Insurance Claims
Insurance Claims
Baton Rouge & Surrounding Areas
Storm damage is considered an insurance loss on your homeowner’s policy. Many insurance companies will pay the cost, minus the deductible, for replacing a damaged roof. EPIC Roofing in Baton Rouge specializes in accident and weather related damage repair as well as replacement. These incidents can be stressful so we will help you and meet with your insurance adjuster if requested. With EPIC Roofing you pay no out-of-pocket expense other than your insurance deductible. Therefore we will accept what your insurance company will pay for the claim, ensuring the highest quality repair or replacement. You may also benefit from upgrades that we typically offer as signing incentives, such as upgrades no additional charge.
The Process
First, we need a copy of your insurance adjusters summary report so we can review the scope of work and check all measurements to ensure all damage is fairly evaluated and reported accurately
We then match our contract to the work specified in the insurance adjusters summary report, including any supplements that may need to be added if the insurance adjuster missed something.
We fax the signed contract to the insurance company.
Lastly if there is a mortgage on the home, the mortgage company’s name will most likely be on the check along with yours. Most likely there will be several forms to be filled out by us and notarized.
Insurance Claims – FAQ
Q. How do I know if I have hail damage? My roof isn’t leaking.
A. In a hailstorm, most hail that hits your roof and house may be too small to cause any damage. But it’s best to have your roof inspected by a state licensed roofing contractor to determine if you need to file an insurance claim.
Q. The insurance company withheld depreciation on my roof. Will I get that money?
A. Yes. Most all home owners policies cover full replacement value. The first check the insurance company gives you is the Actual Value (AV),what the roof is worth with it’s useful remaining life. The money that was withheld is called the depreciation, or the Replacement Value (RV) and will be paid to you when the work is completed or often upon the submission of a signed contract with a licensed contractor.
Q. Why did the insurance company withhold depreciation?
A. There are two reasons that the insurance companies hold some money back. One is to make sure that you get the work done. The second reason is that they wish to make sure that you pay your full deductible. The insurance companies reason that, if you are given all the money to begin with, you may try to find a contractor who would perform the job for the dollar amount in hand. By holding a remaining amount, they can adjust the amount of the final payout based on the roofing contractor’s invoice, thus assuring that the customer does pay the deductible.
Q. How can I avoid paying the deductible?
A. Legally, you can’t. Of course, a roofer in collusion with a homeowner can submit falsified invoices. However, doing so is insurance fraud. Please don’t ask us to do this.
Q. On my paperwork, it looks like my insurance company has already deducted my deductible from the check they sent me?
A. The deductible is the amount that the homeowner is responsible for paying directly to the contractor. The insurance company subtracts the home owners deductible amount on the paperwork from the total amount the insurance company allows for the claim, since the homeowner will pay their deductible directly to the contractor. The balance after subtracting what the homeowner will pay directly to the contractor as a deductible, is the total amount the insurance company will actually pay for the claim.
Q. The insurance is only paying for part of my roof, and my neighbor’s insurance company paid for their entire roof; why is my insurance company only paying for part of my roof?
A. No two houses receive the same amount of damage in a storm. Your neighbor may have sustained extensive damage, and you may have received none. The coverage will only pay for the damages incurred however, if is it border line, it always helps to have your roofing contractor inspect the roof with your insurance adjuster to accurately assess all damage to the roof. Sometimes insurance adjusters may not be able to see all the damage if they’re not able to walk on a step roof. Synergy Roofing in New Orleans ensures a helpful presence to look out for your best interest and assist the insurance adjuster with damage assessment.
Q. Should I get several estimates?
A. It is always prudent to get more than one estimate. However, when insurance is paying for the work, the dollar amount of the estimate is not very important as long as it is equal to or less than the insurance company estimate. Therefore with Synergy Roofing in New Orleans you will be paying your deductible, plus what the insurance company pays.
Q. What if your estimate is greater than the insurance company’s estimate?
A. Sometimes the insurance company misses something, in these cases we can compromise with them. The insurance company will review our report and upon approval, send a check for the additional monies for
repairs.