How to Get Insurance to Pay for a Roof Replacement

Did you know that Florida’s home insurance rates are four times the national average? Those are some high prices, and naturally, people want to get their money’s worth. This has led a lot of people to wonder how to get insurance to pay for a roof replacement.

This is a tricky issue, since underhanded roofing claims played a large role in creating Florida’s homeowners insurance crisis. But just because bad actors abused the system doesn’t mean that you can’t get insurance to pay for your roof replacement in Florida. We’re Classic Roofing & Construction, and we’ve seen countless customers successfully get insurance to pay for their roof replacements. Today, we’re going to give you the lay of the land and explain how you can get your insurance company to cover your roof replacement.

Why Is It So Hard to Get Insurance to Pay for a Roof Replacement?

It’s absolutely doable to get your insurance company to pay for a roof replacement, but the process can be a little long. This has a lot to do with the fact that, in the last few years, homeowners insurance companies have lost hundreds of millions of dollars on fraudulent roof replacement claims. As a result, a lot of companies have left the state entirely, and the ones that remain are wary of roof replacement scams that have plagued the state.

The Homeowners Insurance Crisis

So how did the situation get here? Part of the problem is just Florida’s weather patterns—hurricanes are just a fact of life. Naturally, this leads to more roof damage and more insurance claims being processed. But this wouldn’t have become a full-blown crisis if not for storm chasers taking advantage of our local communities.

The way that these companies operate is by giving a sky-high quote for a roof replacement and then getting their clients to sign a paper giving them the right to bill the insurance company directly. For the customer, this seems like a great deal—these roofers take care of the problem, and you don’t even have to wait on the phone with an insurance adjuster!

The issue, however, is that these roofing companies would submit claims for much more than the new roof was worth. And when the claim was denied, they would sue the insurance company, which often ended in them settling out of court for an amount of money even larger than the inflated roof replacement claim.

As you can imagine, this process was deeply harmful to insurers, but it also put homeowners in a poor position. After all, these storm chasers were only after the insurance payout, and their actual roofing experience was minimal, so many people got saddled with low-quality, poorly-installed roofs.

Now, homeowners insurance companies are wary of roof replacements. But don’t worry—we’ll help you figure out how to get insurance to pay for a roof replacement.

How to Get Insurance to Pay for a Roof Replacement in Florida

The first thing to know is that to get insurance to pay for a roof replacement, the roof must have storm- or other weather-related damage. In Florida, this most often means that your roof must have:

• Wind damage like missing shingles
• Fallen trees and branches on the roof from high winds
• Dents and other damage from hail

In theory, these and similar forms of roof damage should be covered by your homeowners insurance policy if they’re severe enough to warrant a roof replacement. However, the final decision rests with the insurance adjuster, so it’s best to get all the evidence for your claim that you can. This can include things like pictures of the damage, which should include photos of the damage from outside and inside, if possible.

Since this damage has to be caused by adverse weather conditions, it can also help to find online articles about the storm or tornado that damaged your roof and include them in your claim. This establishes that the damage was caused by recent weather, which could be important depending on how long your policy gives you to submit a claim after roof damage has been sustained.

Once you’ve gathered all of your claim information, the next step is to submit your claim to your insurance provider. This information should be available on their website, and it should include the details of what you need to include for your claim to be processed.

After submitting your claim, the next step is finding a Florida roofing company to complete the job.

Choose Experienced Roofers for Your Roof Replacement

The next step in how to get insurance to pay for a roof replacement is finding reputable roofers. But how do you tell the real deal from storm chasers?

First, look for people who have been working in your community for years. Storm chasers come and go, but reliable roofers stick around. For example, Classic has provided roof replacement from Orlando Miami for 20 years, so you can trust that we’re not going anywhere.

You also want to go with roofers who have a proven track record of quality work. Look for things like GAF certification, a high volume of five-star reviews, and familiarity with the most popular roofing materials in Florida, like shingles, metal, and tiles.

Once you’ve found a roofing company you feel confident in, next you’ll need to have them complete an estimate for your roof replacement. You can then submit this to your insurance company to help them process your claim. Your insurance company may also choose to have your roof undergo a third-party inspection, but this depends on the individual company. In the end, if they find that your roof needs replaced and you have an estimate from a reliable roofer, you will finally be ready to get your roof replaced.

Get Your Roof Replacement Covered by Insurance

The process of how to get insurance to pay for a roof replacement is undeniably complicated. But just because it’s a long process doesn’t mean that you should pass it up. By paying for your policy, you earn the coverage outlined in your plan. And if that includes roof replacement due to bad weather, then not having insurance pay for your roof replacement could be leaving a lot of money on the table.

If you’re at the stage of getting insurance to pay for a roof replacement where you’re looking for estimates, then Classic can help. You can schedule your free estimate online to help move your insurance claim along. With 20 years of experience and a team of experienced, in-house roofers, we’ve got everything you need to get your roof replaced and covered by your insurer.