Roof Insurance Claims

1. Verify the damage

The first step is to make sure you have storm-related damage. Some homeowners will go up on their roofs and inspect them themselves, but sometimes it takes a professional to find all the damage. We can verify if there is damage and let you know the next steps in how to proceed.

2. Call your insurer

Now that damage has been verified or indicates potential insurance coverage, the next step would be to submit a claim to your insurance company. Your homeowner's insurance website will give you the phone number to call or you can call your insurance representative for more information.

3. File a claim

After calling your insurance company and submitting a claim, then they will send out an insurance adjuster. At your request, the adjuster will set a time with your contractor to walk through the property and inspect the damage together. We highly recommend that one of our salesmen/estimators meet the adjuster at your home. This meeting helps eliminate many questions that may come up later as we help you navigate your claim and complete the repairs needed.

4. Meet the adjuster

At the adjuster meeting, we walk through our investigation of any damage on the exterior of the house. We look at siding, fascia, soffit, gutters, AC units, deck, fences, windows, doors, light fixtures, garage doors, and of course the roof.

5. Receive claim report

After the adjuster meeting, the adjuster (sometimes while we are still there) will write up an estimate for the work needed to restore your home to pre-storm condition. This is where the process and paperwork can be confusing. The insurance company provides a detailed, broken-down estimate, usually with the commonly used “Xactimate” software. We work off of that estimate (another reason why we need to meet the adjuster) and can explain all the Xactimate numbers to you. If there is something the adjuster missed when writing up the estimate, then we can be in contact with the insurance company to submit a supplement and make sure that any missed items are covered.

6. Understanding the claim report

The claim report can be confusing and sometimes overwhelming, because of the way the insurance company writes it up. It has to be detailed so we know what exactly is being covered by the insurance company. The summary gives you the totals of all the work and materials in the claim. The Replacement Cost Value (RCV) is the total amount of the claim that your insurance company says will be needed to complete all the repairs. The insurance company figures out the depreciated value based on the estimated age of the damaged component and holds onto that money until the repairs are completed and verified.

They also deduct whatever “deductible” has been agreed to on your policy from the total amount of Insurance Proceeds. This is usually the only out-of-pocket expense that you are responsible for. The first check the insurance company sends out is the ACV (Actual Cash Value) minus your deductible. Once the work is completed we will send a final invoice to the insurance company so they can release the RCV (Recoverable Cash Value) money to you. That RCV check is signed by you and your mortgage company or bank if they hold a mortgage on your property. We will also request the RCV money and your deductible since the insurer deducts it from the total amount.

7. Get the work done

Once we have agreed on what repairs will be done, we will request a deposit which is usually covered by the ACV money that the Insurance Company has sent you. After receiving that we can order materials and schedule the work to get started. Your designated salesman will be in contact with you as to when and how the work will be scheduled and completed. Depending on what the insurance company covered in their claim, there may be multiple trades working on your home repairs. Roofing is usually done first with one of our experienced roofing crews. The siding is next but works closely with the window installers (if applicable ). One of the last crews on site is the gutter crew. This is also the time we might find additional damage or have to fix something to meet local building codes. We then submit a supplement to the insurance company to cover the cost of any additional damage requiring repair.

8. Submitting final invoice to the insurance company

All the work has been completed and you are relieved! Then we submit a final invoice to the insurance company, proving the work has been completed. The insurance company will then release the RCV money that was helped back by them. We will also copy you on the final invoice so you know the rest of the amount that is owed.

The Final Invoice will be based on our agreed-upon contract and usually the original insurance company claim estimate. We request final payment only after you have received the RCV money. Again, the only additional out-of-pocket for you at this time will be your deductible since the insurer deducts it from the total paid-out claim amount. The check the insurance company sends out may also be made out to your mortgage company. You will need to get your mortgage company to endorse the check and send it back to you.

9. Finishing up

We hope this information helps. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Kingdom Builders representative, or just give us a call at the office number: 612-900-9166. We look forward to coming alongside you to help you navigate your Insurance Claim process!