Make Sure Your Roof is Covered with Proper Homeowners Insurance. Every day, your roofing system protects your family and belongings from the elements. But, are you doing your part to keep your roof that way? Many people tend to believe that their homeowners’ insurance coverage would cover any damage to their roofs. However, this is not always the case.
One of the most critical factors that underwriters consider when writing an insurance policy is the roof condition. For instance, elements such as the roofing material, its age, and the climate of the region where you live, all have a significant impact.
The Florida weather is unkind. So, insurers set a higher risk level for this state and stricter underwriting requisites and compliance standards to its residents.
Therefore, it is critical to know and meet these requisites and standards. In this sense, next, we will show you how you and your insurance provider can protect your roof.
How to keep your roof protected
Did you perform repairs or upgrades to your roof? Then, you should have your insurance coverage reevaluated. This way, you will have both your roof and home properly insured at all times.
Thus, knowing what your policy covers and what it does not is critical. For example, if wind and rain cause water damage to your roof, your policy will likely cover it. However, if a hurricane causes damage, your coverage may not consider it.
So, it may be a good move to add additional coverage if your policy does not cover certain types of damage.
Yet, have in mind that most insurance companies refuse to renew insurance policies for houses with roofs older than 20 years. For this reason, it is critical to keep your roof well maintained for the duration of its useful life.
No matter how old your roof is. Before renewing a policy, an inspector may recommend carrying out repairs or even a replacement. And you have to perform these improvements to renew the policy.
Besides, you must replace the entire roof if repairs cover more than 25% of the roof’s surface, as Texas regulations stipulate.
Likewise, if your roof suffered any damage, you will need to have photos of it on hand. Also, it will be important to up to date these photos once you finish the repairs. So, take “after” pictures and submit them to your insurance provider. The purpose is to document to this company the damage and the repairs you performed.
Maintain your roof in good condition. Moreover, be on the lookout for problems that could scale into greater ones. Some preventive measures include:
Remove any dead tree from your property and trim any tree limb that hangs within 10 feet of your house.
Keep an eye out for damaged or missing shingles or tiles. The excessive loss of shingle granules is a clear indicator of roofing aging.
In this sense, our own Shon Thornburg, a Peak Perfection Contracting Sales Consultant in Marshall, TX, affirms:
“In addition to giving the shingle its aesthetic appeal, these granules protect the shingle’s asphalt layer from the sun,”
Additionally, Nixon said:
“When granules are worn away, direct sun exposure to the asphalt can cause shingles to lose adhesion or become brittle and crack, exposing your roof to moisture that can cause leaks and larger problems.”
When your roof is damaged
Regardless of your insurance coverage, if you discover some damage in your roof or house, you have to contact your insurance agent immediately. However, if natural wear and tear or poor upkeep is the reason for the damage, likely, your policy won’t cover you. Indeed, most insurance plans do not cover this type of damage.
No matter if your policy covers damage that elements may cause, additional factors will affect your ability to be reimbursed for the cost of repairing the damage.
Your policy may cover the entire cost of repairing or replacing your roof if this is newer. But, if your roof is more than ten years old, your insurance company may only compensate you for a portion of the original cost.
Even so, this is not a general rule for all policies. Thus, it is wise to contact your insurance agent ahead of time so you will know for sure.
You can contact Peak Perfection at 903-207-5764 if you want to schedule an inspection of your roof. Also, our team of specialists will provide any additional information you may need on how to keep your roof protected.
If you need more information about land for sale in Texas or selling your home in Texas get in touch with Texas Landsource or our sister site Louisiana Landsource.