before, during, and after that call can feel overwhelming to most people.
Understand your homeowner’s policy before you need it.
Most homeowners find out what their policy actually covers at the worst possible time.
These are the questions we ask about our own homeowners policies.
1 Know your coverage Replacement cost or actual cash value, roof age schedules, exclusions, limits, outbuildings, tree removal. ›
› Does my policy pay replacement cost or actual cash value on the roof?
The difference on a roof replacement can be thousands of dollars.
› Is there a roof payment schedule based on the age of my roof?
Some carriers reduce roof coverage as the roof ages, even on a replacement cost policy.
› What endorsements and exclusions are on my policy?
Cosmetic damage exclusions, which can easily turn the line between functional and cosmetic damage into a matter of personal opinion.
Matching or line-of-sight coverage, which determines whether undamaged material gets replaced so the house still matches. Imagine one piece of damaged siding being replaced with a different color than the rest of the house.
Ordinance or law coverage, which pays for code-required upgrades during the repair. Without it, those upgrades come out of your pocket, and they are often significant.
› What is my dwelling limit, and would it rebuild my house at today’s prices?
› What is covered on detached structures? A garage, barn, shed, or fence.
› Is tree and debris removal covered, and up to how much?
Ask whether it applies to a tree that came down without hitting anything.
2 Know your deductible Separate wind and hail deductibles, percentage deductibles, and what it means when a contractor does not collect yours. ›
› Do I have a separate wind and hail deductible?
It is often different from the deductible on the rest of the policy.
› Is any deductible a percentage rather than a flat amount?
A percentage deductible is calculated against your dwelling limit, so on a larger home it can be far more than people expect. Ask for the dollar figure, not the percentage.
› What happens if a contractor does not collect my deductible?
3 Know your duties and deadlines Who is responsible for reporting damage, and how long you have to report and to finish the work. ›
› Does my policy make me responsible for reporting potential damage from a covered peril?
Most policies put that duty on the owner. We have watched claims denied as old damage because an earlier storm was never reported, and the homeowner had no idea reporting was on them. Your policy defines your duty. Ask your agent to read you that section.
› How long after a storm do I have to report a loss?
› How long do I have to complete the work and recover withheld depreciation?
Both deadlines are in your policy, and both are usually shorter than people assume. Missing the second one can mean leaving the depreciation on the table after the repair is already done.
One thing you can do right now.
Photograph the outside of your house while it is in good condition. Roof, siding, gutters, windows, and outbuildings. Dated photos of an undamaged house make a later claim considerably easier. Keep them somewhere that is not inside the house, along with a copy of your policy.
Or have us do it. A pre-storm inspection puts dated photographs and a written condition report on file before anything happens. No obligation.
Book a pre-storm inspectionDamage Assessment
Before you call your carrier, have a contractor you trust look at the property and put the damage in writing. Whether that is us or not, go into the claim knowing what is actually wrong with your house.
Ask that contractor to be there for the carrier’s inspection too. A homeowner standing alone on the driveway while someone else decides what is wrong with their roof is the worst position to be in.
If the damage turns out to be minor or cosmetic, a good contractor will tell you that before you have opened a claim at all.
Loss Reporting
Report any loss to your insurance carrier, even one that seems insignificant. You do not have to know the full extent of the damage, and you do not have to have an estimate (or three) first.
Don’t forget to keep your own written records of the report, especially if you’re calling rather than reporting online.
Write down your claim number before you hang up.
Ask who is handling the claim, how they will communicate with you, and when you should expect to hear something.
Insurance Inspection
Most insurance carriers will send someone to inspect your property in person. That inspector might be your claims adjuster, an independent field adjuster, a contractor, or an inspector hired to take photographs and maybe measurements.
In our experience, the person you meet on your property is often not the decision maker for your claim, and is not always trained in what your policy actually says.
Any inspector can be perfectly good at the job they were hired to do. You just have no way of knowing what they were hired to do or what their guidelines or limitations are. This is one reason we recommend having your own report finished before that appointment.
Inspection Results
Results can vary greatly. You might receive an itemized estimate with a first payment. You could get a report that the damage falls under your deductible, or a denial.
Sometimes it arrives as an email or in the mail with no commonly understandable explanation attached.
If the person who inspected your property was not your claims adjuster, the adjuster should call you to walk through the findings, explain the determination, and tell you what happens next. If nobody calls, ask for that call, and then ask them to send what they’re telling you in writing. You are entitled to understand the decision on your own property.
This is really where your own damage report earns its keep. Two assessments on the same property, the same storm, side by side, is a conversation.
One assessment is a verdict.
Repairs
Materials get ordered, the crew gets scheduled, and the repair is made.
Be prepared for this to be a slow process.
Claims move at the carrier’s pace, not yours or your contractor’s. Some settle in a few weeks. Others run months and take several rounds of documentation before the scope matches the necessary repairs.
This is a normal process and not an indicator that anything has gone wrong. Keep in mind that your insurance policy and everything related to it is part of a legal contract. Documentation and careful consideration should be expected.
The first estimate and payment are rarely the final ones.
A supplement is a documented request back to the carrier for work the original estimate did not account for. It is a normal part of nearly every claim.
› Why it happens
An inspector cannot see what is under shingles that are still on the roof, or siding that is still attached to walls. Most repairs require more work and materials than anyone can see before the job is started. This is why so many estimates increase in price throughout the job.
A supplement to the insurance estimate should be documented and submitted to the adjuster, and that takes time and often persistence. This is the part of a claim that most affects whether a homeowner pays out of pocket, and it is the part most often not handled at all.
› What we most often see missing
› Ice and water barriers required by code
› Drip edge
› Starter course and hip and ridge
› Decking found un-nailable during tear-off
› A second layer discovered under the first
› Steep slope and two story access
› Flashing at chimneys, skylights, and walls
› Pipe boots, vents, and penetrations
› Material waste factors
› Permit fees
› Interior damage from slow leaks not apparent during the first inspection
› Damage missed by human error
What we do
› Inspect and document the damage with photographs
› Meet your adjuster on site
› Review the insurance scope against what the property needs
› Manage and build the repair
› Keep your photos, quotes, and job files in your customer portal
What we do not do
› Advise on your insurance policy.
That is between you and your agent.
› Negotiate on your behalf as a public adjuster
› Cover or discount your deductible
› The words you are about to hear
Deductible
The portion of the repair you pay, set by your policy. No contractor can absorb it or work around it. Anyone who offers to is telling you how they do business.
Scope of loss
The carrier’s itemized list of the repairs they will pay for, line by line, with prices.
Actual cash value
Replacement cost minus depreciation. On most policies this is the first check you receive.
Depreciation
Value the carrier withholds for age and wear. On a replacement cost policy it is recoverable once the work is finished.
Replacement cost value
The full cost to replace what was damaged. If your policy is replacement cost, the withheld amount is released after the work is done and invoiced.
Supplement
A request back to the carrier for something the original scope missed. Common, and not a sign anything has gone wrong.
If you are not sure you have damage
Wind and hail damage is often not visible from the ground. Have someone look first. If there is nothing there, we will tell you.
Book a damage inspectionAn insurance policy is a legal contract. Canopy Contracting is not an attorney, an insurance agent, or a public adjuster, and nothing on this page is legal advice or insurance advice. What is written here is general information drawn from our experience as contractors and as homeowners. Coverage, deductibles, endorsements, and deadlines vary by policy and by carrier. Your policy and your licensed agent are the authority on what you are covered for.