Roof Damage Claims

Roof Damage Claims

When a homeowner has roof damage serious enough to need costly repairs, or even preventative work to avoid serious costs likely to happen soon, they look to the homeowner’s insurance policy for coverage. However, while coverage is sold and offered as a way to protect a homeowner from large costs of repairing a home when there’s something wrong, the motivation of an insurance company works against the homeowner.

Understanding the Insurance Model Motivation

Insurance companies in Naples, FL are businesses that make a profit off of risk. They pool lots of different parties together so that risk is spread out. Ideally, more people pay into the pool than risk damage has to be paid out. The difference becomes profit for the insurance company. However, when damages do occur, resulting in claims, insurance companies are also motivated to avoid costs as much as possible. This is done by pushing back on claims, reducing their costs or outright denying coverage. To do this, insurance companies use a variety of tools ranging from deductibles to the terms of coverage not being met. All the effort assumes that customers more than likely won’t continue to pursue a claim, in which case the insurance provider avoids costs and keeps premiums paid as profit. This systematic approach produces millions in income every year for insurance companies.

The Fundamental Need for a Roof

A roof is more than just a top shelter for a home. It also literally helps keep the house structure together. A roof does several things for a home: 1) it keeps the elements from entering via the top, 2) it provides shelter, and 3) it holds the home walls together and creates pressure to keep them in place. This last part is more important than people think; as a home weakens due to pressure, the walls can cave in if they lose integrity or the ability to keep standing straight. Again, the roof connects all the walls together and creates a combined single structure as a result.

How Roof Damage Can Worsen Over Time

Roof damage occurs in many different ways. Unfortunately, not all of them are immediately obvious. Visible damage can be seen, especially when something heavy falls on a roof, such as a thick tree branch. Additionally, objects flying into a roof can clearly cause damage too, such as damage from high winds, hurricanes or similar. This kind of damage is fairly clear, visible and hard to deny.

However, other damage can occur over time. Age, wear and tear is probably the most common, especially as homes age. The roofing falls apart over time due to exposure to the sun, rain and wind. Eventually, the tiles crumble or fail, and the sub-roof gets exposed. This in turn creates more damage and even water leaks. Pests and birds can also contribute to the damage, creating small damage that grows over time, especially with nesting.

Structural failure causes a roof to start to cave inward, creating a visible depression when seen from the outside. This occurs with age as well as with failure of the support beams inside the attic that hold up the outer roof. Eventually, the whole thing will cave in, and then the attic is exposed to the outside. Sinking or depressed roofs are frequently seen on homes in blighted areas, but surprisingly, they show up on homes that are not maintained well, which is something an insurance company will definitely use as a defense to a roof damage claim if it can.

Covering the Costs of Your Naples Roof Damage

Again, a Naples homeowners insurance policy is typically in place because, with financed homes, it’s required. So, no surprise, homeowners go to it as their first solution when roof damage occurs and needs to be repaired. Roofing repair costs typically costs thousands of dollars, even dozens of thousands, depending on the extent of work and how much repair is needed. Most homeowners don’t have that kind of cash in a bank account or even in savings, so existing insurance makes a lot of sense as a solution.

Insurance providers, however, will put up their barriers as noted above to hold back on costs. And, in some cases, denial of coverage could even occur. 200,000 claims were denied for Hurricane Ian alone, for example. It’s at this point that a homeowner with an otherwise solid home needs legal help. Fundamentally, a homeowners insurance policy is a contract. The homeowner pays for protection, and the provider in return provides protection through financial coverage. When that contract is broken by an incorrect denial, the customer can sue. But due to the technical nature of the contract, an insurance claim lawyer is really needed to cut through the fog and legalese otherwise given by the insurance provider.

Why You Need to Partner with an Insurance Attorney

When it’s time to realize results, bring in the help of a Naples, Florida insurance attorney from the Morgan Law Group. Remember, the processes of an insurance company are designed on purpose to delay and avoid costs. An insurance claim attorney can cut through the confusion and push a direct reaction. Insurance companies don’t want to pay for lawsuits as they cost much, much more. So, they tend to respond when a legal advocate like the Morgan Law Group gets involved. Don’t continue to waste your time with run around for a claim. Bring in legal help instead.