# Insurance/ Roof Wind Damage Question



## wind power (Sep 29, 2010)

Hi I need some advice here from folks who have been in this situation:
In 1987 I built my home, the roof has the standard 20-25 year three tab shingles.
I was looking to replacing the roof in a few more years but a recent stom took away a few tabs here and there... nothing major....not surprising the shingles had practically reached the end of their life.

However the wife says call the insurance company and file a claim she got this idea beacuse after a few roofing quotes, they said we had also undergone some slight hail damage over the years. 

However the insurance company says we will loose the 10% discount for not filing any claims, but there is a slight discount for having a new roof....but the two do not cancel each other out money wise....so its not a wash so to speak

So, I'm thinking, dont fool with the Insurance company becausee they will send an adjuster out here, Im thinking he will depreciate the beegeebers out of the roof beacuse of the age of the shingles and hand us a check for 500 bucks and our rate increase will eat us up on the back side for the next 10 years or so.
Am I right in this thinking?
Thanks for any advice


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

The insurance company comes out they sure will take into consideration how old the roof is. They shouldn`t raise your rates for a claim, things happen, unless they happen alot. Sometimes when you have a major claim, companies will raise your rates, and I have heard of some that will drop you if they have a major claim. So just bite the bullet and put on the new roof yourself. > Marc


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## gaucli (Nov 20, 2008)

The insurance company i have sent someone out to see my damage. First he called to tell me to get 2 quotes. They were both pretty high, that is why he said he had to come out to look at it. By the time he left...he had fixed more than what the quote had been. I was really shocked.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

I agree with Marc, bite the bullet and just put on a new roof without involving the insurance company because you never know on how your submitting a claim will effect insurance costs down the road........


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## tiogacounty (Oct 27, 2005)

Few realize how nasty this type of thing can become. 

First, insurance companies run data bases of claims, yours, your neighbor's, your zip code, etc.... Excess claims from any one of these can mean sky high rates, dropping an individual, or making a request to the state's commission to drop coverage from an area. Second, you cannot assume that calling your agent, or company, to ask a question WILL NOT result in them opening a claim against you. I have had it happen. There are no innocent calls to an insurer, unless you really know and trust the person you are speaking to.

Some states now make the claims data base available to the public, and it can and will be used to check your property during a resale. This is where you can do major damage to your wallet, and expose yourself to one heck of a lawsuit. Lets say you had a small roof leak that left a water stain on your ceiling. You hire a guy to change a piece of flashing on the roof and you repaint the ceiling. You spent a total of $300 to fix the problem, and you forget about it. Now take the same job with a claim. The contractor shows up, tells you that he will file a claim for $2000, and you won't have to pay your $500 deductible, and he will repaint the whole room. It happens all the time, but it isn't ethical or legal. Ten years later you sell the place and forget to disclose the minor and meaningless roof drip you fixed a decade ago. The only problem is that the data is now available forever, since you filed a claim, and you are now failing to disclose a material defect. I have a friend who lost hundreds of thousands in court in this very type of situation.

I unfortunately live in an area where a large percentage of the population is transplants from two major east coast cities. Both are famous breeding grounds for insurance fraud, and a lot of these folks brought their total lack of ethics with them. Consequently, we have seen major price spikes that were zip code specific, and even a refusal to write policies based on addresses. All of this is to avoid the exposure to folks who feel that they have right to repair, remodel, and upgrade their living standards, on the insurance company's dime. 

As for the OP's story. It's pretty simple. Your are well aware that your roof has reached the end of it's usable lifespan. Filing a claim at this point is unethical. Hopefully, the company will deny the claim and it will negatively effect your rates. Sounds harsh? Sorry, but I'm in construction and have to listen to all the scumbag contractors that come out of the woodwork after every rough winter and wind storm. They stand around at the lumberyard and brag about how they work the system, and pull just what you describe. "Well your roof is shot, But......... We can claim storm damage, pad the bill to cover your deductible, any you get a FREE roof" Sorry, but it will get you in the end. Far better to do the right thing now.


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## wind power (Sep 29, 2010)

Yes,
I asked some co-workers about this situation and one fellow said that by simply calling your insurance company ( especially those 1-800 numbers insurance companies offer) it is essentially filing a claim even if you *simply ask questions about a situation and dont follow up on the claim.* 
Yes, The roof has reached the end of its life cycle....heck I personally put the roof on in 1987 and would do it again, I'm physically capable but I simply dont have the time to do it anymore...life is life.
What you folks are parroting is what I told the wife initally...dont involve the insurace company unless you really need them; by getting wiped out by such things as fire, tornado etc etc.
Thanks


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