If you receive storm damage to your home or roof, you likely need both an insurance claim filed and an inspection from a contractor. Many people wonder whether or not they should or are supposed to show their insurance estimates to the contractors. There are definitely things to watch out for, like a contractor asking you to sign over your insurance check over to them, but overall the best thing you can do is let your contractor handle the insurance side of things.
Why Your Contractor Needs to See the Insurance Estimate
After a storm, insurance companies will often be quite busy offering estimates to homeowners who sustained damage. These inspections may be comprehensive and accurate, or they may be fast and furious. Your contractor wants to take a look at what the insurance company found, and compare it to their own inspection. If you are feeling wary about that, have your contractor inspect your home first, before showing them the insurance estimate.
By comparing the two, your contractor can ensure your inspection was done to their thorough standards, and not the insurance adjuster. They can work closely with the insurance provider to ensure your damages they found to get the proper coverage based on the claim. Reputable roofing contractors want the best for you, and they are going to advocate for you against the insurance company, especially if they find far more damage than is noted in your initial claim.
Your roofing contractor has a whole lot more experience dealing with insurance claims and adjustor than you do, and you should trust they can handle it most appropriately. Before they even review your insurance estimate, chances are they have a good idea of what to expect. And they know two things—insurance adjusters are not roofers and can miss small details, and what types of repairs are generally covered by insurance in your area.
The contractors already have a leg up on you, and so if you can find a roofer who will be your advocate and the middleman between you and insurance company, you’ve found the right one. They need to get paid, and so they are, of course, going to ensure the claim covers the repairs they need to do, in the quality and time they need to do it. They will fight for that.
Hiring a Roofer After You Receive an Insurance Estimate
The most important thing to do if you are sitting with an insurance estimate, and needing roof repair, is to watch out for fly-by-night storm chasing contractors. These are contractors who follow storms and drive into town to get some quick work, and then they leave. These are not the contractors you should hire to handle your roof repairs.
Find yourself a reputable local roofer who can handle your insurance claim in painstaking detail to get you what you need. They will take the time to make sure your roof is repaired, and they are paid the proper amount from your insurance company. A storm chaser will rush through, and often use what the insurance estimated for repairs, and either you’ll end up paying out of pocket, or they will cut corners to fit within that estimate.
The short answer for whether or not you should show a roofing contractor your estimate is yes. You can have the insurance adjuster give you a check, cash it, and use it to pay for repairs. However, doing this leaves little room for negotiations, and it also limits your ability to get high-quality roofing repairs. Instead, find yourself a reputable roofer who will advocate for you, negotiate your insurance claim, get the most money for the best repairs, and ensure you can rest easy while they do the work.
An insurance estimate is not set in stone but should and can be worked through and negotiated. At Yellowfin, we provide the customer service, manufacturers warranties, and financing you need to invest in your home the right way. We don’t cut corners, and we won’t leave you high and dry when you need us most. In the event of a storm, and you receive roof damage, we do offer emergency services. Call us at 302-433-6655, and we’ll take care of you.