 Depending on the type of material your roof is made of (tile, shingle, metal, etc.), the length of time you’ve had it, and the wear and tear it has gone through, roof replacement may be necessary.
Roof maintenance and replacement are a routine part of property ownership. However, sometimes, severe weather patterns such as hail and hurricane force winds, can cause the need to replace your roof at a moment's notice. This can be costly when you have not planned or saved for it. While insurance policies are relatively specific regarding roof damage and when they will replace or repair the damages, you may have a separate hurricane deductible, which is typically higher than your All Peril deductible. The age of a roof is a strong indicator of how well a roof will withstand ongoing wear and tear—including hurricane force winds. That coupled with recent legislation (Senate Bill 76) passed by the Florida senate, is leading the discussion in regards to how insurance companies are now forcing roof replacement if your roof has reached its peak, or a certain age. Does This Mean That Your Insurer Can Force You To Replace Your Roof? Insurance companies are for profit businesses, and they evaluate and calculate the financial risk covering your property poses to them. Your insurance company can ask you to replace your roof and may threaten to cancel your insurance policy if you do not. As you know, we are in hurricane season. If Florida sustains a hurricane this year and your roof is damaged, the insurance company may only offer to pay for a fraction of your total roof replacement cost and may state there was prior damage to your roof. That is where our services are most important. Not only are we licensed public insurance adjusters who are licensed and bonded to legally represent an insurance claim, we also offer Pre-Loss Property Inspections to document and show the condition of your property prior to a loss. With our state of the art drone technology, we document the condition of your roof and provide photos and/or video documentation of the interior and exterior of your property. Don’t miss out on our reduced pricing for hurricane season! The bottom line is that no insurance company can force you to replace your roof. However, they can choose to cancel your policy or deny your roof replacement claim, should you choose to not replace your roof. Like many bills, the Florida Insurance Reform Bill has a long list of pros and cons, one of which being that it still requires full replacement of roofs under 10 years old. And for older roofs, companies will be allowed to charge lower premiums but cover less when the roof is damaged, based on what the roof is currently worth. How To Proceed With A Roof Claim? Most insurance policies will include clauses stating that the property owner is responsible for routine maintenance, such as gutter or window repairs. If you have, or need to file a claim for your roof, you should contact a public insurance adjuster to help you settle your claim efficiently and effectively. At Reliant Insurance Adjusters, we treat every client’s claim as if it were our own and are dedicated to providing you with the professionalism, experience, knowledge and resources to get you the highest possible settlement for your claim.
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