If you want a quick way to get a "ballpark" estimate for your roof replacement, you can use the free tool on our website www.homesteadroofingcolorado.com/ Look for the bright, yellow tab on the right side that says "Instant Roof Quote" It will only take you about 30 seconds and it will give you a pretty good idea of what a new roof may cost you.
Working with contractors can make any sane person crazy. In my 20 years of property claims handling, I can't count the number of times I've seen contractors commit the most shady and unscrupulous business practices toward insurance and their customers. Meeting with the customer and they are worn out and pissed by having 10 door knocking roofers come to their home in a few days. Or the time I was in my hotel room and next door, a large gathering of roofers were talking about methods to place pressure on the customer, place pressure on the adjuster and create hail damage. Or, the time our company initiated an SIU investigation on a local roofing firm who submitted fraudulent invoices of completed repairs to get the recoverable depreciation released when in fact, the work was never performed. Or the time a local contractor manually created wind damaged shingles not knowing the neighbor across the street was recording him. Or the time a contractor threatened me in front of the customer because he felt I did not know what hail damage was - where I subsequently pointed out to the customer the circled hail hit he had done was actually dried bird crap. Or the time a roofer was chewing tobacco while inspecting the roof with me, then showed me a hail hit which was actually the tobacco spit that had dried 5 minutes earlier (that was quite funny). Roofers come up with a lot of conspiracy theories about how adjusters and insurance don't want to buy roofs. Such as, adjusters get bonuses for denying claims, insurance profits more off denying legitimate claims, and so on and so forth. Here is my challenge to any roofing contractor. Show me any company letterhead, document, communication, audio or video recording of conversations where it directs adjusters to deny claims. Go ahead, I'll wait. In today's society, where whistleblowing is all so common, it's amazing to me that these roofers can't find support to back up their beliefs. If a company like State Farm was caught instructing their adjusters to purposely deny roof claims to save a buck, can you imagine the amount of negative PR that company would go through and the amount of business they'd lose as a result? It would be in the billions and might just cause that company to go insolvent.
@KCShox, what a great comment! Thank you for engaging with our content. We've got a lot of videos about unscrupulous and unethical contractors because we want to expose those practices within this industry. You've got some great stories! Let me know if you would be willing to do a Zoom interview so I can publish a video on my channel that shows the adjuster's perspective. I hope to hear from you.
i got hit by hurricane idalia. messed my roof,ac,my fence, blew some shingles off and the person that came said that they can just replace the damaged area. and on the ac they can only give me an allowance of how much it cost
You drive your coverage, read your policy, get the endorsements needed and don’t shop by price. The coverage choices are yours to make and companies have to pay based on your coverage.
Very true - insurance companies have to pay based on your coverage. That's why it's so important to read your policy. Your policy decides everything. Your adjuster doesn't get to decide. Your roofer doesn't get to decide. Your insurance agent doesn't get to decide. You don't even get to decide - except at the time you're shopping for insurance coverage. That's when you have all the leverage.
@@homesteadroofing actually, insurance companies only "have" to pay if they are "forced" to pay. they don't have to volunteer payment just because the loss is covered. and we all know, most people will give up.
Ha ha absolutely!! Yep they Denied our claim, they go up on the roof and make marks all the areas, and next time you have a major storm ⛈ issue. They see these marks and say it’s existing. After our claim years ago, then we get a notice that WE need repairs!! It’s a scam, yep we needed to do all the repairs that they said we didn’t have! Then we go pushed to a American modern subsidiaries- or weird
Excellent video. State Farm is the major insurer with a cosmetic exclusion clause when you install a class 4 roof and sign up for their discount, which sounds great in theory. They even started offering it on regular class 3 roofs if you sign up for the "impact resistant discount." And it's hidden in the fine print, usually not disclosed by the agents. Sounds good to get a 30% discount till you are left fitting the full replacement when you go to sell your home and the inspector says the roof needs replaced due to hail, but your insurer says sorry, it's only cosmetic. Won't fly on a transaction and you are out 10-15k for a roof when you saved $500 a year on the premium. (Feel free to delete if you didn't want the company disclosed) ✌️
This Is Exactly what State farm is trying to do to me. Including yelling at me on the phone because I questioned why they are trying to use a 2018 Hail storm and we literally had a huge hail storm on memorial day. Now they are harassing the technicians I Hired and saying they want there own technician who works for them not me so I can get lowballed. Plus they want me to provide a Hail report with GPS Locations that's over 200$. It's been the worst experience of my life. 10 years I've had state farm with 4 vehicle, life insurance and Home coverage all with state farm and never once have I had to call them until now. It's been a nightmare and they are doing all of this to Me and My wife and family.
Glad hearing this. Desk insurance adjuster hung phone up on me. Head insurance guy said it was ok to lie we all make mistakes. Wrong. Six adjusters later hurricane Ian comes through. Now they wrote me a low check.
Based on this video, I will be calling my insurance agent tomorrow. I want to let them know I am replacing my roof. And I'm trimming my tree to limit potential damage. I'd rather not have a claim , but when they come, I will already have a headache I dont want two. ( well I have a wife but that headache never goes away 🙃). Thanks for the heads up
I recognize this is a video that is intended to shine light on the negative sides of insurance and not the every case.. but every point made has a valid counter argument. If you or someone you know has a homeowners insurance policy.. ask a trusted contractor(s) BEFORE you ever need an insurance claim who they prefer to work with. You will learn a lot. With the same token you could ask an insurance adjuster who they would recommend to have their property worked on.
@Logan, thanks for weighing in. I agree with your comments - mostly. There are many adjusters who have worked with contractors that they feel are honest and will do the right thing and they will recommend them, but homeowners should also beware of adjusters who want to push them to the "captive" contractors who are in the "preferred" networks of the insurance companies. Just my $.02.
Depreciation is normal in a policy, if you want to get the full replacement cost then add replacement cost rider on the insurance policy. Our homeowners policy has replacement cost so as the cost has gone up we get full current replacement cost minus the deductible.
My husband is Retired Airforce.. he's been with State Farm since he was a teenager. He's now 54. He was just contacted and only offering 600 some dollars to repair our roofing. We pay insurance for our home,4 cars and for years. Our roofing needs fixed. It's causing leaks in two different rooms. This is the thanks my Hubby gets. Thanks State Farm for not having are back.
I have a good friend who had been with them for over 40 years with a clean claim record. In one year, his son had an auto accident, his storage unit was burglarized, and his house got hit with a hail storm. All of these were claims as they were all big $$ issues. After the hail storm, the adjuster informed him that his coverage was being dropped. After 40+ years.
Wait a minute, from your comment the roof did not suffer any damage and it is just maintenance, that is not on the insurance companies responsibility. If your roof gets to the point were it needs to be replaced due to age that again is not the insurance companies responsibility that is maintenance as well. Insurance is not for replacing routine maintenance items, it is for when an incident occurs that damages the property. When your car wears out and you need to replace it the insurance company does not buy you a new car. Well it is the same with a roof, if you have developed a leak you need to have it repaired. Roofers have gotten away with scamming reroofs in Florida and it has created an homeowners insurance crisis. Florida had to enact laws to stop this practice.
Great info! Had an adjuster come out and say nothing is wrong with our roof meanwhile literally every other house on our street is getting new roofs. I’m calling a private roofer for free estimate today to have ammo for my insurance company when I call to fight it. Do you think the outside inspector report will help in my favor? Thank you for the video.
It will only help you if the roofer knows how to document and prove that the roof is actually damaged by the storm. If he's not experienced, or just a salesman, his report won't help you.
Hail doesn't come down uniformly. Yes other homes on your street could have got hit with worse hail then your house. Also the age of the roof makes a difference. Maybe your neighbors had older roofs?
This is very good information, it honestly sounds like that Home Insurance companies do not honor roof claims regardless that the policy owner has included roof coverage in their insurance.
Every insurance company is different. Some are pretty good and others are awful. It really comes down to the homeowner being responsible for understanding his policy. The policy is your contract with the insurance company so you need to make sure you know what is and what is not covered.
@@angelpaige1500 It all depends on the policy. It doesn't matter what you think, what the adjuster thinks, or what the roofer thinks. The policy is what determines coverage. Read your policy.
There is another clouse a insurance company uses. It is neglect. If you have not matanenced your roof during its life expectancy, they will definitely deni a claim. I have ran into this several times. State farm is one of the worst for that practice.
If you plan on becoming a contractor, small business owner or any type of real estate investor you best become an expert in reading your policy declarations. Working for a major insurance wholesaler in the north east I can tell you with absolute certainty it is the policy language is all that matter. Often times you get what you pay for, small contractors learn the hard way with action over exclusions and an injured employee. Make sure that even if you buy a policy from a friend and family member you are asking if it’s admitted or non admitted. Always try to get a policy written with an admitted carrier if you can but it’s not always possible. You want a carrier that his held the the standards of more than just their own “guidelines”.
I don’t know what state your in but in my state the carrier cannot raise your deductible automatically without you requesting to raise it. UNLESS you have a % deductible then the deductible will automatically raise at each renewal because the dwelling coverage typically raises at each renewal which makes the % deductible raise slightly
That's probably the case all around, however, I do know that some insurance companies will move clients from a flat deductible to a % deductible without the homeowner requesting it. Some insurance companies may even allow a homeowner to switch back to a flat deductible on request, but I'm sure that will have a big impact on the cost of the insurance.
We had a windstorm in Aug the inspector came and is saying there’s no damage by wind or hail but it was installed improperly but we’ve had 2 contractors come and they both say it wasn’t installed inproperly. Several of our neighbors on our block have had their house repaired due to the storm. What can we do to get the Insurance to cover it?
Options are: 1. Call the insurance company and ask for a 2nd evaluation by a different adjuster. 2. Call the insurance company and ask to speak to the adjuster's manager and ask for an explanation of why the adjuster says it's not caused by wind. 3. Hire a roofer who has a good track record of inspections and working with insurance companies regarding causation and scope of loss. 4. Hire a public adjuster. 5. Request the insurance company start the appraisal process. Hope that info helps.
@@homesteadroofing you nailed it brother hire a PA. I work for a small roofing company that knows exactly what we're doing and how to properly build a sound roof system. We're going to see these ins company's again..... and again. We immediately send bs denials to a PA to let the ins know first. Yes we know how to build an estimate, we have taken exactimate classes. And secondly your not going to push us around and short change us. We don't care if it takes a year we will even take it to litigation. If the ins owes HO a new roof and they denied the claim its a wrap. Ohh and #5 is bs, dents in gutters and exhaust caps definitely effect the way the product works. Dents in exhaust caps can prevent the way a cap releases harmful carbon monoxide which can potentially put HO to sleep permanently. I was told this by a PA lol but you get the point Sir. Great vid.
To me it’s a simple question. If you took my money when I paid premiums, and didn’t check the installation when you took my money, why are you inspecting the installation now? Why deny me now, after you took my money and insured the roof? Send them a letter from an attorney stating something like this. Attorneys usually charge a few hundred to send a letter.
Tactic #4 is called a roof schedule endorsement which is selected by the policyholder. Customers select that endorsement to save on their premiums so tactic #4 is misleading. Tactic #5 is also an endorsement selected by customers. Here in KY, most agriculture business customers select that endorsement. People should go through their policy with their insurance agent but most agents have customers as just a number to add to their books.
Bad idea as home is biggest asset that you have - odds are small that your house will be destroyed by fire from neighbors house or tree falling on it but first thing people will ask you is do you have insurance .. I believe one year insurance payment equals to 30 years of coverage so you have to go over 30 years without a loss to win.
I’m going through this right now. We recently had a hail storm where literally every house around me is getting a new roof and they are saying my 5 year old roof has zero Gail damage. Grrrr. They are saying from pictures it’s blisters.
I’ve looked at thousands of roofs for hail damage as an adjuster. Can’t speak for yours without seeing photos, but blisters are usually obvious and clearly not hail. Hail has a distinct look and feel to it that is very different than blistering. Newer roofs such as a 5yr old roof will hold up much better than older roofs. There are other factors that can also cause variations, roof pitch, material 30, 40, 50 yr, impact resistant etc. I’ve seen homes where neighbors on each side of the house were damaged and the one in the middle wasn’t or vis versa, so it happens. If the hail was ping pong ball sized or smaller there can easily be wide variations of damage. The damage assessment may be 100% correct, that being said I would definitely get a 2nd opinion as there are a lot of inexperienced adjusters out there, very high turnover rate. A 5 year old roof shouldn’t be blistering unless there is a manufactures defect or poor ventilation. I do see it now and then on newer roofs though. If it is blistering I would contact the manufacturer.
As an adjuster for 10 yrs I can assure you we do not find joy in denying your claim. What benefit do I get in hearing you scream at me and blow up my voicemail. I see both perspectives as I am a consumer as well. But a roof can be repaired in a nutshell. Most roofers don’t want to and I don’t blame them. We factor condition, age, and even remain open to reviewing their videos. However, most over-bend the shingle causing it to crease or use improper materials that cause further damage. I’ve paid for some after seeing videos however. If a roofs condition looks like cornflakes then that’s a no brainer but a 10-15 yr old roof in fair condition with a 30 yr life expectancy should have no issues. I mean… if you crashed your car would you expect a new car every-time or put it in the shop and get after market parts to repair. Most consumers and pulled between the insurance company and contractor which is unfortunate but I can assure you adjusters try to be fair at-least I do but I’m not a newbie either so contractors can’t bully me and they know.
What I want to know is if it’s in the best interest for me to have my contractor roofer guy come out when the first adjuster‘s going to evaluate my property? Is it in the best interest of the homeowner to have a contractor there or does it not make a difference?
Many roofers want to be there when the adjuster is there and here are some reasons: 1. That's the way they were trained. Their boss or manager did it that way so that's how they train their salesmen. 2. They think that somehow, they're going to be able to convince the adjuster to accept things into the claim that the adjuster may not be willing to accept. 3. They think that they'll be able to convince an adjuster to accept a claim that would otherwise be denied. If the adjuster is reasonable and understands that he doesn't know how to scope a loss on a roof and that a roofer does, then having the roofer there is beneficial. My opinion is that it's a waste of my time to meet an adjuster unless the homeowner is paying me to meet the adjuster. The percentage of time that meeting an adjuster is a benefit for me is very small. A roofer that knows how to scope a roof restoration project and can demonstrate the necessity of his scope of work, doesn't need to be at the house to meet the field adjuster to do that. So - to answer your good question, it's not necessary, or even always beneficial, to have a roofer there when the adjuster arrives.
my chimney collapsed in June, 2021 this year, I did call the Farmer Ins. and found out my roof was damage also , my roof installed 10 years ago. and they did deny the claim because my chimney and roof was too old. I did pay to rebuild the chimney by our self. But now, I fight back for my roof because of hail damage, we did not know until this year beside that our area had ice storm in Feb, 2021 and the hail in Mar. 2021, this time I claim again for my roof. They said the hail happened in April 2020, that belong to the prior ins co. they deny again, they said they do not think the hail this year cause that problems, My roofing contractor did inspect and said it was happen this year. How do I do ?
That's not a good situation for you. I would recommend a Public Adjuster. Sorry for the delay in replying. I'm obviously way behind on checking comments! Thank you for engaging with our content.
The deductible is literally on page 1 (the Declarations). Also listed are the specific endorsements related to the policy. Most people don’t know they may have a specific wind and hail deductible. That’s not the fault of the insurance company.
Agreed. Never said it is. That's why in our videos and in person, we tell people they have to either read their dec page or call their agent before filing a claim so they understand what their deductible is and what their coverage type is.
If a policy is deducting for depreciation, then it is not a replacement cost policy. It is an actual cash value policy. To call a policy a replacement cost policy means whatever it cost to replace something is the amount the insurance is legally bound to pay less deductible. Most policies are replacement cost less depreciation policies which means the policy covers 100% of replacement cost less deductible. But the insurance company will determine the depreciation amount and issue a check based on the actual cash value amount minus deductible. Then after the repairs are completed, they will pay up to the depreciation amount if needed. Meaning, they will only pay the actual cost to replace and repair. For example, the cost to replace a roof is estimated to be $10,000. The homeowner has a $1,000 deductible. The insurance company determines based on the age of the roof that the actual cash value is $6,000. They will hold back $4,000 until the repairs are completed and will issue an ACV amount for $6,000 minus the $1,000 deductible and the customer gets a check for $5,000. The contractor completes the repairs and issues an invoice for $10,000 to show the actual amount they charged, minus the $5,000 they received as a deposit from the customer, and minus the $1,000 deductible the customer owes, with a balance owed of $4,000. The insurance company will issue a check for the remaining $4,000. Now if the contractor only charged $9,000 to replace the roof, then the insurance will only pay $3,000 owed and not the full $4,000 they withheld as depreciation. This helps homeowners avoid not having the repairs done and just pocketing the $5,000 received from the insurance company. They only get the depreciation amount withheld if they have the repairs done. Otherwise, they lose the depreciation amount and are on their own.
Your comment: "If a policy is deducting for depreciation, then it is not a replacement cost policy. It is an actual cash value policy." Yes, that's correct, as well as all the other things you wrote, and that's the same information I've put in all our videos about this topic.
I’m here because, although no inspection was done, State Farm told me the "rolled roof" was unreliable and deprecated. The roof was installed within 20 years on a Berkeley 1928 stucco bungalow and weather is dry without severe storms. They told me I needed to redo the roof and show them a bid to have it redone in order to renew the policy. With a 10k deductible, I’m wondering if I should get the right roof for the insurer, or the right insurer that will insure the functional roof I have. Thanks for sharing your video.
I'm an adjuster and I know what I'm talking about. 1. If you get a percentage deductible and your home value increases your gonna have a higher deductible. 2. Adjusters are paid to FIND damage, and coverage. If it's not there we make 1/10 as much as if we find good damage. 3. The insured's duty in the event of a loss is to comply with the adjuster and the insurance company. We are here to FIND coverage. The contractor just has to justify the damage. They think justification is a huge imposition but it's just tough make sure that we can pay them. 4. You get acv until you do repairs then you get the replacement cost. The work doesn't even need to be complete some times you just need a contract for completion. 5. He's talking about liberty mutual and metal roofs. Metal roofs dent easy but those dents aren't always something enough damage to warrant replacement. Often it is perfectly fine, but if the adpl is something that causes the roof to be less protective then we will replace it. If we replaced metal roofs for cosmetic damage then acorn trees would cause constant claims. This is intentional misunderstanding of the spirit of the rule. Overall this guy is complaining about something that isn't real. We don't want to deny your claim, they(contractors) just want to rip you off. If you disagree look up fee schedules for adjusters and notice how the bigger the claim is the more money we make.
1. You're correct 2. Correct again. 3. Incorrect and displays a gross misunderstanding of the nature of the relationship between the carrier/adjuster and the homeowner. Homeowners - you do NOT have to comply with your adjuster. 😬 You, as the homeowner and policy holder, are the one with the leverage. The only compliance has to be with the policy. The adjuster and the homeowner both have to comply with that. 4. Correct again. 5. The insurance company in question is NOT Liberty Mutual. Metal roofs DO NOT dent easily. An acorn falling on your metal roof will NOT dent it. I appreciate you engaging with our content, and you are mostly correct in what you're saying, but you're mistaken about the most important aspects of your comments.
Damm big dog cosmetic damage ran into that ten years ago impact resistant shingles I talk homeowner do not get those shingles or you will have a trashed roof but the shingle pad has not been broken the insurance will give you the sorry no replacement. As in metal roofs I can get most replaced but you must know where to go on the panel or the adjuster will blow you off Metal roof integrity has been compromised the seems forget the middle any Dents along the seems same for gutters most newbie’s will not go that direction
@@eyewearrepublic9820 There's an interesting book - "Delay, Deny, Defend" that will answer that question. It's pretty cheap on Amazon and doesn't take long to read. I strongly recommend it.
@@homesteadroofing You mentioned insurance companies denying claims. I asked which ones. You haven't answered. Please, just say you won't answer and I'm done. I'll respect that. Just don't dance around and pretend that satisfies the question. Thank you for your time
Hello, I just found out I had a recoverable depreciation worth about $2K. After continued struggle with the Insurance, they only covered the inside water damage. The roof contractor who was helping bailed and I hired another company to replace it. They didn’t contact the insurance they just replaced it. Almost 2 year later I found out the process also includes a recoverable depreciation. Insurance said it’s too late to claim it. Deadline to claim was April 2020. :/
You should hire public adjusters (like me) to re-open original. Do NOT let contractors negotiate your settlement. Insurance company WILL be happy to do so b/c they pay less.
I look at it like cars. I wouldn't expect a 5 year old car claim to provide brand new car reimbursement. However, if the car is only cosmetically damaged, it still has to be fixed by the insurance company. The house has a value based partly on cosmetics. You cannot have the value recovered if you're not considering the cosmetic aspect. It should be about make you whole again from a value aspect, not just overall integrity aspect.
The insured picks their deductible when they sign-up for the policy. The insurance company does not pick that, it is the same with auto insurance. Every thing deprecates. If you add the endorsement, you recover the depreciation. Insurances covers for damaged items not maintenance. The only way I see companies arguing is if there is price gauging or adding items that don’t need replacement.
@Jennifer Tovar - thanks for weighing in and being part of the discussion. The homeowner may pick the deductible at the time the policy is written, but in many, many instances, the insurance company (IC) changes the deductible amount when the policy renews. Yes, it's the fault of the homeowner if he doesn't read his dec. page and therefore doesn't know his deductible went up, but I think I made that pretty clear in the video. We've seen this happen many times. Homeowner thinks he has a $1000 deductible, and after filing a claim discovers that it's a percentage of his home value. We've seen homeowners surprised with deductibles as high as $12,000. Regarding the notion that roofing contractors and IC's arguing only being a result of, as you said, " price gauging(sp) or adding items that don’t need replacement," I'd say you're giving too much credit to the IC's and have too little trust in contractors. You may find my new series of videos helpful. They're about real-world tactics IC's are using right now to avoid paying legitimate costs that are part of roofing projects. It may be better to start with the 2nd episode in the series - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4QlYzY6XphU.html
@@homesteadroofing I would love to know what insurance companies are illegally hanging peoples deductibles without their approval. I’ve absolutely never heard of that happening. If that occurred and was justified, that agent would be fired.
You are correct. I have homesite insurance affiliated with American family. My deductible started at $1000 and at renewal turned into 1% of my Replacement value which resulted in $2970. Read your policy at time of renewal, I unfortunately did not.
Lady I know threatened ""shingle""manufacturer on a 40sq job. She got paid again for roof stating shingles curled. Funny 2 yrs later I spoke with husband at the house and agreed that the shingles laid back down on own. I called Malarkey and they acted like I was some kind of jerk and didn't care.
Interesting... Why are contractors fighting with insurance companies at all. Roofers enter agreements with homeowners. The homeowners are obligated to pay the contractor, not the insurer. Contractors shouldn't over-step their scope of practice. The insurance company's duty pay and extent of payment should be established well before an agreement is entered into with a roofer. Property owners should use a lawyer, pa, or an independent appraiser to address disagreements with their insurers before they obligate themselves to expensive contractor.
I couldn't agree with you more! In my opinion, roofers have dug this hole and put themselves in it. Why are we trying to work with insurance companies? If I had to guess, I'd say it's because at some point in time, either: 1) A roofer saw a competitive advantage of telling homeowners that he'd work with their insurance company. Homeowners liked this and so more roofers jumped on the bandwagon, or 2) Roofers didn't know how to sell jobs for a profitable margin, and it was easier to tell homeowners that they would do it for the insurance proceeds. I could be missing one or more other options, but I'd be willing to say that it was #1. In my perfect world, I'd agree to a price with a homeowner, and he would pay me and present the invoice to the insurance company and get reimbursed. Thank you for the comment!
I disagree for a number of reasons first of all in today's real world most homeowners don't have enough savings put a down payment on a new roof 2nd a roofing contractor that's a good idea of pricing in his competitive market and also the expertise to assess damage the insurance contract calls for to be replace with like kind and quality
Hello Tracy, thank you much for your informative videos and the knowledge you share with us. Being in the Greater Seattle area I can not take advantage of your firm and hire you unfortunately. But perhaps you may know of public adjusters for residential property in the Greater Seattle area who will go to bat for us homeowners and get us the appropriate amount of funds for our roof damage claims? I'm having a hard time with finding someone who works on behalf of homeowners in negotiating with insurance companies, in my case with Foremost, a subsidiary of Farmers. Also, might you be able to quickly address the difference between a homeowners insurance policy and roof damage repair/replacement vs the asphalt shingle manufacturers warranty insurance and how each may come into play?
All good questions, and the last one deserves a video!! Thanks for the content tip on that one. As far as PA's in your area, I don't have any contacts there, but I would suggest you do a Google search and look at the reviews. Read through the negative comments to see if they're valid and see how the owner responded. Also, look for someone who acts more like a consultant than a salesman. Taylor Grant is in the Denver area and I follow him on LinkedIn and he has a bunch of helpful information, which, if I were a homeowner and in need of a PA, I would probably use him. Here's his RU-vid channel. ru-vid.com/show-UCKoOEhGzV7CeCNckgH7dR-Qvideos Look for someone like this in Seattle. Hope that helps!
Here's a recent email from Nationwide regarding my roof that was replaced in 2009 or so. They also included a small aerial picture, probably from Google maps: There were hazards found that may increase the chance for a loss on the property. Nationwide requires all noted conditions be remedied in order to retain your policy. The areas of concern noted by the inspector are outlined below. A letter will also be mailed to you with this information; however, we are providing advance notice to allow additional time to complete the requested remedy. Hazards: • We found that the roof of your home has natural discoloration and streaking. This may increase the risk for loss or injury in the future. Remedy: • Please arrange to repair the damaged area of the roof or replace it completely. Watch out! I bet their all going to start doing this...
is it normal that insurance carriers do not pay for carpeting that was affecting by roof leaks that aren't next to windows? And honestly, even if it's next to a window, why isn't that included? The window is part of the home. The carpet is part of the home?
@@homesteadroofing bro I forwarded it to a frustrated client who did not know what ACV was and did not know what it meant. Esurance....All State subsidiary. All State. AM FAM terrible
I have a problem, they approved my claim payed me half until roof was done still owe me other half, asked couple times now been couple month's still have not paid me other half since roof has been replaced, why does it take so long? When I made the claim, they cut me the first check within a week. I'm not sure why it's taking so long for the second check. I sent pics and invoices like they wanted,,any advice?
Remember that insurance companies are investing your money. The longer they keep it the more investing they can do. Check your policy. It should specify that your IC only has a certain number of days to close a claim. Hold them to it.
@@homesteadroofing on the exterior wall we have a leak at the ceiling. We have a 2/12 roof pitch. We have had 3 roof leaks in the 5 years of owning our house. It was built in 2017 new.
I've been with State farm for 18 years this is the first time I made a claim on my roof because of its 18 years old they're only going to give me so much to replace it
We have RECORDED wind gusts from the weather station in my area from the recent storms that caused damage to my roof and I got denied... they claim that my damage is either pre-existing or would not be caused by wind. The lack of integrity from insurance companies is nothing short of despicable.
Here is the short version of this video: Five ways your insurance company avoids paying for your roof claim..... and there is nothing you can do about it. Wow, very useful to know.
Hey Tracy I've been in this industry for 35 years I'm in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and I've seen these tactics having throughout my career I like your video I thought maybe it would have been better if you could have offer some solutions to address these issues the people that are watching the video
Thank You So Much! This is very informative for me being a new home owner, inheriting my childhood home. Are we paying hidden fees for roof replacements, full amount to just receive a portion, or non at all? I had an adjuster come out yesterday, private company. I was approved. Something told the adjuster to call back to the finance company. He did, then all of a sudden they decide not the full coverage but $7500. What is that? So, I learned that this had happened to 12times prior, only to "certain clients".
I apologize, but I wasn't able to follow you on the description of what occurred with your claim and denial. What finance company would the adjuster have called? If you can fill in some of these details, I may be able to answer your question. Thank you!
You have asked a very astute question!! I am seeing more and more insurance companies moving away from full replacement coverage. My suggestion would be to get quotes from the agents, read everything very closely, and then be aware that to get the coverage you want, you may have to change companies every year.
Dispute with Insurance company here, in Ontario Canada. Multiple Roofing companies are telling us, asphalt shingles are SUN DAMAGE, insurance company says its NATURAL WEAR.. Is sun damage to a roof really exist, or is it just another way of saying it's natural wear?
Sun damage is a factor sometimes. Your insurance company probably is not going to pay you for that damage, however, the shingle manufacturer may cover it under their product warranty. It depends on how old the roof is and if it was installed correctly.
The cause of the leak has to be related to an insurable loss. If it's "wear and tear" or "homeowner maintenance" issues, they don't have to pay for it.
Hi! Roofing company just replaced our roof and did a good job. I was now provided with a final invoice that is nearly double the original estimate! Some of the unforeseen work is justified but does not get me even close to the final amount. I had the company add in language to my contract that I would only be liable up to a specified. Will the insurance company negotiate the final amount down? he is definitely overcharging. What is the risk in me signing so roofer can submit to the insurance? Thanks in advance!
That doesn't sound good. Find out if you signed an "Assignment of Benefits" or "Assignment of Claim" document with the roofer. If you did, have an attorney review that and your contract.
@Homestead Roofing. We want to replace our roof. It is not that old, 12 years. It is some hail damage and wind damage but does not leak. We recently changed insurance to State Farm. We had roofers inspect the house. We know we need to replace the decking as the city code now requires a thicker one. We would like to know the smart way to work with State Farm and the roofer company. We do not know if getting a quote now is smart or not for example. How would you suggest we begin the process. We now know State Farm is not the best on roofs. We are not contractor smart nor insurance negotiations. We plan to start on the phone next week. We live in the South Texas area where storms are frequent. Thank you!
Really good, smart questions. This displays the power and usefulness of RU-vid and the Internet. They allow consumers to do research before making a large investment without the proper information. Well done!! Texas has strict UPPA laws which I can't risk violating, so my best suggestion to you would be to read and understand your policy. Make sure you know what is and what is not covered. Especially look for anything that references Ordinance and Law. If you don't see that, or you don't understand the verbiage related to it, ask your insurance agent to explain it to you (although I have to say, a large number if insurance agents don't have a clue how to interpret the policies they sell you - so if you have one of those agents, you will want to hire an insurance attorney or a public adjuster to help you decipher your policy coverage) If you would like more help feel free to call our office and we can help walk you through the process.
My contractor sends me a bill for a supplement hes trying to get paid for by my insurance co. Project is new roof gutters due to hail storm.Its for a $5400 ice and water shield they claim was required. My insurance said two layers of felt or whatever is sufficient. Contractor keeps sending me the bill tacking on late charges threatening collections. Oh, and i paid $3000 for bad wood out of pocket. $3000.! The entire contract was for $16700. Which has been paid for. Im stuck in the middle of them. and No, i refuse to get an Attorney. More $ out of my pocket.
If ice & water shield is code where you live, then your insurance company can't tell you to put on 2 layers of felt. But if you don't have "ordinance & law" coverage on your policy, then your insurance company doesn't have to pay for it and you will. But... your roofer should have known about this before he did the roof.
So you plead with the insurance industry to let the homeowners know what’s in the policy they sign…. before you ask the homeowners to read and understand their own policy they signed?
Am i getting a fair handshake if my roof got damaged (wind and Hail) and the estimate is $9200 and I received $4600 from the insurance and I have to pay the rest. My deductible is $2500
That will depend on what type of coverage you have on your policy. I suggest you watch this video and then ask your agent what type of policy coverage you have. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_3YXWzwwyqY.html
@@homesteadroofing I’m an adjuster. I deal with contractors on a daily and I definitely can see your side, but from my standpoint contractors are not exactly easy to work with either.
I'm an adjuster for roof claims. We feel the exact same way about contractors. Here's the thing you have to remember, the policy is not written according to how a contractor can warranty his work, BECASUE insurance coverage is governed by the Department of Insurance- who, strictly prohibits "betterment", and will ONLY allow to "indemnify" the insured. This means a policy is only there to put an insured back into pre-loss condition, not an upgraded position, not a better position. There is NO incentive for adjusters to deny claims-we are not paying them out of our own wallet, and we have to communicate the coverage determination to the contractor, agent, and customer; so why would we make those phone calls harder on ourselves? Everyday, literally 4-6 claims per day I see a contractor-driven claim on what they are calling hail when the fiber fabric matting base layer of that shingle is clearly visible in each blemish; do contractors actually not know the difference? Do they believe that a hail impact coming down from above will burrow a hole through the granules? Home owner insurance is JUST LIKE car insurance. If your car tires wear out, you can NOT make a car insurance claim to replace those tires. However if your tires get popped in a wreck, you CAN. The real problem is these contractors who go door to door, convincing homeowners they're entitled to a new roof because their roof needs to be replaced (see tire example). Also note that contractors will put damaged vents back on the roof, even when they're paid to replace them. What a one-sided, silly ridiculous video; a perfect example of why the customer's feel so hyped up and then let down.
Wow! There's a lot to unpack in this comment and I'll be publishing a new video about a lot of these statements that Sherry has made. There is one statement she made that I want to address here. She said, "Do they believe that a hail impact coming down from above will burrow a hole through the granules?" Actually, yes. I do believe that. That's the textbook definition of hail damage. Check the Haag Engineering Field Guide to roof damage assessment to see that.
What a bunch of hooey . What you folks are interested is our time and money. Just like every other greedy enterprise. I've been working 80-85 hours a week for 39 straight days. Cry me a river when the customer and contractor negotiate in good faith for over a week and they arrive at agreement substantially less cost for an upgraded shingle. And then, we're dictated to to install something other than what was agreed to between us. Well duh, isn't that what people do, attempt to put themselves in a better position??? And the more the merrier if they can get it nearest to the adjuster's assessment and/or what your'e proposing. Right? No, we won't do that! We'll accept the less priced job for the roof with higher cost for gutter gutter work. Can I not go with contractor (A) at a price that's very much like what you proposed with contractor B's estimate. I'll pay the difference for a better quality product. What does it matter to you if I get a better quality shingle over the one you think makes sense to install. What it is is dictating and pettiness. What am I to do to a contractor who has come to my residence four times, negotiated in good faith and has additionally engaged with me considerably in communications as well. Fuel, his time and whatever else. Comes early in the morning at 6:30 AM and taking his driving time into consideration. Is the adjuster or the insurance company going to be liable for the decisions THEY have made on my behalf? No, I'm expected to call off the deal. Sorry, it's off let's tear up the agreement, here's your check back sir. Now lets put on a less quality product for about the same cost because, WE CAN! How about the workmanship warranty...Shouldn't that matter? Big difference in one, two or three years in comparison to FIVE. Not your concern. Maybe the lesser priced option/contractor puts in four nails instead of six like what's supposed to be done and the manufacture's warranty is null and void because I didn't do my homework or, insist it without people getting all bent out of shape. I do my due diligence as I SHOULD. How about the protective nails for the underlay. Should I just accept the one that doesn't want to do that because it's quicker and more "cost effective". I pay the bills when poop hits the fan. NOT the insurance customer or the "representative" that should be looking out for our collective interests. I won't even get in to siding color and texture issues. You guys know all about reciprocity but when I negotiate, offer to provide machinery to lift material up and onto the roof making every effort to work and cooperate with the contractor and creatively solve challenges egos set aside while saving money in the process that's just not going to be permitted. Drive around on a hundred degree day and notice which companies are installing the shingles and which ones are not. Oh now lets consider cosmetic issues. The one I'm dealing with doesn't. Shouldn't it matter to ME? You're not going to tear off the roof to get rid of the scuffs at your cost are you? I could go on and on and on. We've got a novel idea. How about lets focus on relationships. Demonstrate some empathy. Creatively solving challenges TOGETHER. That's what I am doing. No let's everybody snarky and insolent then wonder why people abandon ship. Time. And money. That's what all the various greedy, addicted to money enterprises are concerned with. And finally, is the insurance representative and a said company going to compensate my employer for time that I'm not working investing more time into ridiculous B.S. Six roof and four gutter proposals and that's not good enough. Material prices are rising. Isn't in OUR interest to get things going. I have two years for the work to be done. Maybe I should just drag the thing out. You'll agree to the lowest bid/proposal/estimate then right? What's the relationship between shingles and the price of oil. A rational mind thinks, lets get on this. Lets avoid additional costs and potential damage. Nah, gotta follow the rules precisely. I don't know if it's a dollar or nine-hundred dollars that it's worth for you. Probably too high. Steer clear of the snakes, bees and beans while you're out and about traveling. It's dangerous and bound to get stinky with all that mileage you're putting on and hot air. LOL Sorry to burst the adjuster's bubble and inflated sense of entitlement. Anyone that suggests that getting a considerably better tire over a less quality tire for around the same price is a NO BRAINER and one that's been proposed really needs to evaluate their reasoning habits. You want our time and money. You're not going to accept responsibility for decisions you made for us, the customer and the consequences linked directly to them. Door's got a minor ding. Replace the thing whether it's absolutely necessary or not. But don't redirect funds toward that which that can accomplish substantial things. I've got to stop. I have a feeling we're getting nowhere. You're instructed to make your bosses and the investors happy. If you don't kiss butt and do as you're instructed, there's no money to be had from your wallet. We're not dummies. Quit insulting people.
@@fitnesssoup7553 I don’t disagree with what you are saying on the home owners insurance but you would not replace a door for a minor ding, in the auto insurance side that would be not necessary, higher repair costs raise everybody’s rates, and also a form of ins fraud.
Insurance claim has amounted to zero dollars when they did calculation. Tried to get hard copy of their claim estimate and requested second estimator to look at roof but no response. In fact claim adjuster doesn't exist and have been told claim has been closed. What to do??
That's not a good situation for you. I would recommend a public adjuster. Sorry for the delay in replying. I'm obviously way behind on checking comments! Thank you for engaging with our content.
Tell me about nationwide keeps raising my monthly premium every 6 months we been with them for 20 years nit many claims denied my roof claim because they say it was age and e istinf damage.
I'm surprised you're still with them after all that! Try asking some of your local roofing or siding contractors which insurance companies they like working with and then start shopping around.
Good question. Actual Cash Value (ACV) is the money you get from the claim after they deduct your deductible and withhold your depreciation. If you have an ACV policy, you will not get the depreciation and you'll see that on your claim as "Less Non-Recoverable Depreciation" followed by a dollar amount. If you have a Replacement Cost Value policy (RCV), you will see on your claim, "Less Recoverable Depreciation" followed by a dollar amount. You will get another check for the depreciation amount. This is a good topic for another video! Watch for that in the next few weeks. Thanks!!
I'm very interested from this angle too. I've got a 20+ year old roof, and it's been on its way out for quite a while. I should have no trouble getting a new roof for just that reason, right? I know- it depends on my policy... I understand what you're saying about the insurance company playing the depreciation card. But on the RCV policy, I'm a little fuzzy. Are you saying that in the paperwork they will automatically subtract the depreciation value, give me a check for the value minus the depreciation, and THEN come back later and give me a 2nd check for the missing depreciation amount?!
@gardengatesopen There's a couple of different things in your comment I'll answer. 1. your insurance company doesn't have any responsibility to replace a roof just because it's at its end of life. There must be damage on it that is covered by your policy, and that damage must have occurred within your policy period. That means that if the damage occurred prior to the start of your policy with your current carrier, your carrier isn't required to pay for any repairs. 2. Yes, you are correct - the carrier will withhold the depreciation amount, give you a check for the full value minus the depreciation and minus your deductible, and once they have received verification that the work has been completed and the total amount charged, they will release the depreciation funds. But this is only if you have a Replacement Cost Value policy. If you have an Actual Cash Value policy, you will not get the depreciation. Hope that helps.
@@homesteadroofing yes, you've answered my questions, and more. I was wondering about the insurance company not having to pay for a new roof simply because of age! Darn! I gotta say, that's a bummer for me, but I figured as much. I suppose if I wait it out until the next big hail storm, I might have better luck on getting the insurance company to pay me more for a replacement roof. Every little bit helps! Thank You for your reply!
They are insisting that my roof is repairable (not replaceable), despite the significant damage. We just had an engineer visit and we will see what they say.
If it's an engineer that the insurance company hired and is paying, be prepared for the engineer to agree with whatever the insurance company says. Surprise! I'd recommend a public adjuster or independent insurance appraiser and don't rely on letting the fox guard the hen-house if you get my drift.
I am a property claims adjuster, and a lot of this information in this video is incorrect. Insurance companies do not raise peoples deductibles. Depending on your area and the peril you file a claim for, you may have a percentage deductible. For example, Florida they have a hurricane deductible. In Texas, many people have wind/hail deductibles which is a percentage and not a flat rate. Insurance companies also cannot deny someone a claim just because they’re getting a lot of claims in another area. Adjusters also do not want to go back and forth with a contractor because we get paid to investigate and come to a decision with the claim. It also doesn’t help when you have a group of roofers door knocking on every house on the block. Yes, you may have damage on your roof, but it can be blistering, granule loss, etc. there is a lack of education when it comes to what is considered hail damage. And showing a homeowner what you think is hail damage may not be hail damage, and this miscommunication causes a lot of back-and-forths.
Everything in this video is taken from real-life examples that our clients have had done to them by their insurance companies. So, I'd say this information is correct.
If you know the date the roof was damaged, just tell them that. If you don't know, then tell them you don't know. Your insurance company has a record of every damaging storm so they'll assign a date. You're not responsible for giving them the damage date unless you are sure you know it.
I was all set to hire a roofer to replace my roof when someone told me to file a claim. I inherited my home and do not know how old the roof is and I cannot locate any paperwork. The roof is leaking. Is it worth it to file a claim?
It's rarely a good idea to file a claim due to a leak. You should really have a roofer look at it. Look on directorii.com to see if you can find a roofer in your area.
@@homesteadroofing I already had several roofers look at it and the last one told me to file a claim. He said the shingles were brittle in addition to the leak. Thanks for your advice.
I bought my house 2 years ago we were told it had a new roof come to find out its a roof on a roof on a roof and 9 months ago we found 2 leaks called insurance company they payed nothing now we had leaks again we had a roofer give us an estimate of 30 grand because it has damaged 2 beams that are rotting and roof is saging they still will not pay anything what can I do we did file a complaint with insurance commission now just waiting we are in Alabama what can I do
I have Allstate insurance my roof was damaged by hail even causing it to leak across my entire room . They gave me 1/3 of the replacement roof not excluding my 500 dollar deductable of the 1/3 of roof. Now they are not wanting to pay for drywall ceiling damage. Please advise. Thanks
@jerry c - unfortunately, it's not uncommon for insurance companies to exclude payment for interior damage caused by water coming into the house from a storm. Most policies will cover water damage coming from something inside the house, like a leaky faucet, but water coming from the outside may be considered "flood damage." That's just my very limited understanding of how things work. The BEST thing you can do is to read through your policy to find out what it says about coverage for water damage. If you can't interpret the language in the policy, have a lawyer help you. It will definitely be worth it to find out what is and isn't covered. I know that's probably not much help, but I'm just a roofer, so not able to offer much input about insurance policies.
@@homesteadroofing Thanks for your prompt reply , yeah they only covered about 1/3 of my roof replacement. And was real rude when they called me they were hinting denied help before hearing what happened. The adjuster hung up on me while we were talking. Bad experience
@@homesteadroofing yes I have 100% replacement coverage and only received 1/3 of the replacement and the adjuster told me hail hit it . I had interior ceiling drywall staining and they are hassling me on that. I called my agent and he said he could request a new adjuster. Thanks for helping me and for your advice.
I had Allstate for 22 years without ever filing a single claim. Then after hurricane Sandy I was missing a significant amount of shingles and two roofers told me the seals were damaged to a point where the roof needed replacement. Allstate not only rejected the claim, but they made it as hard as can be to file it. The insurance person agreed to meet me and the roofer at my house and pulled a no-show twice. The roofer told me that of all the replacements they were doing in the area, Allstate, bar none was the most difficult to work with, and was denying claims right and left. I shouldn't have stayed for 22 years - I have a better policy now, but I'll never deal with them again.
Yes, you can sue your I.C. Be sure to get a lawyer that specializes in that field or you will get hosed. I'm surprised about Farm Bureau. Here, they're one of the best ones to work with.
I just found out that my insurance company may not pay to fix my whole roof, or my siding or my windows.. we had a natural disaster in my county and they may not fix my home. I'm worried I will have to pay for it all
This is such a malarkey video it's so much easier to pay claims, insurance adjusters would love to cover every roof out there. What actually happens it's you get contractors that knock door to door climb on roofs come down and then make the home owner think the insurance company is the big bad wolf after they convince you that you definitely have hail damage. Then the insurance adjuster comes out and doesn't find damages to downspouts, decking, siding, gutters, cars on the property, doors etc that are far far far more susceptible to hail damages and has to be the assholes that say I'm sorry your claim doesn't make sense you have no damage. If your roof actually has hail damages it's not going to be something the home owner doesn't know about, that's not the kind of storm you miss. Even more exhausting is 9/10 the home owner themselves can't give us a date of loss they rely on the contractor to and the contractor just picks the best date hoping it sticks. Guaranteed not a single roof in Spokane Washington was denied last year when they got damaging hail, but guess what? Those people didn't not know that there was damages to their roof because there was damages to everything else too. Is there some type of hail storm that insurance adjusters just don't know about that somehow manages to miss everything but the 20 year old roofs that need to be replaced? Insurance isn't a maintenance program, it's an actual loss safety net and there is no question when you have an actual loss, the elevations, personal property etc damaged tell it, not the guy jumping on roofs with a magnifying glass to sell his business.
I am sure you are a good roofer, even though there are plenty of "bad" roofers out there but I had to stop watching after the 1st of your 5 things; Deductibles. That is a completely incorrect framing of what a deductible is and why it matters to have a larger or smaller deductible. Years ago (15-20), practically every policy in my state of Texas (which has a very high incidence of hail claims) had a $250 deductible. Want to know why we don't have those anymore? Inflation in building materials and labor. Insurance in Texas is just about as high as it can get due to the claim activity and if we still had $250 deductibles, insurance would be just too costly to purchase form most homeowners. Insurance is what make home loans possible in part. No insurance, no home loan. If you are a homeowner, you know the upkeep and the unexpected expenses are really quite expected and therefore you should have a decent size emergency fund to pay for those things. Why pay a much higher premium EVERY YEAR if you rarely have a claim?
@Daniel Smith. Thank you for your comments and engagement on the video, however, I believe you have misunderstood what I was saying about deductibles. The information about deductibles being your legal share of the cost of the repairs is accurate, and if an insurance company raises or changes your deductible, that will increase your share of the cost of the repairs. The reason no one has a $250 deductible any more is probably partially due to increase in material costs, but it's also because of the increase in the number of claims and therefore, insurance companies are trying to cut their losses. It's a smart thing from a business point of view, but it's not a good thing that they don't disclose that to homeowners more transparently.
If you have enjoyed 10 years of protection from your roof and then it gets damaged by hail what have you lost? You lost half the lifespan of the roof as u used up the othrr half true indemnity is 50% of the cost of a new roof.
If there's no damaging hail, there's no reason a roof shouldn't last 25-30 years. If a homeowner is paying for full replacement cost, there's no reason an insurance company shouldn't pay that.
When I was with Farmers, they raised my deductible first from $500, then to $1000, then finally to $1500. Then I dropped them. We see homeowners frequently surprised because they had flat deductibles at one point, only to find out that they now have percentage deductibles.
Never pay the first £250 of any claim You are taking out insurance don't pay any part of your insurance just pay the yearly premium do not accept the first part of any claim in fact start up a community insurance trust amongst the community because all who pay in will know the work will be paid immediately insurance companies use brokers and they minupulate contracts so you will have a hard time getting paid during an insurance claim that mostly they don't pay out they are like hedge funders but you are the investor as the hedge grows it gets clipped just like you
Wait.... there are insurance companies that DON'T prorate your roof when satisfying a claim?!? I thought that was standard practice. I have a 23 year old cement tile roof that is generally in good shape. However, one spot needs some repair due to an old hurricane impact that wasn't spotted at the time. Factoring in my deductible and what, if anything, is left after they prorate the crap out of it, I pretty much figure this will be an out of pocket expense. On top of that, if I file a claim, my insurance will skyrocket since I am now an "at risk" person to insure (at risk of filing a claim, that is). And those raised premiums don't typically go down, so I will pay those increased insurance rates year after year. In the end, it will cost me more to file a claim to repair my roof than it would to just pay some local guy 1 or 2K to fix it. Which is exactly what the insurance companies want to see. All income, no payouts or they will club you with higher rates. Additionally, I've already seen my home insurance rates jump dramatically merely as a result of the age of my house, primarily the age of the roof. How is that even legal?? Also, I'm in Florida, where Republicans control the state house and give insurance companies whatever they want and screw over the state's citizens, so that is a major factor as well.
Most insurance companies don't pro-rate coverage. Sorry for the delay in replying. I'm obviously way behind on checking comments! Thank you for engaging with our content.
Not sure what you mean by this as the right to demand appraisal should be written into your contract with your insurance company. I'm not an appraiser or public adjuster, but I don't believe your insurance company can deny your Demand for Appraisal.
Thank you! As a homeowner in Texas, I wasn't aware of it. I'm in the process of having a roof replacement due to a hail storm. After an adjuster came out with a drone to inspect my roof, the insurance agreed to pay up to $7,000 for a roof replacement. With upgrading roofing materials such as premium underlayment and ice & water shield, the contractors' quotes were much higher, not to mention provisions to cover unforeseen circumstances. Do you think most insurance would cover those materials and deck replacement if needed?
Binh, your insurance company won't pay for upgrades, nor should they. Watch our other video that addresses that question. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dgsTAwEJHBQ.html
Damn I hope you haven't gotten your roof done yet im in Texas. I tell a homeowner if the ins says they're going to send a drone out i tell them to tell the ins bs kick rocks. As a HO in Texas you have the right to have a licensed aduster from the ins company to survey the damage. 7k for a new roof your house must be tiny or ins is ripping you off. Im guessing the latter. Per your question we only use synthetic underlayment and we put ice and water not only in every valley but around all penetrations. Pipe jackes vents ect. At no additional cost. As for decking if it is not up to code we get the ins to pay for it. Usually we send it up front to get it approved ahead of time as its a large expense. That could be for a bunch of reasons. Deck thickness, de lamination, un nailable surface. Or use of interior osb as apposed to exterior marked. Our contracts state only out of pocket expense for HO is deductible plus any upgrades, better shingle or ventilation. No money upfront until each peril is completed and HO is satisfied with the work. Any company that doesn't work like this are not a reputable outfit. Just my twenty cents. Hope that helps.
Hi is it common practice for an insurance adjuster to just take a photo from ground level about 30 ft away from the house and call that an inspection? The adjuster looked at the roof from the ground for about 10 seconds and left. He didn't even come with a ladder or drone. I got denied for any damages from Hyundai home insurance. What recourse do I have to challenge this? Can the adjuster be held accountable for anything? Thank you so much. I am located in the NY metro area if that matters.
@J RICA - My suggestion would be that you go to this webpage, www.certainteed.com/find-a-pro then click on Residential Roofing. Then enter your city or zip code. It will show you a list of certified roofers in your area. Then you can search them on Google and see what kind of reviews they have from customers. Hope that helps!
@@homesteadroofing - irrelevant - you know where the money comes from and why they're getting a free roof - because you checked accuweather for a date of loss, and found a roof you could argue is unrepairable. So all you need is to find one tiny mark that you can argue is hail.
We live in the Castle Rock area just a few miles north of the springs and got caught in the back to back major hail storms. The second one actually damaged a few windows and pummeled our 2 year old roof. Our roofer who did the first install came out and found that the hail had put significant damage on our new roof from the second storm. Of course the scum bag insurance company didn’t want to pay for a new roof. They tried almost all the tactics mentioned in the video. Our roofer has the patience of Job and basically handled everything. His exact words were don’t worry we dial with these knuckleheads all the time. It’s just part of having to do business as a roofer.
Bottom line....if there is "sudden and accidental storm damage" that is covered in the policy then Allstate will do everything to get that person taken care of. Allstate is in the business of making people whole again. Roofers and contractors are always in the business to make money.....take that into consideration when your contractor is telling you that you need an entire new roof for your home and no way a repair can be done. Obviously if the damage is significant then a full roof would be paid if that makes you truly whole from the storm damages. Contractors play like the insurance does not want to pay and that is completely inaccurate. We are trained to pay for everything that we can. BOTTOM LINE watch your contractor and the game they play because the CONTRACTOR IS able to pull off fraud or something else a lot easier than the insured and will tell the insured all of this stuff and make us look like the bad guy. I have actually had your company on one of my claims last year and it was paid in FULL. Stop filling these insured heads with "the insurance just wants to deny, scam and fraud". YOU ARE THE REAL FRAUD! I cannot tell you how many shady and dishonest contractors I have talked to after a big storm because you all are storm chasers. You said that you do not approach people and the work comes to you, that is a lie. TAKE A LOOK AT ANYWHERE USA AFTER A LARGE STORM AND YOU GUYS BLOW IN AND BLOW OUT ASAP AND GET AS MANY PEOPLE TO SIGN AS POSSIBLE SO THEY OWE THE MONEY REGARDLESS WHETHER IT GOT APPROVED OR NOT. YOU ARE THE ONES GIVING INSUREDS FALSE INFORMATION. Your the storm chasers and the ones trying to make a profit while WE(adjusters) are trying to get the money for the loss that these people deserve...OH YEA ONE MORE THING....IF YOU ARE AN INSURED AND YOU ONLY HAVE ROOF DAMAGE MAYBE GUTTERS FENCE ETC. DO NOT LET THE ROOFERS CHARGE O&P. THIS IS OVERHEAD AND PROFIT AND ONLY ALLOWABLE WHEN YOU HAVE 3 OR MORE TRADES RELIENT ON EACH OTHER TO START THE OTHER. ROOF, GUTTERS, FENCE, GARAGE DOOR ETC CAN ALL BE DONE AT SEPERATE TIMES WITH NO COORDINATION. DO NOT LET THEM CHARGE YOU THIS AND TELL THEM TO USE THE INDUSTRY STANDARD LEADER IN FAIR ESTIMATING PRACTICES BY USING XACTIMATE. There really is so much more to this entire subject and I will be commenting on your other videos as you are telling people lies. I am an adjuster not an agent, I make no more or less money with whatever gets covered. You, however, throw everything at the wall to see what sticks and then blame us when the policy cannot pay for items not damaged or feasible to replace. YOU ARE WHATS WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM AND WHY SO MANY PEOPLE PAY HIGH PREMIUMS.~ Have a good day talk to you guys soon I am sure. OH and the XM8 items you were using were in correct and you guys again throw everything at the wall to see what sticks when you know that the insured does not need their entire home gutted or whatever the case may be. You guys even CHANGE THE PRICING! That in itself is wrong! Then when insurance can't pay your invoice because of all the unnecessary items and charges, you turn it around to where it is our fault. You sir are informing people of wrong information while you continue to get jobs averaging $20k-30K per house and making crazy money off of insurance and these poor people who just had their lives turned up-side down. Be better and do better and stop acting like a storm chaser and act like a contractor who truly cares for our mutual customer.
@Brandon Stanley - Thank you for jumping into the conversation. I couldn't agree more that if you have a roofer telling you that a repair *can't* be done and that a re-roof is necessary, you should get a 2nd opinion. In fact, we're launching an in-house service tech position to do just repairs for homeowners and are planning to position it in that framework - You may not need a new roof. You may be able to repair it. Having said that, Brandon, I think you're making some assumptions and insinuations in your comment that are not accurate. You said, "Allstate is in the business of making people whole again. Roofers and contractors are always in the business to make money.....take that into consideration when your contractor is telling you that you need an entire new roof for your home and no way a repair can be done." No insurance company is in the business of primarily making people whole again. They only do that because they have to. It's what they promised to do in exchange for you giving them money. Insurance companies are in the business of making money, and they do that by convincing people that they're completely covered in the event of damage, however, they don't make money if they're paying out claims. That's why they nearly always low-ball their estimates. Conversely, roofers and contractors are also in the business of making money (that's not a bad thing as you've insinuated), and they do that by convincing people that they can do the job that's necessary for a fair price and with excellent quality and that they'll stand behind their work with a warranty or guarantee. If they can't do that, they won't be in business any longer. We recently did a job for a homeowner who is covered by Allstate. We had previously done the roof in 2014 and it got hit hard by hail again in 2020. The 2020 Allstate claim amount was $2000 LESS than the paid claim in 2014. In what world do construction and restoration costs go DOWN over a 6 year period? We had to fight with them, and then they raised the claim amount, but they were still $4000 too low. It took an actual "Demand of Payment" letter to the insurance company before they finally agreed to pay the reasonable and justified costs to replace the roof and fully indemnify the homeowner for his loss. Homeowners - the Bottom Line is that you have to realize that your insurance company makes money by delaying payments, denying valid claims, and then forcing you to defend yourself as you try to take a Billion-Dollar Behemoth to court to get them to pay you what you should be paid. Another thing that homeowners should realize is that the parent company of Xactimate is also the parent company of one of the largest insurance companies. There's already a built-in conflict of interest in the pricing that Xactimate puts in. On an Xactimate claim we just got from an insurance company, their unit-pricing is LOWER than claims in 2018. Let that sink in the next time an insurance company employee tells you that Xactimate is fair. Again, in what world do costs go down?
@Brandon Stanley - your comment - "OH and the XM8 items you were using were in correct..." My company doesn't use Xactimate, so it appears you have us confused with another contractor. Our database keeps a record of all the adjusters we're working with on any given claim, and you don't appear on any claim we've done - in the last year, or ever.
You don’t know what the f you’re taking about Brandon. Guys like you are the problem with the insurance companies. From your bullshit no O&P comment to your XM8 claims. Fabrication after fabrication. I’m assuming you’re new to this. IF you work Allstate then you work for one of the shadiest if not THE SHADIEST company in the insurance game. Wow…
@Gerald, Great question! Insurance companies may raise deductibles for several reasons. The primary ones are that the insured wants lower premiums. The second one is that the insurance company wants to reduce losses. Every year when you get your declaration page, this information will be in there. If you accept the new policy, you've agreed to the higher deductible.
Hi there, Mr. Bennet. My Work Experience: I work as a material damage liability claims representative for a large non-standard insurance company (I handle the investigative process and payment for car accident claims, and the individuals we insure are drivers that are high risk -- meaning that I have to know policy language inside and out to determine if I will accept and investigate an insurance claim). I'm going to give you a short and sweet answer below, and then post a longer one in reply for further clarification. Short Answer: An insurance company can raise your deductible if it is stated in the policy language that they may do so; this is done often times through what is called an "endorsement to the policy". Essentially, there are add-ons to an insurance policy that allow insurance companies to either deny or modify (reduce) payment of an insurance claim if certain conditions are not met by an individual paying an insurance premium, or if certain external conditions put the endorsement "in force" (meaning that the endorsement is applicable). These add-ons are often applied when individuals attempt to lower their insurance premiums -- not truly knowing what the endorsement is. These endorsements are always aimed toward future claims, as insurance is a safety net for when life's tragedies occur.
Long(er) Answer: As a claims representative, one is tasked with two duties: to indemnify (that means "to make whole"; this principle simply means that we are tasked with getting you back to the position you were in prior to an accident, inconvenience, or tragedy occurring) and to protect the insured policy holder (the person paying a premium for the insurance policy). This is true of all insurance companies. In all actuality, it is important to note that insurance companies are businesses, and they stand to lose quite a bit of money if they do not operate strategically. On that note, please realize that while your insurance company has its core structure centered around assisting you in your time of need, there are circumstances where claims may be denied for the sake of saving money, and the denial is justified through the unilateral structure of an insurance policy (unilateral structure means that someone, or an organization in this case, promises to pay someone -- or some other organization -- after the occurrence of some specified act or circumstance -- if, and only if, certain contractual obligations are met by the other party, and if, and only if, certain external factors (weather and war, as examples for the denial or modification of an insurance claim) do not have claim denial language written into the policy. The contractual obligations are where people hit snags, because they do not read their insurance policy, for lack of interest, lack of understanding, lack of awareness that they should, or other reasons. Insurance companies have a pool of money to work with. They get this money through the premium that you and others pay, and through profitable investment decisions. In an ideal world, for those at the highest rungs of the insurance hierarchy, you would never get into an accident, and your roof would never suffer damage, your catalytic converter would never get stolen, you would never injure someone accidentally, so on and so forth; however, that is not the world we live in, and -- as such -- insurance companies have to pay out money in these cases. Now, a word of advice. Read through your insurance policy. It may be dense if you are unfamiliar with legalese, but it contains important information in case you need to file a claim. Call your broker or agent and ask them how you can access your policy jacket (A policy jacket is the document containing your signed application and any relevant endorsements. An endorsement is an addition to your policy, such as a raised deductible under certain circumstances). It also contains the policy language, so you can read exactly what you're paying for.
