Insurance Claims and Action

Right after last month's big hail storm roofing company signs started sprouting like mushrooms‏ in my neighborhood.  I wanted to make sure we didn't have any hail damage, so I called our homeowners insurance agent's ofice if and asked if they had a list of recommended companies. Their list contained one name, so I called that company.

That evening two representatives of the company (the 'boss man' and a crew leader) stopped by after dinner. The crew leader used a ladder to climb onto the porch roof, then from there accessed the higher portions, and the boss did his observing from the ground.  It took about ten minutes for them to finish, then the boss knocked on the front door and asked me to come outside.

They told me that not only was our roof damaged to the point of needing to be replaced, but we also had other issues the insurance company should address:

• The gutters were dented.  
• The paint was chipped on one side of the house.  
• All of the screens on the front needed to be replaced. 
• A gable vent in the back of the house had some bent slats.  
• Our air conditioners needed the evaporator and condenser fins straightened. 
• The deck stain was ruined; it needed to be power washed and re-stained.

The boss offered to call our insurance company for us and start the claims process. As he did that the crew leader hand-wrote out a contract and asked us to sign it. He explained that the insurance company would send out an claims adjuster to take a look at the house. If I let their company know when that appointment would happen they'd also be there to discuss their findings. After we got the insurance company's approval (and check) we could schedule the work.

The area had so many claims, the insurance company sent in a dedicated storm team. A week later an adjuster from the team, along with a roof specialist, came to the house. True to their word, the roofing company representatives were also there. After introductions were made, I went back inside the house.

Forty minutes later the doorbell rang. It was the adjuster, who asked if he could come in. He started the conversation by saying he had both good and bad news. The good news was that although there was some minor damage he'd be giving us a check for, overall our house looked good. The bad news was that, although many of our neighbors would be getting a new roof, we did NOT need one. He explained that he believed the roofing company was overly aggressive when they told us our roof was ruined (and he used some unattractive terms to describe their business practices). When I expressed concern that I'd gotten their name from my agent's office he said he'd be talking to them about the matter.

The adjuster left me with a detailed breakdown of everything that needs to be fixed, and a check to cover the cost of the work and materials. Now we're working on finding reputable contractors to do it.