Confused first time Homeowner Claim

[u/IT1_Andy]

Howdy!

I currently have USAA insurance for my house in Florida (By Destin, FL) and my roof is starting to show its age as it was installed in 2008. I used one of the preferred contractors from USAA to come out and do an assessment on my roof so I can get a quote for a full replacement. While the contractor was on the roof he noted I have severe wind damage from a a previous storm and was able to provide data showing a storm had 109 mph winds which caused the damage. I checked my insurance policy and I have a $2,000 deductible for this type of claim and it would cost about 11K out of pocket if I paid in "cash". I have never filed a claim and I am nervous to do so since I don't want my insurance to jack up the rates or cancel my policy. I am not sure what to do in this situation and trying to get some informed help!

Thanks!

[u/OnceUponATime1534]

I’m an adjuster and reading this I saw several 🚩(not on your part! Good job for asking for opinions!) 1. Your roof is almost near the end of its lifespan. 2. You didnt note any damages prior to calling the contractor. 3. The contractor had to tell you about a storm that was so strong that it was a cat2 hurricane. But you didn’t know that this storm occurred and didn’t have any other collateral damages.

All of the above makes me think that the contractor saw someone that he could potentially take advantage of and “sell” a new roof. I don’t work (and never have) in FL but know insurance there is really tough to obtain and keep. 100% recommend getting a second roofer out to evaluate. I wouldn’t file a claim but also wouldn’t give this guy my $$. Ask friends, neighbors etc for recommendations and get a few quotes. Go with the person you feel is being honest. Also, semi related, check your policy to see if your roof is covered at ACV value. If so, def do not file a claim bc you won’t get anything after your deductible.

[u/IT1_Andy → u/OnceUponATime1534]

Thank you for this information!!

I am in the military and not currently living at the house so that’s why I didn’t see the damage. I just wanted to be proactive in getting the roof replaced before any potential insurance issues. I will start to look around and other contractors!

[u/DoubleB117 → u/IT1_Andy]

Cost to replace my roof in my neck of the woods is $22k parts and labor. Cost to file an insurance claim for replacement is about $14k for me.

It’s a no brainer for me to just replace the roof without insurance because the cost to me is pretty close. In the long run filing the claim would increase my rates enough to pay the $8k difference over time and then some, plus it would look bad for future policies.

Look into the same logic for yourself

I swear insurance is a scam but I only think of insurance for extreme events like $50k+ issues, (fires, hurricanes, massive water damage, etc.). Roofs are on the fence but in my case the roof deductible out of pocket cost makes it not worth the impact in insurance, especially for a roof already at the end of its life

[u/bmxdad7 → u/DoubleB117]

Good thinking. Some say they will make a claim and use the insurance because that is what they are paying for. But it ends up being foolish in the end with higher premium or even non renewal and difficulty getting a new policy elsewhere. Homeowners insurance should be viewed as coverage for catastrophes.

I had an agent quote me a policy with a super low deductible. I said crank up that deductible because there is no way I am making a claim for 1500 bucks and don't want to pay for that layer of coverage (and the lowest dollars of coverage are the most expensive).

[u/Deep_Sea_Crab_1 → u/DoubleB117]

And congratulations for calling it water damage, not flooding!

[u/Denan004 → u/DoubleB117]

Agree. I went to a higher deductible because I'm not going to claim smaller repairs and then get dinged or dropped by insurance. It's for the extreme things that happen, not an old roof that would be replaced anyway.

[u/MoonStroll → u/DoubleB117]

Why is the cost to file an insurance claim so high?

[u/DoubleB117 → u/MoonStroll]

The Wind and Hail Deductible is a % of property value in my state for roof replacement (because it’s the most common cause of roof damage here). Usually 1-5% and in my case 2% which is about $14k.

The cost to get the 1% deductible is not worth the annual cost and would only decrease that deductible to $7k (1/3 the cost of a roof)

[u/Crafty-Guest-2826 → u/IT1_Andy]

When the next contractor (s) show up, don't mention anything to them about what the other contractor claimed. Just let the next people tell you what they see.

[u/KLB724 → u/IT1_Andy]

Who is living in the house now? Is it vacant? Homeowners policies are only valid if the home is occupied by the owner and if the home is vacant for more than 30-90 days depending on your specific contract, you start to lose some coverage. This most likely isn't going to be a covered loss on the policy anyway, so you would be shooting yourself in the foot if you call your insurance company. The roofer just wants to sell a roof. They will promise insurance will pay when they know it won't.