Questions about roof replacement and insurance

[SecondCor521]

Hi all,

I own a house with, unsurprisingly, a roof.

The house and roof are both 18 years old. The roof is standard 3-tab 20-year asphalt shingles.

I have home insurance through USAA. I have accurately informed them of the age and type of roof I have on my home. I assume they take that information into account when setting my premium.

The roof is largely intact, but the shingles themselves are getting increasingly brittle and a number of individual shingle tabs have broken off in recent windy situations. I am not yet at the point of worrying about leaks, but I can tell the clock is ticking for me to do something.

I have had several roofing companies tell me they can replace my roof for just my deductible, and that they would work with my insurance company inspector to make that happen. There have been several data points of this ilk, but all were from companies that seemed of questionable repute.

The most recent roofing company I spoke with, who seemed reputable, said pretty much the opposite: that I should work with my insurance company myself, for them to do so is a conflict of interest, and that getting insurance to cover a roof replacement in my situation never happens.

I really don't know what to believe, although I guess a good reputation should probably outweigh multiple data points.

Questions:

1. Is my USAA homeowner insurance premium intended to cover both unexpected roof replacements (such as a hail storm on a 1 year old roof) and expected roof replacements (such as my 18 year old roof that has just worn out)? Or just the unexpected ones?

2. Am I giving away anything by calling USAA and discussing the situation with them? If so, what am I giving away?

3. If USAA will pay for a new roof, are they going to increase my premium because I am no longer "claims free"? (I've had homeowner's with them on multiple properties off and on for 30 years with zero claims.)

Basically, I need to know between the two paths of (A) going through insurance where I pay just my deductible, or (B) paying out of pocket where I pay the whole thing, or (C) some path in the middle. Obviously this might affect the roof product I choose and how price sensitive I am.

The reputable company gave me a quote of $12K, FWIW.

Thanks.

 

[DrRoy]

To my knowledge, an aged, but undamaged by storm or falling tree roof is not covered by your insurance. I would not trust the "deductible only" offer,

 

[pletal]

Good evening.
I have been running restoration projects including roofs for over 20 years. The insurance coverage is for an event, like a hailstorm or tree damage, not wearing out. If you file a claim but it is not covered or they pay nothing out, it is still a mark on your record, but you rates may not go up. Also check in you area and find out if the roofing company is required to pull a building permit for the job. Do not let them tell you it’s no big deal if they are suppose to apply for permit.

Also get familiar where flashing is to be applied. The codes have changed drastically over the last decade. Good luck. Also if any Facia board needs to be replaced go with a plastic based product. No more rot

 

[COcheesehead]

The OPs question is like saying my car is old, can I get my insurance to buy me a new one - no.

 

[Car-Guy]

To my knowledge, an aged, but undamaged by storm or falling tree roof is not covered by your insurance. I would not trust the "deductible only" offer,

+1 - That's my understanding too. And on top of that, they depreciate the value of a roof 10% a year for insurance purposes around here on most policies. YMMV


I had my roof replaced exactly 1yr ago this month. Original was a ~15 year old 3 tab asphalt roof on a 2000' sq ft home. They took off the entire original roof down the the plywood and then installed a new underlayment, drip edge, shingles and hauled off all the old stuff. Eight guys did it all in one day for $8500 (IIRC)

 

[aja8888]

I suppose the OP can just read his policy to see what is covered for room claims. It should be spelled out.

 

[Aerides]

I have had several roofing companies tell me they can replace my roof for just my deductible, and that they would work with my insurance company inspector to make that happen. There have been several data points of this ilk, but all were from companies that seemed of questionable repute.
.

Companies like this are wrecking the Florida insurance market, and raising premiums for everyone. They fudge their way through the claims, find a recent event to tack your replacement onto, and off you go.

These companies actively solicit customers, with the same promise of free/deductible only roof replacements, which of course raises the burden and expense for everyone else. They knock on my door every few months and I have told them in un-lady-like terms to get off my lawn.

The OPs question is like saying my car is old, can I get my insurance to buy me a new one - no.

But that is exactly what these companies push, promise - and deliver.

 

[MichaelB]

I have had several roofing companies tell me they can replace my roof for just my deductible, and that they would work with my insurance company inspector to make that happen. There have been several data points of this ilk, but all were from companies that seemed of questionable repute.

This sounds like an unethical business practice. If they claim storm damage, for example, they would be lying on your behalf.

The most recent roofing company I spoke with, who seemed reputable, said pretty much the opposite: that I should work with my insurance company myself, for them to do so is a conflict of interest, and that getting insurance to cover a roof replacement in my situation never happens.

I agree with this

1. Is my USAA homeowner insurance premium intended to cover both unexpected roof replacements (such as a hail storm on a 1 year old roof) and expected roof replacements (such as my 18 year old roof that has just worn out)? Or just the unexpected ones?

Insurance is not intended to cover wear and tear, it is for damage.

2. Am I giving away anything by calling USAA and discussing the situation with them? If so, what am I giving away?

I don’t see any benefit to calling them unless your roof has suffered some damage.

3. If USAA will pay for a new roof, are they going to increase my premium because I am no longer "claims free"? (I've had homeowner's with them on multiple properties off and on for 30 years with zero claims.)

I think they won’t pay, but certainly if they did you would no longer be claim free.

 

[COcheesehead]

But that is exactly what these companies push, promise - and deliver.

I may have been born at night, but not last night, who would believe such a pitch. Maybe PT Barnum was right.

 

[pb4uski]

Companies like this are wrecking the Florida insurance market, and raising premiums for everyone. They fudge their way through the claims, find a recent event to tack your replacement onto, and off you go.

These companies actively solicit customers, with the same promise of free/deductible only roof replacements, which of course raises the burden and expense for everyone else. They knock on my door every few months and I have told them in un-lady-like terms to get off my lawn.



But that is exactly what these companies push, promise - and deliver.

+1 Our condo association had a meeting on this today. Essentially, owners assign benefits to contractors and the contractors and their lawyers browbeat the insurers until they pay up and of course, what they pay is ultimately paid by policyholders in the form of higher premium.

Our agent was saying, I forget for what period of time, that $3 billion of claims were paid and $500 million went to contractors for repairs and $2.5 billion went to lawyers. Outrageous. Also, Florida is a huge percentage of claims nationally, much more than would be expected based on covered properties. Very corrupt state.

From a June 2022 article:

..Two major hurricanes made landfall in the state since 2016: 2017’s Irma and 2018’s Michael. No direct hits occurred in Florida over the past three hurricane seasons (2019-2021). Florida, however, is the site of 79 percent of all homeowners insurance lawsuits over claims filed nationwide while Florida’s insurers receive only 9 percent of all U.S. homeowners insurance claims, according to the Florida governor’s Office. To illustrate how lawsuits have weighed on insurer operating costs, JD Supra, citing the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR), reported $51 billion was paid out by Florida insurers over a 10-year period and 71 percent of the $51 billion went to attorneys’ fees and public adjusters. The 2020 and 2021 cumulative net underwriting losses for Florida’s homeowners insurers totaled more than $1 billion each year. ..

https://www.iii.org/press-release/t...as-homeowners-insurance-markets-demise-062322

 

[SecondCor521]

Thanks to everyone for the replies so far.

The OPs question is like saying my car is old, can I get my insurance to buy me a new one - no.

As I noted in the OP, I have had homeowner's insurance for about 30 years but never yet filed a claim, so I'm unfamiliar with filing homeowner's insurance claims.

I've also owned four homes so far, but never yet had to replace a roof. So I'm unfamiliar with replacing roofs.

I understand car insurance doesn't replace old cars. But we're talking about homeowner's insurance, not car insurance. Some sorts of insurance do cover regular wear and tear in addition to catastrophic events - the most notable example that comes to mind is some versions of health insurance.

Given that I lack of knowledge and experience with the relevant areas, that some types of insurance do cover regular day-to-day items, and that whether it is covered or not greatly affects how I proceed, I think my original questions were reasonable ones to ask.

 

[COcheesehead]

Thanks to everyone for the replies so far.



As I noted in the OP, I have had homeowner's insurance for about 30 years but never yet filed a claim, so I'm unfamiliar with filing homeowner's insurance claims.

I've also owned four homes so far, but never yet had to replace a roof. So I'm unfamiliar with replacing roofs.

I understand car insurance doesn't replace old cars. But we're talking about homeowner's insurance, not car insurance. Some sorts of insurance do cover regular wear and tear in addition to catastrophic events - the most notable example that comes to mind is some versions of health insurance.

Given that I lack of knowledge and experience with the relevant areas, that some types of insurance do cover regular day-to-day items, and that whether it is covered or not greatly affects how I proceed, I think my original questions were reasonable ones to ask.

I think you need to read your policy documents for all your insurance coverages. They will tell exactly what is covered. Wear and tear is not something covered.

 

[SnowballCamper]

This is why I got a metal roof when our house was built...

 

[Texas Proud]

Yea, read your policy... I was surprised to see in mine that my replacement cost was for the first 10 years of a roof... after that they applied depreciation...



I was also surprised to find that my deductible for a roof was twice what it was for any other claim... now, neither of these are in bold or stands out like the other items but they are in the policy under roof coverage...


But like others say... what event has happened that you think you would be able to get a roof covered by insurance? Mine was a hail storm... also did a lot of damage to the cars...

 

[W2R]

New roof!!!

I got my roof replaced just a few months ago. I have no idea how old it was, but it wasn't anywhere near new when I bought the house 8 years ago. Had leaks repaired several times but new ones kept appearing. Frank needed a new roof on his house (next door), too.

We had been looking for quite a while for a roofer that had the time to do this job, and almost all were too busy to even answer our calls. So, when we found one that had the time to replace our roofs, we went with him. I don't know but think maybe a roofer would be glad that insurance wasn't involved.

With all the heavy thunderstorms we have had this spring, I am SO GLAD that my roof doesn't leak at all any more.

We didn't tell our insurance companies about this since both of our roofs were quite old. Had we done so, it would not have surprised me if our insurance rates went up as a result. But then maybe I'm just too much of a pessimist....

 

[MC Rider]

Lying to the insurance company is called insurance fraud. What level of crime is that? Misdemeanor or Felony?



$12k does not sound so bad. We paid $17k at our old place 2 years ago. But that included maybe $5k of plywood installed.

 

[badatmath]

It sounds like you need to get more reputable contractors. HO does not cover wear and tear.

The glass companies try to scam people into windshields they don't need too.

 

[SecondCor521]

Lying to the insurance company is called insurance fraud. What level of crime is that? Misdemeanor or Felony?

Probably a felony. I wasn't planning on lying or letting anyone lie on my behalf.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I have a Spanish Tile roof in California and the wind has somehow pulled up the roofing nails and lifted the tiles in the past couple of months and the rain got underneath and I had a few leaks. The roof is 30+ years old so I'm not even going to bother trying to get the insurance to cover it but I do need to deal with it before next winter. I have no idea of the cost but I'm pretty sure it's not going to be cheap. I doubt that I'll need Plywood just new felt and then reinstalling all the existing tiles which are still in good shape. My county was declared a disaster zone due to the terrible weather so I'm hoping there is some kind of tax deduction for repairs that I can get on my 2023 return. I have not been able to find much details on that so far but when I get the roofers out maybe they can advise me on that.

 

[MC Rider]

I have seen roofers stacking the tiles as they take them off, and not tossing them in a dumpster. So at least you may not have to buy (too many) tiles. Still won't be cheap.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Good evening.
I have been running restoration projects including roofs for over 20 years. The insurance coverage is for an event, like a hailstorm or tree damage, not wearing out. If you file a claim but it is not covered or they pay nothing out, it is still a mark on your record, but you rates may not go up. Also check in you area and find out if the roofing company is required to pull a building permit for the job. Do not let them tell you it’s no big deal if they are suppose to apply for permit.

Also get familiar where flashing is to be applied. The codes have changed drastically over the last decade. Good luck. Also if any Facia board needs to be replaced go with a plastic based product. No more rot

Thanks for your great post, it has lots of pertinent information that I will need for my own roof situation. I do have an area with some wood up there that looks to be in very bad shape that I was worrying about.

 

[MC Rider]

Thanks for your great post, it has lots of pertinent information that I will need for my own roof situation. I do have an area with some wood up there that looks to be in very bad shape that I was worrying about.

Don't worry. They will gladly replace that bad wood.
At an extra cost.


Call me Cap'n Obvious.

 

[Kings over Queens]

I understand car insurance doesn't replace old cars. But we're talking about homeowner's insurance, not car insurance. Some sorts of insurance do cover regular wear and tear in addition to catastrophic events -

it's been mentioned before, house insurance does not cover wear and tear...things just wearing out are not covered.

Now, an 18 year old roof damaged by a covered peril (wind, hail) IS going to be covered. To what extent depends on your policy provisions, and because each policy is different I'm not going to comment to the extent of coverage.

I would be very wary of a contractor soliciting a roof replacement and trying leverage insurance coverage as a means to pay for it. It was mentioned earlier in the thread, Florida is getting crushed under similar shenanigan's and everyone is suffering.

If your roof was legitimately damaged during an event (wind/hail) then by all means I'd encourage you to explore a claim.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Don't worry. They will gladly replace that bad wood.
At an extra cost.


Call me Cap'n Obvious.

That I knew for sure but I was worrying about it being replaced and then rotting again over time. It's a little weird wooden area that the painters always miss when the eaves get painted. You have to actually get on the roof and walk to this area to paint it so improving it has always been on my mind. I simply never thought about it being replaced with a different material that should last forever.
Now I just need to figure out what to do to keep the birds from getting under the tile, nesting and tearing up the felt. Some people nail screening over the edge but that looks like crap. Any ideas?

 

[MC Rider]

Ask the roofers and let them handle it.