Weird right? Where did everyone all of a sudden come up with the thousands of dollars needed to buy a new roof? Why roofs? Why now? Why are there canvassers coming up to my door offering a free roof inspection? I don’t have the money. My roof isn’t leaking. I don’t want my insurance premiums to go up (they probably already have). I don’t do business with door-to-door salesmen.
My roof is fine. Go away!
Am I Missing Out? Can I Get a New Roof?
You may be missing an opportunity you don’t even know you’re missing. The old saying goes, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Let me shed some light about how your neighbors have most likely had their insurance cover the majority, if not all, of the costs to have their entire roof replaced.
Sounds scammy right? It’s not.
The roofing business has evolved over the last 15 years and I was able to see firsthand the changes and how it has affected insurance companies, homeowners, and contractors all across the country. It’s evolving right now with changes in technology and efforts to attract and retain policyholders.
Why Are Contractor Knocking On My Door?
When hail causes widespread damage, roofing contractors are usually first on the scene to inspect the roof. Why? Follow the dollar. Contractors know that if there’s damage, the insurance company will likely cover the cost. In the roofing industry, the salesmen are selling a product that someone else is paying for.
The problem in the roofing industry is that it is notorious for scammers and just flat-out bad contractors, who, even if they aren’t scamming you, don’t have the expertise, professionalism, or knowledge to navigate the insurance process. It’s important to find a knowledgeable, professional contractor to help you through the claim. Many people don’t even get that far.
Many people may feel apprehensive because they’re worried that their insurance is going to go up.
Will My Increase Premium Increase If I File a Claim?
Catastrophic events are different than individual events. Hail and wind storms affect thousands of people, so the insurance industry will not penalize policyholders individually because they file a claim when it comes to catastrophe events. They may raise rates in a general area since there were lots of claims filed.
Now if you burn the turkey at Thanksgiving and start a kitchen fire, or back into your garage door after a couple of “cold ones”, well, your insurance company might see you as a higher risk because you are more prone to accidents and might increase your policy premiums or drop you.
Catastrophe events are evaluated differently, so don’t be afraid to have them come take a look. Remember, after a certain time frame (6 months – 1 year with most insurance companies), you cannot file a claim, and you will be responsible for any damage caused by the event. Hail bruised shingles and can take years to start leaking.
Have it looked at by your insurance company just to be safe. Meaning if they say there’s no damage, and something comes up later as a result, you can at least have documentation that they looked at it and said that there was nothing there at the time.
Should I File A Claim? How Does This Work?
Most homeowners will only file a few homeowner’s claims in their life, so the process is unfamiliar. Should I have a roofer inspect first? Do I have the insurance inspect first? How does it all work? The scarcity of the usage of the homeowner’s policy and the emerging changes in the process like the two-check payment system causes a lot of confusion for many homeowners. That’s why it’s important to find an expert who can help. Mammoth Roofing & Solar never charges for an inspection and there is no obligation.
Any top-tier roofing contractor will offer a free inspection to determine if you have damage from a catastrophic wind or hail event. They should also be familiar with your insurance company and its procedures so as to give you the best chance to have a positive result when it comes to the claim.
10 People Have Knocked On My Door Offering A Free Inspection. How Do I Know Who Is Legit And Who’s A Scammer?
My advice is to go with your gut when it comes to talking to someone initially, but do your due diligence before you let anyone on your property. If someone looks professional, ask them for their credentials.
- Are you local?
- Have you done work in this area?
- Do you have references?
- Do you have insurance for Liability and Worker’s Comp in case someone gets hurt on my property?
- Can you provide me a certificate of insurance to verify?
- Is your company registered and accredited with the Better Business Bureau?
If a contractor looks professional, and answers these questions with confidence, they might be a good candidate to get the process started for you by inspecting your roof. If you decide to move forward with the contractor, never give them any money upfront, this is how people get scammed. As you can probably guess, Mammoth Roofing & Solar provides insurance certificates and credentials to all of our potential customers and can be found on the Better Business Bureau.
Most importantly, we never ask for money upfront or money down. The first time you pay us is after we have met with your insurance, gotten the roof approved and replaced your roof.
Let Me Guess “Mr.Roofer”, You’re Going To Say I Need A New Roof, Right?
Probably. Why would a roofer be knocking on your door if they didn’t feel confident that the damage in the area was sufficient to warrant a claim and subsequently be approved by the insurance company? I have had customers who were very cautious in trusting a roofer who looked at the roof and wanted an unbiased opinion.
That is why, if we at Mammoth find sufficient damage, we document it with photos and a scope analysis for your records so that you have evidence for your insurance company. If you need help with contacting the insurance company or filing the claim, our experts are trained on this process and we would be happy to help.
What Is Hail Damage? What Is “Enough” For A Claim?
You don’t want to involve the insurance company unless there is sufficient damage to warrant a claim. Many contractors will take a quick look at the roof, circle a few spots that can look like tar or bird poop, show you a few pictures and tell you that you need a whole new roof. A good contractor knows the process by which the insurance companies evaluate the damage and performs the same process in assessing the damage.
Mammoth Roofing & Solar inspects everything around your exterior and interior if applicable to be sure nothing is overlooked when it comes to your coverage. Roof, siding, gutters, downspouts, window screens, window beading, windows, paint, trim, hot tub covers, BBQ grills, fences, and many other things you may not have even thought of are likely covered under your property insurance policy. It’s
important make sure everything is accounted for.
I Keep Hearing Sqaure Regarding Roofs. What Is A Test Square?
In addition to a thorough exterior inspection, we perform a detailed analysis of the roof damage by drawing “test squares” on the roof on all for sides/slopes. A “square” when it comes to roofing just means a 100 square ft area. A “test square” is a 100 square ft area where we mark hail strikes and wind damage to determine the number of “hits” or “hail strikes” required to replace that slope.
Generally, most insurance companies require 6-8 hits per test square on 25 year shingle roof and 8-10 hits per test square on a 30 year dimensional shingle roof. Some require more, some less, and some determine damage differently depending on the age and condition. That’s why it’s important to have a trained expert perform your initial inspection.
Should I Have The Roofer Meet My Adjuster?
So you have filed a claim and the insurance company has scheduled an adjuster to come to take a look at the damage. The contractor indicates that they want to be there to meet the adjuster. Should you let them? Absolutely. The contractor wants the insurance company to approve the roof as bad as you do.
Also, the contractor can discuss the scope of work with the adjuster to make sure they are on the same page when it comes to the scope, price, and measurements. This will avoid delays down the road and will make sure that all coverage is applied from the policy.
If you have done your homework and chosen a professional contractor with experience in insurance restoration, they will know how to work with an adjuster to make sure the claims process goes smoothly.
Who Can I Trust?
My name is Scott Edwards, I have worked in the roofing and insurance restoration business since 2011. I was one of the top consultants for one of the largest residential roofing contractors in the country. You know those guys knocking on your door offering free inspections? That was me. I now own a national roofing company called Mammoth Roofing & Solar headquartered in San Antonio, TX.
In fact, if you’re a Cibolo or a Schertz resident, you’ve probably seen a lot of our vehicles in your area because of the hail and wind event from April 13, 2018 and May 13, 2018.
What Makes A Good Roof?
Once the roof is approved by the insurance company, you want to find a company that puts on a great roof and offers a great warranty in case anything goes wrong.
Mammoth Roofing & Solar tears the roof off down to the decking to check for rotten wood, uses synthetic felt, ice and water shield around all penetrations, ice shield in the valleys, ice shield to code, 6 nails per shingle, highest quality materials from local suppliers, metal flashings, style D metal drip edge, chalk lines to make sure the shingles are straight and new vents to code.
We use a dumpster trailer that takes away debris the same day. We use magnets to pick up nails and metal debris.
What Makes A Good Warranty?
A good warranty is long-term. Most contractors’ warranty for their labor is 2-5 years. A few offer a ten-year labor warranty. And most contractors that offer a longer labor warranty than five years are using the manufacturer to pick up the slack after the first two years. Be careful, read the fine print.
The contractor often has to register the warranty with the manufacturer (which may not happen). They also have to use the correct accessories or the warranty has no coverage. And if it’s not installed perfectly to manufacturer specifications, the manufacturer won’t offer coverage.
The last thing a homeowner wants to do is have to wait for a legal battle between the manufacturer and the contractor to get their roof fixed. Mammoth Roofing & Solar offers a Lifetime warranty for their roofs. If the roof leaks because of material issues or installation issues, we come to fix it. 30 years. Lifetime Two Tusk Warranty covers labor and material for the life of the product we install. The warranty is transferable, not pro-rated, and covers exterior and interior if there’s ever a problem with our installation.
We take 100% accountability for our work. You can’t beat that.
