Filing a insurance claim is a simple and fast process.
First you will need to get your insurance policy. On the policy and on the paperwork is a phone number for you to call to file a claim. It should say, “to file a claim” and then the number.
The call will only take a couple of minutes once you are talking with a real person.
They will want your policy number on the paperwork you have and will ask what type of claim are you wanting to file. If it is storm damage due to hail or wind, they will want to know about when the storm happened. If you know the date, give it to them but if you are unsure, say you are not certain and would like to have the roof inspected for damage.
This is important because some insurance companies require you to file a claim within a window from the damage for it to be covered. If you delay or don’t notice, you might be outside the covered time. How do you know if a roof is damaged and when it happened? It’s dangerous to be on the roof and you are not trained on how to tell if it is damaged. It is best to write down the claim number on a notebook and start your journal. Next they will tell you in the next few days that an adjuster will contact you to set up a time to do the inspection… Take whatever date and time they give you.
That is about all it takes to file an insurance claim.. With this information, set aside the date and time to be there for the inspection with the adjuster.
What will the adjuster be doing?
On the date and time set up for the inspection, the adjuster will take some pictures of the house and start walking around the house looking for signs of any damage on the windows, garage door, siding, gutter downspouts and air conditioning condenser. Then the adjuster will climb up on the roof and start by checking the type shingles on the roof and how many layers of shingles may be installed on the roof. Once on the roof they will inspect the whole roof. They will look at all the metal on the roof, the metal spinning turbines, the HVAC metal vent pipes, etc. and then they will inspect the shingles for any damage. They normally inspect each side of the house slope. On the slope they will draw with kids sidewalk caulk, (that washes aways with the next rain) a 10 x 10 square on the roof and inspect for hail damage hits in that area. Each insurance company have their minimum number of hail hits inside this square in order to be part of the determination of sufficient level of damage in order to approve the roof replacement or a repair depending on the inspection findings, or that there is not enough damage to replace the roof.
At this point the adjuster will meet with you and update you on the findings and advise what actions they will do or recommend done.
If there is sufficient damage some insurance companies allow the adjuster to write you a check for the roof and some companies require the adjuster to update the company with their recommendations. The desk adjuster will then contact you and let you know what they plan on doing, approving or disapproving the claim..
In our next blog in our series of insurance claims we will continue the process of what happens when you are approved for the replacement or what are the options if you are denied…
I will walk you through all the possible outcomes dealing with the claim process and why a no is not a no and how we move forward after a no.
Feel free to contact me directly concerning dealing with an Insurance Claim. We know how to work with this sometimes challenging process.