Hail damage question

[bizlady]

We had hail damage a few years ago, and the roof was placed. I would strongly advise you to not use the door-to-door contractors that show up-most are not reputable. Contact a reputable contractor will get a referral from your building supply company. You may have to wait a long time for the replacement if there is a lot of damage in your area, but getting it done right is important. And yes, we also just had to pay the deductible on a roof that was about 10 years old.

[Car-Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athena53 T I worked in insurance for 39 years. Excuse my language, but those people who walk the streets of hail-affected areas and put up signs offering a "free" new roof are whores. Many swarm in from out of town. Take your time, especially if you can't see any damage yourself. After the charlatans have left town and the good contractors are done with work that really needs to be done, get an honest opinion.

About 25 years ago, we had a hail storm come through and I was told by my insurance company that I had hail damage to my roof and it was covered. (Although I couldn't see any damage). They even quoted me a figure they would pay. I don't remember the details of my policy that was in effect at the time but I wasn't asked to pay a dime.

As I recall, one of these roofing contractors that "swarmed into the area" (and there were a lot of them) agreed to replace my roof at the price the insurance company quoted. They did the work as agreed, with the roofing material I specified, on time and did a very good job. I had put on the previous roof myself about 5 years earlier, and they did a much better job than I had done. They even did a little extra worked for free that was not included in the original quote/estimate. I'm sure there are some "crooks" out there but maybe I was just lucky?

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Why would property be any different... IOW, if I had a roof failure and the standard cost to fix was $10K and I had a $1K deductible... the insurance company owes me $9K... if I can hire my own crew, buy my own materials and get the job done for $7K.... how is that fraud

Sorry- I missed the part where you said you hadn't filed a claim.

I was specifically addressing a case where the roofing contractor provides false information to the insurance company- giving an estimate of $X plus the deductible but charging you only $X. OTOH, if you get an estimate from a legitimate contractor for $X, collect that from the insurer, and go out and buy shingles and spend a weekend doing the work with your buddies, I don't consider that fraud.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo You will be reimbursed for the cost to replace your roof - less 19 years of depreciation and your deductible. IOW, you won't get much.

I think we got quite a lot even though the roof was probably 15 years old. Paid the deductible is all I remember.

[walkinwood]

We went through this last year though our roof was just 2 years old.

I would stay away from anyone who knocks on your door. It got so bad here that I put a sign on the door asking roofers to stay away.

Look for a reputable roofer who has been in business for a number of years under the same company name - the last piece is important, because roofers change company names often to avoid all sorts of issue caused by sloppy work. The roofer will not only inspect your roof for free, but should let you know - based on your insurance coverage - what you'll have to pay out of pocket. A good roofer will also handle all the insurance paperwork for you.

If you have asphalt shingles, know that the hail "probably" did not cause your roof to leak. Rather, it knocked off enough of the ceramic granules to expose the fiberglass to the UV of the sun. That will drastically reduce the lifespan of your roof. (I'm not expert, but that's my understanding).

It seemed like a big deal, but our roofer made it a non-event -except for paying out of pocket expenses since we had a large deductible.

Two more points:
- Look for class 4 shingles since they can bear the brunt of hailstorms the best - but are not hail-proof!
- You may have up to 12 months from the incident to file a claim - make sure you know how long you can wait.

All the best.

[GrayHare]

Of the roofers who knock on your door, the ones from far away are the most risky IMO. If there's a problem with the repair, good luck getting them to come back and fix it. I'd be comfortable giving the work to a local contractor who has been in business for a good number of years, even if he/she knocks on the door. Expect all sorts of tactics: a friend in a hail-damaged area reported a parade of very nice looking ladies knocking on his door soliciting business. He said their accents often revealed they were not local.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizlady We had hail damage a few years ago, and the roof was placed. I would strongly advise you to not use the door-to-door contractors that show up-most are not reputable. Contact a reputable contractor will get a referral from your building supply company. You may have to wait a long time for the replacement if there is a lot of damage in your area, but getting it done right is important. And yes, we also just had to pay the deductible on a roof that was about 10 years old.

I am not going with the door to door people...

However, I did look up the one who sent me a letter as they said they did the prior roof and knew when it was done (but hey, they could be lying... I will have to check).... it seems to have been done correctly and they have a A rating with the BBB....



Edit to add.... yes, if a door to door guy is legit and has been in business for awhile and is rated high I would not blow them off...

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athena53 Sorry- I missed the part where you said you hadn't filed a claim. I was specifically addressing a case where the roofing contractor provides false information to the insurance company- giving an estimate of $X plus the deductible but charging you only $X. OTOH, if you get an estimate from a legitimate contractor for $X, collect that from the insurer, and go out and buy shingles and spend a weekend doing the work with your buddies, I don't consider that fraud.

I have not filed a claim yet... just trying to find out how the example given was fraud... it is not like the insurance company does not have experienced people on staff to know if a bid is off base or not...

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud I have not filed a claim yet... just trying to find out how the example given was fraud... it is not like the insurance company does not have experienced people on staff to know if a bid is off base or not...

As I noted earlier, IMO it's fraud if you and the contractor tell the insurance company the repairs will cost $x plus your deductible, but the contractor does the work for $x. It happens, though.

[eytonxav]

I would suggest having a few reputable local roofers (not the out of town cockroaches) inspect your roof and give you a quote if its damaged. If it appears the roof is indeed damaged, then file your claim. Usually you can select your preferred roofer and they may meet with the insurance companies adjustor to inspect and size your roof. IIRC, the insurance company will give you a specific amount of money for repair even before you sign a contract, with final payment to be rendered after work is complete.

[utrecht]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athena53 As I noted earlier, IMO it's fraud if you and the contractor tell the insurance company the repairs will cost $x plus your deductible, but the contractor does the work for $x. It happens, though.

I had a roof replaced about 10 years ago from hail damage. It didn't cost me anything. Whatever paperwork the roofer filed with the insurance company is between them. They handled all the paper work. I wasn't involved. I didn't see the bill the roofer sent to the insurance company. I didn't sign anything saying the roof was going to cost XX when it really cost something else. If there is any fraud, its on the roofers part, not mine.

[Texas Proud]

Well, got all 3 cars inspected.... cost from $2900 to over $4000....

Now we take them in to get fixed...

On one he said the hood and roof would be cheaper to replace... he also said the top might have to be 'cut off' ... say what He said that once they got it in and could look at it closer it might be cheaper to do that than paintless with how many dents it has.... heck, I would rather them fill it all in with bondo than have a roof cut off...

Will be contacting a couple of roofers tomorrow....

Man, what a 5 to 10 minute storm can do... $2K deductible on the cars and who knows yet for the house... not an expense I was looking forward to....

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Well, got all 3 cars inspected.... cost from $2900 to over $4000.... Now we take them in to get fixed... On one he said the hood and roof would be cheaper to replace... he also said the top might have to be 'cut off' ... say what He said that once they got it in and could look at it closer it might be cheaper to do that than paintless with how many dents it has.... heck, I would rather them fill it all in with bondo than have a roof cut off... Will be contacting a couple of roofers tomorrow.... Man, what a 5 to 10 minute storm can do... $2K deductible on the cars and who knows yet for the house... not an expense I was looking forward to....

The roof of a car is one separate piece at the factory and is welded on. Cutting one off and replacing it with a new panel is the reverse process. It's done all the time, but use a good body shop.

A number of years ago, our Mustang roof was replaced (cut and weld) after a hailstorm in The Woodlands.

[Car-Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud On one he said the hood and roof would be cheaper to replace... he also said the top might have to be 'cut off' ... say what He said that once they got it in and could look at it closer it might be cheaper to do that than paintless with how many dents it has.... heck, I would rather them fill it all in with bondo than have a roof cut off...

I've done a lot of body work in my life but I've never cut off a hardtop to repair roof damage (dents or rust). (I replaced a convertible top once)

I guess it could have been worse, like maybe a tornado that can accompany a hail storm.

[tfudtuckerpucker]

Ditto on using a reputable roofer. My unfortunate new neighbor bought the 12 year old house, only to find the roof needs to be replaced. Apparently the original roofer didn't do the flashing correctly, and messed up on the valleys, so water leaked over time. The shingles look great, but there's wood rot in the sheathing. Unfortunately the inspector didn't detect it before they bought it.

These things can take years to manifest themselves. There's no substitute for a roofer who knows what he's doing, and saving a few dollars could cost big time.

[Telly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Well, got all 3 cars inspected.... cost from $2900 to over $4000.... Now we take them in to get fixed... On one he said the hood and roof would be cheaper to replace... he also said the top might have to be 'cut off' ... say what He said that once they got it in and could look at it closer it might be cheaper to do that than paintless with how many dents it has.... heck, I would rather them fill it all in with bondo than have a roof cut off...

To each his own, but no way would I go with a roof cut-off and weld on "something" new.

Modern vehicles have thin high-strength steels that robots in factory can properly align and weld, using the mfgs. roof panels.

Aftermarket, there will be someone who barely or not even at all finished high school, using vise-grip type clamps to approx. position it, and hand welding it. The panel will most likely be a foreign simulation of a roof panel, that will have to be reworked first to get it to "fit". And the steel quality of said panel? huh? what?

Maybe the doors will close and seal properly, maybe. Original rollover strength? Bwaaahaaahaahaa! All most people care about, is that it is done soon, cheap, and that the doors close.
But I'm not a "most people", and I doubt you are, either!
I would instruct the body shop, before they start on their own estimate, that under no circumstances is the roof to be cut off, bondo away on the roof instead.

Quote:

Man, what a 5 to 10 minute storm can do... $2K deductible on the cars and who knows yet for the house... not an expense I was looking forward to....

Yup, just a short period of monster hail. I faced a monster less than a year into retirement. What a mess. We had hail stones bouncing around in the house through a smashed skylight. I got up on the roof between super cells to tarp the hole, lightning starting to strike around again, every vehicle outside major damage. I cringe whenever "may be severe" is mentioned in weather now.

[sengsational]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utrecht I had a roof replaced about 10 years ago from hail damage. It didn't cost me anything. Whatever paperwork the roofer filed with the insurance company is between them. They handled all the paper work. I wasn't involved. I didn't see the bill the roofer sent to the insurance company. I didn't sign anything saying the roof was going to cost XX when it really cost something else. If there is any fraud, its on the roofers part, not mine.

That's sort of the way my situation was. The roofer and insurance adjuster came together to my house one day. The roofer put the roof on. A little later I got a big check in the mail for the roof plus interior work (ceiling stain). I wrote a personal check to the roofer for what I was billed (which might have been $500 less than the exterior estimate). If the roofer was willing to forgo $500 of his profit, that's his business. I fixed the interior myself...with a can of "up shot". I don't recall the insurance company telling me I had to fix the ceiling stain to any spec or to hire out the job, but hopefully I didn't commit fraud by spraying my own ceiling!

[Texas Proud]

WOW.... just looked at my house policy and I have almost $6K deductible on hail/tornado coverage.... so now it looks like a 10 minute storm will cost me $8K total...

Had someone look at the roof and he said it should be replaced... now have to get with insurance...


Also, DW was in a car accident yesterday .... So, another insurance claim that I now have to deal with... (their fault, so another ins company also)....

[MichaelB]

Sorry to hear that. Bummer.

[Car-Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud WOW.... just looked at my house policy and I have almost $6K deductible on hail/tornado coverage.... so now it looks like a 10 minute storm will cost me $8K total... Had someone look at the roof and he said it should be replaced... now have to get with insurance... Also, DW was in a car accident yesterday .... So, another insurance claim that I now have to deal with... (their fault, so another ins company also)....

That is unfortunate. I guess this falls into the unexpected expenses category. Hopefully all the bad s*** is done for this year.