Wind Damage
Wind Damage
Wind damage – who to call? The insurance carrier, your agent, a roofer, a tree-removal company . . .
Unquestionably, we suggest you call a contractor first and here is why . . .
1) Most wind claims are below the deductible.
2) Therefore, insurance won’t end up paying on the claim.
3) Surprisingly, they will report a claim on your loss history.
Loss History & Wind Claims
Claims’ loss history impacts your premium. The more claims that you have, the worse Underwriting feels about you. Furthermore, your ability to switch to another insurance carrier is affected by turning in claims. Due to some carriers requirements that you be “claim-free” for 2 years before they will accept you.
Coverage Cap
There is a coverage cap on every insurance policy for fallen trees. Moreover, there is an amount PER TREE and PER STORM. Thirdly, there is a limit REGARDLESS OF THE AMOUNT OF TREES THAT FELL.
Overall, a wind claim is usually under the claims’ deductible, or the coverage cap comes into play and you end up with an enormous tree-removal bill.
In another case, the deductible is usually very close to or equal to the coverage cap.
It is almost never worth it to call insurance, unless the tree fell on your home or your vehicle.
Wind on Roofs
In truth, many roofs that we look at have hail damage that is within the payable loss window which will total out the roof.
In this situation, this mixture of claims can create 2 claims with 2 deductibles being applied. It is always better to report perils that are above your deductible so that your claim history is not necessarily negatively impacted.
‘Get a Wind Estimate’
To emphasize, the insurance company often times will ask you to get an estimate for wind damage. Therefore, you should have called the contractor before insurance . . .
If you are missing shingles, you have a duty to prevent further loss and a roofing company will need to tarp the roof. With this in mind, calling the contractor could have gotten a tarp on your roof.
Therefore, one phone to a contractor will provide you with temporary repairs and an estimate. What’s more, you are in the best possible situation to determine whether you should call insurance.
FREE ROOF INSPECTIONS
We inspect roofs for free all year-round and we write free estimates. Amanda Schmidt, our estimator, has 10-years experience as an insurance adjuster.
With this in mind, she can help you to only turn in losses that are payable and covered under a policy peril. Amanda also is a HAAG Certified Residential Roof Inspector – the only one in North Platte. What’s more, she holds an AIC (Associates in Claims).
Therefore, she can aid you in getting covered claims turned into to your insurance carrier accurately, and only payable claims.
Insurance Speak . . .
Only turning in payable claims helps to keep everyone’s premiums stable and lower. It means less work (overhead expense) for the insurance carrier, so underwriting doesn’t need to re-evaluate rates due to increases in LAE (Loss Adjusting Expense). Correspondingly, it also means that your loss history doesn’t increase, putting your in a higher class rating for risk – therefore your premium stays stable.
You can call us and we will help you to understand if your wind claim is payable.
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This blog is NOT legal advice. It is not insurance policy advice. You should consult and attorney and/or a licensed insurance agent for your specific situation.
