Ease some of the hassles with 8 tips on what to do for hail damage roof repair and insurance claims.
April showers bring May flowers. In Oklahoma though, those spring “showers” are often wind-wrapped, deluge-dumping thunderstorms pummeling May blossoms — and roofs — to bits. While flowers may grow back, roofs never do. Hail-damaged roofs require repair, which means roofing contractors, insurance claims and … well … just plain hassle.
To ease the potential hassle follow these tips on do’s and don’ts and what you should expect should you need hail damage roof repair.
Don’t assume you need hail damage roof repair just because your neighbor’s roof suffered damage.
Newer roofs are more pliable and flexible and don’t tend to take hail damage quite as easily as older roofs which become more brittle over time. So while two houses may be right next door to each other, the one with the older roof is going to get hail damage much more easily than the one with the newer roof. But if you are concerned that you might need hail damage roof repair, get it checked.
Don’t file hail damage insurance claims before getting your roof inspected.
Have your roof inspected by a licensed roofing contractor first. File a claim only if and when the inspection reveals damage. Making a claim against your homeowners insurance and having the adjuster just comes out, even if you don’t have damage, can end up harming your homeowners’ coverage.
Only call an Oklahoma-licensed roofing contractor to inspect your roof.
Beginning in 2014, the state of Oklahoma began requiring roofing companies operating in Oklahoma to register with the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board for a license. Among other things, licensing means the contractor carries liability and workers compensation insurance. This protects you in case of home damage during the roofing process or, say, a member of the roofing crew falls off your house. If the contractor doesn’t have that insurance, technically they can claim that against your homeowner’s insurance.
Additionally, licensing ensures that contractor is not a fly-by-night, out-of-state roofing operation with unenforceable warranties. To verify a roofing contractor’s license, look for their license number on their marketing material and their vehicles and look them up on the state licensing website at http://cib.ok.gov.
Make sure the roofing company is experienced.
In the same vein as checking their Oklahoma license, you want to ensure your contractor has been around a while and has a good reputation. Look at their reviews on Google and check them out on with the BBB. Don’t be afraid to go to your grandmother’s house and look in her oldest phonebook to find the roofing contractors name. If they check out, give them a call. Any quality roofing contractor will give you a free inspection, take pictures of any damage, share them with you and let you know if you have enough damage to call an adjuster.
Plan on your contractor climbing on your roof to complete your roof inspection.
Expect anyone doing hail damage roof inspections to spend anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes searching for damage, depending on the size of your house. If someone comes to your door and says, “Oh, I spotted from the road that you have hail damage,” don’t take their word for it. It’s incredibly hard to see hail damage from ground level. They’ve got to get up there, do the legwork and do an inspection. When they do an inspection, ask them to take some pictures of that damage and show you when they come down. Remember not everyone in the neighborhood will need hail damage roof repair.
Ask your roofing company if they will work with your insurance company.
A good company will cooperate with your insurance provider to make the repair process as seamless as possible for you. If your contractor examines your roof and determines you should call your insurance, they should be willing and happy to meet the adjuster on the roof and show him the damage.
Don’t pay until the work is done.
Your contractor should know exactly what’s happening concerning insurance coverage and what’s going to be paid. There is no reason to pay anything for your roof repair up front. Any roofing contractor worth their integrity is not going to need that money to preorder your materials. They are either going to have that material in stock or orderable. They will only have you pay once you’re satisfied with the job.
Expect your roofing contractor’s work to be quality and clean.
You are hiring someone to fix your roof, not to destroy your surrounding property. The lawn, the flowerbeds and driveway should be as clean as they were before the roofers showed up. Don’t be afraid to ask your roofing crew to lay down tarps over flowerbeds or around the roof perimeter. Tarps catch all the debris then after the job, have them go around with nail magnets. This should catch what tarps missed. Cleanup is very important, not only for the aesthetics, but more for safety. You don’t want your children stepping on a rusty nail and going to the emergency room. Before your roofing company calls your job complete and you hand them the check, make sure the job is done. If it’s not, call them back to make it right.
Replacing a roof is never fun. Hopefully these tips will ease the process and save you a lot of aggravation and hassle. For as they say, forewarned is for forearmed. Have you recently had storm damage? Are you looking for hail damage roof inspection before placing an insurance claim? Give us a call, 405-741-6252 or schedule a free estimate online.
