Will Filing a Roof Claim Increase My Premiums?

Everybody knows that filing an insurance claim for storm damage will make your rates go up…Right? Sure, just like everybody knows that freezing weather causes people to catch colds. Well, Louis Pasteur’s germ theory put an end to that myth about colds in the 19th century (sorry, grandma, but you’re wrong!), and we’re about to put an end to that pernicious roofing myth.

Storm damage claims do NOT increase premiums:

1. Storm damage is a no-fault claim.
   There is nothing you could have done to prevent a storm from passing over your house. And there is nothing you could have done to cause it either, unless you are one of the X-Men. On the other hand, if you file a claim for, say, accidentally flooding your basement by leaving water running in a sink, and then did this again 3 months later, your insurer might consider you to be a “high risk” customer. In that case, they might adjust your premiums accordingly.
   
   But with a storm, there is “no fault” found, so the insurer’s risk analysis doesn’t change.
   
   

2. Roof replacement LOWERS your risk… and your premiums.
   This is a real game-changer. We have found that many of our customer’s premiums go DOWN after they have had the roof replaced! It’s counter-intuitive but it really makes sense: an aging roof is a real liability to the insurer, because it protects the entire house. (In reality, your rates have most likely already gone up slowly as your roof has aged.)
   
   So once your roof is replaced, you get to call your insurer AGAIN and ask for your “new roof discount!” Sounds too good to be true, but it happens all the time.
   
   

3. NOT reporting hail damage to your insurer can cause them to drop your coverage.
   As long as you report hail damage as soon as you discover it, most insurance policies will cover replacement for up to one year from the storm date. However, if you wait too long, the insurer’s obligation to pay for your roof expires. What’s worse, they can even refuse to renew your coverage until you fix the roof out of your own pocket!

   Ready to get that brand new roof that your home deserves? Get started by scheduling an inspection with us here.