Hail Damaged Roof? Get Satisfaction
If you live in an area that receives large hail that can cause damage to your New Hanover home and personal property, it is helpful to know the claims process and what to expect. When New Hanover has experienced a hail storm, inspect your personal property to see if any damage occurred to your vehicles, siding, shutters or wood fences. This can help you determine if roof damage may have happened.
Instructions
- 1
Write down the date of the hail storm and take pictures of the hail that resulted from this storm. If you were unable to capture pictures, do a quick search online in your location to find news pictures of the hail that fell in Hanover. Save this information so you can show your insurance agent.
- 2
Obtain written estimates from several roofing contractors and have them confirm the damage is from hail. When your New Hanover roofing contractor puts together the estimate, ensure they differentiate which damage is from wear and tear and which damage is from the recent hail storm. Also advise them to inspect other items on your property that may have been damaged from the hail such as AC units, tools, windows and screens. Choose a New Hanover contractor with a good reputation in the event the company needs to return for additional work that needs to be completed. Ask if they are willing to be present when the insurance adjuster comes out to your home.
- 3
Investigate the specific policy and your state regulations to ensure that your insurance company does not drop you for filing a claim for this damage. It is prohibited in most states for an insurance company to cancel your policy due to severe weather-related events that lead to damages.
- 4
File the claim with your insurance company. When you call and speak with a representative, give them the date the damage occurred and offer to send over the pictures you have as well as the estimates from the New Hanover roofing companies. The insurance company will still send someone out, but it helps that you are offering this information up front.
- 5
Meet with the adjuster at the scheduled time. After you have filed the claim, you will be contacted about meeting with the adjuster. If possible, have a representative from one of the roofing companies come out to meet with the adjuster so they can compare notes. Once the adjuster has spoken with the contractor, they will provide you with the settlement amount at that time, or they may have to review the notes further.
- 6
Complete the work as soon as possible after your claim has been approved. If you are approved for the full amount, your insurance company will send you a check for that amount, less the deductible, so you can get the work done. Sometimes the insurance company may not approve the full amount and in this case, the contractor will need to dispute the settlement.
- 7
Cash in on any rewards or benefits your New Hanover roofing contractor is offering you. This could range from an advertising fee to place a yard sign on your property, or you could receive a referral fee from sending the company additional customers. It is vital that you understand the difference between working directly with the contractor for these benefits and receiving rebates and kickbacks. It is illegal to receive rebates and kickbacks.
Article Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_5000235_file-claim-roof-hail-damage.html
North Carolina Restoration Contractors – Your Best Advocate
It truly is upsetting when you think about it. After all, North Carolina, for some reason, trust their insurance companies. They think that their agents are actually looking out for them. They believe that their insurance providers are always fair and honest. This is not always the case. In fact, unfortunately, in many instances, it is just the opposite.
Insurance companies distribute literature, create videos, post blogs to their websites, and use other forms of propaganda, all with a similar theme- “be leery of shady contractors that knock on your door.” They often paint the contractor in a bad light. They insinuate that most contractors that actively pursue and perform insurance repairs are evil, deceitful, or are somehow committing a crime. They like to use words like “scams,” “shady,” and “fly-by-night.”
The reality is that most insurance restoration contractors are honest, hardworking people. Chasing storm repairs is far from easy and the rewards only come to those who outwork their competition. Committing fraud or implementing shady practices is not worth it for insurance contractors and those who take part in them are few and far between.
The reward for contractors that specialize in insurance repairs comes from the jobs themselves. They can make a profit from the insurance approval. Plus, since most contractors that perform insurance repairs tend to work within the same geographical area for an extended period of time, it only behooves them to perform the work properly and timely. This way, they will get more business from friends and neighbors.
Also, many of these contractors tend to perform the same type of repairs over and over again. For example, a contractor that specializes in hail damage repairs may consistently perform cedar roofing replacement or aluminum siding replacement. Certainly, contractors that perform the same type of job over a long period of time will be better at it than one that only performs that type of job every so often.
In fact, most insurance restoration contractors operate like well oiled machines, with a proven system of assisting homeowners with the claims process and performing top-grade installations.
Knowing this, it is sad how insurance companies and those inside the insurance industry try to paint the contractors as less than trustworthy. Are there shady contractors out there? Of course there are. There are dishonest companies within every industry, including the insurance industry. Can anyone say AIG?
Insurance companies do not want contractors to generate business through homeowners insurance claims because this is money out of their pocket. But, the fact remains that people pay for and carry insurance in order to be protected and covered in the event of a loss. All these contractors do is assist homeowners with this process. Insurance contractors are a homeowner’s best advocate- not insurance companies.
Remember, your insurance company, with rare exception, has an obligation to its owners and stockholders to increase profits. Unfortunately, this obligation often gets in the way of their obligation to you as the consumer. So, in a way, all an insurance contractor does is allow for the consumer to receive what is rightfully theirs under the provider’s obligation as the insurer. If an insurance company does not want to honor this obligation, they should not be in the business of insurance.
So, the next time you stumble upon information or propaganda from the insurance industry that slanders insurance restoration contractors or casts them in a negative light, remember that their motive is not to protect you from shady contractors. It is to protect their bottom line.