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Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Roof Leak Repairs?

does homeowners insurance cover roof leak repairs

How do you know when your insurance will cover your roof repair? In this blog post, we’ll go through when they usually do cover roof repairs, as well as when they don’t.

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Roof Leak Repairs?

Typically, home insurance covers roof leaks if they are the result of a covered hazard like a storm with strong winds or hail. Leaks that develop slowly and as a consequence of neglect are not typically covered by house insurance.

When Is A Roof Repair Covered By Insurance?

Typically, when you read through your insurance policy, you will see the word “peril” in reference to roof leaks or other roof repairs. A peril simply describes a situation wherein damage to your home was caused by a weather-related event. This can be anything from a hailstorm to a fire to a hurricane. When your home is damaged by a covered peril, your insurance company must cover the costs of the repair.

For instance, one of the most common issues that people have with their roofs is the loss of shingles. Usually, a storm will come through and cause mild damage to some of the shingles. The storm also caused water damage to your home as a result of the shingles being blown away, so all of the damage would be covered under your policy.

If you have a roof leak that is not the result of normal wear and tear, your insurance company may cover the cost of repairs. To be eligible for coverage, you will need to file a claim with your insurer as soon as possible. In most cases, your insurer will send an adjuster to inspect the damage and determine if it is covered under your policy.

When Is Roof Repair Not Covered By Insurance?

Instances, where the roof damage is caused by natural wear and tear, are very different from a sudden accident. Most roofs are going to develop leaks as they get older because of the deterioration of the materials. Because of this, many insurance companies do not cover these types of repairs.

These are not only repairs that may be denied by your insurance company, however. Most insurance companies make a distinction between damages that are caused by accidents and damages that are caused by neglect.

If your roof is damaged but it is because of a lack of care or maintenance, there is a very good chance that your claim is going to be denied. Other instances that fall under this umbrella are damages caused by mold, pests, birds, wet rot, or construction errors. 

In order to avoid this, it is important to regularly inspect your roof and make repairs as needed. Doing so will help to extend the lifespan of your roof and prevent costly leaks.

Getting Your Roof Repair Covered

Reading through your policy is the most efficient way of determining if your claim will be covered. For certain homeowners, their insurance policies specifically omit roof leaks from the policy. This may happen if you have a policy that is suited for high-risk homes or older homes. Your insurance company can purposely refuse to cover those roof leaks because they know your home is more prone to them.

Here are some additional things that you can do to help your case:

Take Photos

The best way to ensure that your claims are taken care of is to take as many pictures of the damage as you can. You’ll want to take pictures from the outside of your home as well as the attic space so that you get every possible damage that the leak may have caused. If there was water damage to any of the property inside your home, you’ll want to include those photos as well. If your home had any flooding, take pictures as soon as you can to capture the flooding when it was actually present. If you cannot, take pictures of the damages that the flooding caused.

Other documents that you will want to provide are a survey of your home. This will help the adjuster see how big each space is so they can accurately estimate the cost of repairing that space.

Get an Estimate WIth a Reputable Roofer

A reputable roofer should be able to help you with getting your claim filed with your insurance company if it’s possible. They will also be able to provide you with an estimate of how much the repairs will cost. It’s important that you get this in writing so that you have it on hand when the insurance adjuster comes to take a look at the damage.

Your roofer will also be able to help you negotiate with your insurance company if need be. They will have a good idea of what the repairs should cost and can help you get the coverage that you deserve.

Important to Remember

Small repairs may seem like something you can put off for a while, but they can quickly spiral out of control. Even if the repair is small enough that you do not have to go through your insurance, you do not want to put off getting everything fixed until another day. Otherwise, what was once a tiny repair could turn into serious damage to your home. Those situations are much more complicated to deal with than a simple repair.

Let Us Help

As a top Orlando and Tampa roof repair company, Janney Roofing takes leaks seriously. We know that a roof leak can cause damage when left untouched which is why we encourage our customers to report their roof damage as quickly as possible, so we can get out to their homes and fix the damage.

Janney Roofing has years of experience and a determination for the professionalism that keeps our customers satisfied. That is why we are the most trusted roof repair company in Florida.

Retail Roof, Insurance roof repair, roof repair
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