When damage is done to the roof of your home or commercial building, it’s common to feel uncertain about the first actions you should take.
[Obviously, safety is priority #1, and if your roof is damaged badly enough to have created an unsafe environment, it’s recommended that you relocate to somewhere safe before taking next steps.]
In the wake of turbulent weather like a hail storm, heavy rains, or high winds, roof damage can be extensive and difficult to fully appraise. This leaves home and business owners considering one of two calls to make: one to the insurance company to start the claim process, and the other to the roofer for a comprehensive damage evaluation.
…or should you call both and schedule their respective visits as quickly as possible?
At A-to-Z Roofing & Exteriors, our loyalty is to the customer, not their insurance company. We want what is best for you as the property owner, and as such, we’re sharing some of the lessons we’ve learned throughout our 27+ year-long history of providing professional roofing services to the Denver metro area.
You Want What the Roofer Wants
Every company in the US is in business to make a profit. That’s basic capitalism.
When you consider the business goals of the roofer versus the business goals of the insurance company, the answer to the ‘Who to call first’ question is made obvious.
The insurance company wants to pay you the least amount of money to adequately compensate you for property losses.
The roofer wants to perform quality work at a reasonable price in order to restore your roof to its original condition, making you a customer for life.
Because the roofer’s goals are almost always more in-line with your goals as the property owner, they are often your best ally in coordinating claim documentation with your insurance company.
So, because the roofer wants what you want (and not what the insurance company wants), your best bet is to call the roofer first.
Here are three main reasons.
Insurance Adjusters and Claim Managers are Trained to Conservatively Document Damage.
No matter how long an insurance adjuster has been working in their field, they are not a trained roofing technician. They may know some basics about the anatomy of a roof, it’s component parts, and roughly how much work and material may be needed to repair damage, but because they have a bottom line to protect, they’re always going to be conservative with their damage estimates (and therefore, your claim settlement).
The Roofer Can Be an Advocate for You
When you call the roofer first, think of it as calling in help in to deal with your insurance company. Without a roofer in the claim negotiation process, you only have the insurance company’s suggestions and contractor recommendations to go by.
At A-to-Z Roofing & Exteriors, we see this all the time: a homeowner incurs a property loss in the form of a hail-damaged roof, they call in the insurance company, and they accept a claim settlement that is much lower than it should be, leaving the homeowner on the hook to pay the difference.
If the homeowner were to have called the roofer first, the more extensive (and more difficult to detect) damage could have been identified and covered by the claim settlement.
Another great feature of calling the roofer first is that often the roofer can work on your behalf in dealing with the insurance company. This removes a significant amount of administrative burden from you as the property owner.
You Have More Control
If you call the insurance company first, one of the first things they’re likely to do is recommend that you use one of their roofing contractors to perform the repair work.
Remember what we said above: the insurance company has a profit margin to protect. Whatever roofing contractor they suggest is likely going to be one that is the cheapest (and the cheapest is almost never the best).
When the insurance company chooses your roofer for you, you lose a large amount of control over the work that is done to your property.
Save Time and Hassle! Call A-to-Z First
Don’t make the mistake of letting the insurance company call the shots.
Contact A-to-Z Roofing & Exteriors before the insurance company. We’ll provide a detailed analysis of all damage (including hard-to-detect water damage) and work with your best interest in mind, not the insurance company’s!