Roofs are one of the more expensive home structures to handle after damage, so you could be out a lot of money if you have to pay for repairs out of pocket. Most insurance policies qualify elemental damage to your roof as partial or full coverage, whereas damage caused by lack of homeowner maintenance is not something that will be covered.
Maintaining your roof, knowing your homeowner insurance coverage, and properly documenting all damage promptly can help you to get partial or full coverage from your insurance company on your damaged roof.
Here is everything you need to know about homeowners insurance
coverage for roof replacements, put together by insurance comparison and broker app Jerry
! Types of roof damage covered by homeowners insurance
As roofs are a fundamental part of the structure of your house, most insurance policies list roof protection under the coverage section of your homeowner’s insurance policy. However, most homeowners insurance policies will only cover partial or full roof replacement if the damage is caused by a named peril, like a force of nature or accidental event.
For example, elemental damage caused by falling debris from a tornado generally qualifies homeowners for a total or partial roof replacement. Other covered events typically include:
Wind and hail damage
Wind and hail damage coverage operates slightly differently than other named perils. As insurance companies have seen a surge in roof claims over the past few years, policies covering hail or wind damage have been adjusted to a sliding scale rather than outright full coverage.
You may find that you can only buy “actual cash value” coverage for wind and hail damage if your roof is too old to qualify for replacement value coverage. This means that your insurance reimbursement will depend on the depreciated value of your roof at the time of the damage (taking into account how old the roof and materials are).
That said, every policy is different, so be sure to check with your provider before making a claim.
Key Takeaway While insurance providers typically cover roof replacement if caused by a named peril, the amount of coverage will vary depending on your provider and policy.
Types of roof damage not covered by homeowners insurance
While most homeowners insurance policies will cover elemental roof damage caused by specific perils, the types of natural disasters covered depend on the plan.
For example, flood and earthquake damage are often not included as named perils. If you live in areas at high risk for these types of disasters, you should consider separate flood insurance and earthquake insurance, which are offered by many companies.
Additionally, insurance companies will not take financial responsibility for the lack of maintenance on the homeowner’s part. Where preventative and regular care to your roof can be taken, it should.
How to file a roof damage insurance claim
If your roof has been damaged by a named peril, you’ll need to contact your insurance company. Here are the steps you need to take for a successful claim.
Assess the damage to your roof
First things first–you need to know just how bad the damage is to your roof. If you are physically able and it is safe to do so, access your roof to get the full scope of the damage. If it is not safe or you are not physically able to get onto your roof, you can hire a local roofing company to assess the damage for you. Your insurance company may have preferred companies that can help.
If you need help understanding the details of your policy, contact your insurance provide (or contact the helpful agents at Jerry
!). Properly document your roof damage
To validate your insurance claim, you will need specific documentation of the damage to provide to your insurance agency. Make sure to take accurate photos of the damage and fill out a detailed report of all that is damaged (interior and exterior), as well as a list of what will likely need to be done to repair the roof.
If you have recent photos of your roof from before the damage took place, send them with the previously mentioned documents to help prove that the damage was recently caused.
MORE: Does your home insurance cover flooded basements?
Know what your homeowner’s insurance covers
You will need to be familiar with your insurance plan and what it covers before you file a claim. If you are not familiar with your plan, take time to review it.
As you review your insurance policy, make sure that your type of roof damage will be covered, and make note of any other important information, like what types of damage your policy covers.
If you need help understanding the details of your policy, contact your insurance provide (or contact the helpful agents at Jerry
!). Contact your homeowner insurance agency
Get in contact with your insurance agent as soon as possible to begin the process of filing a claim. Some companies have limits as to how long they’ll accept a claim, so you must inform them of your claim promptly.
Get an estimate
Once you alert your insurance agency of the damage, find a local roofing company and request a written estimate of the replacement costs to give to your agent.
If a full replacement of your roof is needed, be sure to have the roofing company mark this in their report and highlight that basic repairs won’t be a possible solution.
MORE: Home insurance terms you need to know
File your claim and meet with an insurance adjuster
With the help of your insurance agent, file a claim using the claim forms your insurer provides. If there has been interior damage, be sure to include furniture receipts and a cost estimate of repairs.
If your home is damaged so greatly that it is not safe to stay on the property, be sure to include hotel housing costs as well. Most homeowners insurance policies will include these costs as additional living expenses.
Once your claim is filed, it will need to be validated by an insurance adjuster. Try to have your roofing contractor present when the insurance adjuster visits so they may discuss the needed repairs together.
Replace your roof
It's time! Once your claim has been approved and your quote is set to properly cover the repairs, it’s time to hire your roofing contractor and fix your roof!
Key takeaway Take documentation of the damage as soon as you are aware of it, and contact your insurance agency as quickly as possible. As long as your documentation is correct, your agent will be able to walk you through the rest!
Preventing roof problems
While most preventative measures cannot stop a natural disaster from causing damage to your home, preventative care can prolong the lifespan of your roof and inhibit smaller issues, such as leaks, from forming.
Below are a few preventative care measures you can perform on your roof:
Regularly inspect your roof
Check for cracks, leaks, missing shingles, etc.
At the end of the fall season, it is especially important to clear your gutters of leaves and debris
Keep close-hanging branches trimmed
Remove debris from your roof
MORE: Home insurance liability coverage
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How to find the right homeowners insurance
Not all insurance companies will treat roof damage claims the same. If you are looking for a certain level of coverage, you will need to compare multiple plans to find what you need.
With an insurance
comparison app like Jerry
, comparing plans can be done in seconds! By simply downloading the app you can compare quotes from top companies in seconds. The best part—Jerry will help you with all paperwork and changeover. “Jerry
was wonderful! I used it for my auto and renters policies. I trusted it so much that I signed up my homeowners insurance under Jerry as well. All of the agents are amazingly nice and knowledgeable.” —Mary Y.
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