Roof Damage Attorneys in Florida
Florida homeowners are no strangers to severe roof damage. Our homes are frequently subjected to hurricane or tropical storm winds, hail and even tornados in some parts of the state.
These events can tear off or damage shingles and strip asphalt shingles of their granules, significantly reducing the life expectancy of your roof. It’s estimated that a normal asphalt shingle roof subjected to normal weather conditions will lose approximately three percent of their granules every year. Severe wind and hail have the potential to boost that rate 15 to 40 percent a year, drastically reducing the useful life of your roof.
Should the Insurance Company Pay to Have Your Roof Repaired or Replaced?
You pay your premiums so your insurance company will protect you from unpreventable losses such as these, but there are many scenarios where insurance companies push back on policy holders and try to argue that their damage shouldn’t be covered.
Claims adjusters and insurance companies often rely on a number of sometimes dubious “tests” when deciding whether a roof repair or roof replacement is justified.
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Be Cognizant of the Dangers of Shingle Bruising After Hail
You may be led to believe by your insurance company that shingle bruising can be repaired by simply replacing the bruised shingle. This unfortunately doesn’t take into account the damage done to the mat underneath your shingles.
The mat is an important component of your roof that helps ensure it remains impenetrable to rain and moisture. The extent of damage shouldn’t be judged solely on surface-level shingle indentations. Shingle bruising damage does compromise the integrity of the shingle itself and necessitates replacement, but the damage to the felt underlayment, water barrier or the sheathing/deck of your roof could also require a more complete roof replacement.
Shingles aren’t the only things on your roof that can potentially be damaged. Your roof has many components, from gutters and downspouts to ridge vents and vent pipes. Large hail or wind-blow debris can damage all the different parts of your roof
Before you call the insurance company, it may be in your interest to hire a contractor or independent claims adjuster to inspect your roof or be there when your insurance company’s adjuster is performing their inspection of your roof damage.
A Word of Warning – Beware Fly-by-Night Roofing Contractors
If a contractor approaches you about repairing your roof damage with a too-good-to-be-true story, chances are good they are trying to take advantage of you and your insurance provider.
These roofing contractors enter areas recently effected by storms, fleece homeowners and insurance companies, then get out of town and are never heard from again or held accountable for their shoddy workmanship.
These “roofers” may tell you that they can act as an independent claims adjuster and will take your insurance claim payout as their full payment. Some will even offer to pay your deductible, which isn’t legal. The roofer will then perform substandard work and submit a bloated bill to your insurance company that includes repairs that weren’t needed or damages that didn’t truly exist. They may even go so far as to add non-roof damages to your claim to boost the insurance payment they receive.
When working with a roofing contractor on repairs after wind or hail damages your roof, make sure to check their reputation through the BBB, their license through Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation and research the contractor online. If they approach you, aren’t licensed and you can’t find any record of the contractor or their previous jobs, chances are they are not a legitimate roofer.
Get Help If Your Roof Damage Claim Isn’t Being Treated Fairly
Having your roof replaced or repaired can be expensive, but it’s often necessary after severe winds or a hailstorm has caused extensive damage. If such a storm has recently hit your area, chances are your neighbors are filing similar claims, and the insurance company is going to have to be paying out a lot of money in claims.
Home insurance companies often do what they can to minimize these payments so the storm costs them less. One of the ways they save money on these disasters is by writing complicated policies with many peril exclusions and training claims adjusters to downplay the extent of the damage or find a plausible excluded peril to blame the damage on.
Mistakes or misattributed damages aren’t always nefarious. The volume of claims insurance companies receive after a big storm can be overwhelming for their staff. They may also be in a hurry to get policyholders the money they need to rebuild and make unintentional mistakes in the rush.
If you feel like your claim is being undervalued or treated unfairly, speak with a property damage attorney in Florida. The roof damage attorneys at Kanner & Pintaluga have extensive experience helping clients get the money they need for roof repairs or replacements after wind damage or hail damage. Our property damage attorneys would be happy to speak with you about your situation.
Call 800-586-5555 for a FREE consultation with a Kanner & Pintaluga property and roof damage attorney.