Will My Homeowners Insurance Pay For A New Roof

Will My Homeowners Insurance Pay For A New Roof? If your roof is wrecked by some weather condition then every policy will pay the homeowner to replace their roof. If you need to replace your roof because of age then the responsibility falls on the homeowner and your insurance will not pay for a new roof.

Dealing With The Weather

The roof is the first line of defense defending a home against various weather conditions. If you live in the North then you may have to worry about ice and snow putting a heavy strain on the roof. If you live in the South, then your roof will have to stand up against winds that could reach hurricane speeds. The insurance company will make the final decision on whether or not they will cover the costs for a roof if it was wrecked by the weather.

Usual Upkeep

How long your roof will last is determined by what materials were made to construct your roof. The person who owns the home is the one at fault if the upkeep of the roof is neglected. If your roof starts leaking and it causes damage to the home then you are most likely covered regardless of who you have your homeowners’ insurance policy with. The cost of fixing the leaky roof itself will fall on the homeowner.

Stopping Something Before It Happens

People who own their homes can keep problems from happening by paying attention to their roofs. It is recommended that you have your roof inspected routinely by professionals who have experience inspecting roofs. Numerous businesses that work on roofs hoping to expand their customer base will offer free inspections.

You will want to make sure your home and roof don’t violate your local building codes especially if strong winds usually occur in your area. It would also be wise to make sure your roof is not holding a puddle of water and you don’t leave garbage like dead leaves or pine straw on your roof for too long. Another way of preventing problems with your roof is making sure branches of trees nearby don’t come close to the roof.

Having Your Insurance Pay To Replace The Roof

Many companies will offer nothing or only a fraction of what repairs cost if your roof is more then 20 years old. Other reasons companies might not pay could include: your roof having multiple layers, your roof is made up of materials that cost more, or just not attending to your roof in general.

Before any problems arise, call your insurance company and schedule an inspection. You will want to have your policy, descriptions of inspections that happened in the past as well as evidence of any damage that has happened to your roof before. Having this information ready for when the insurance adjuster checks out your roof will assist you if you have to make a case.

Steps To Drive Down The Cost

If you have to replace your roof, it could cost as low as $260 or be as high as $700 for every square foot that needs to be repaired. If your roof is made of asphalt, then the cost might be lower then it normally would for someone who has a roof made of metal or tile. But the following are ways you can drive down how much it would cost to repair your roof:

1. Get Informed: Make yourself aware of how big your roof is and what materials they are made of before you start hiring anybody
2. Get A Few Different Prices: You will want to consult a few different companies and check reviews before you decide on a company. Just because someone offers the lowest price doesn’t mean they will be the best choice because you could end up sacrificing quality to save money. Make sure the company you hire will offer a guarantee on the materials they use.
3. Pick The Best Time Of Year: Autumn and the end of summer are when companies are the busiest. If you choose to do the work at a different time of year, you might get some money taken off the cost of business is slow during that specific time of year.
4. Do What You Can Yourself: If you know what to do, start the work yourself, start the job yourself. If you don’t know where to start, at least make sure the roof doesn’t have garbage lying around that the workers would have to clear themselves.
5. Add a second layer: This is when you leaving the existing shingles on your roof and you put new ones on top by creating an overlay. This will shorten the amount of time the job will take but it could cancel any warranties that the supplies used would carry. This could also be a disservice by creating more garbage then needed.

If you keep these tips in mind then you may not have to spend as much as it normally would cost to repair your roof or you could avoid having to repair your roof if your current one is still strong. Just remember that eventual care could avoid a big bill in the future.