Insurance Myth #3: The traveling roofers said this would be covered . . .

One of the more common calls I am getting these days is from the traveling roofing companies that set up in a neighborhood for a week and "door-knock" to let everyone know that they are doing work in that neighborhood and would be happy to do a free roof inspection for them. The next step is fairly predictable.  It goes something like this:

“Hello Mr. or Mrs. Homeowner. We have inspected your roof and (surprise, surprise) we have found that you have hail damage to your roof that could be causing or soon will cause leaks. We will be happy to fix this for you, and your insurance company will pay for it.”

OK. First, let me put out this truism: No one, other than the insurance company themselves, can say, for certain, that anything will be paid for by the insurance company. Not a policeman. Not a neighbor. Not a roof repairman.

Secondly, what the roof repairman did NOT disclose is that if your roof damage is not found to be associated with a specific incident that has been categorized as a loss from a catastrophe (or Cat-Loss in insurance jargon) such as a tornado, hail storm, hurricane, etc. then your claim will probably result in an increase in your home insurance premiums.  Because, unless said storm happened within the last week or two…how can you prove exactly what caused the damage and when?  The answer: You cannot.

There are many, many, many stories like this going on these days and it is impossible for me to cover every exception to this rule – there are plenty of legitimate roofing companies doing the right thing.  However, I do want you to be on the lookout that just because a roofer tells you that your insurance will pay for your new roof does not mean they will or that there will not be repercussions.  Do your due diligence, call your agent and speak with him/her before moving forward.

Feel free to call me 678-807-6090, email jason@thejfagency.com or visit my website www.thejfagency.com for more information.