If you have a re-roof project that is part of an insurance claim, most of the time a roofing contractor will ask you for a copy of the claim document. Should you give your insurance document to your roofer?
There are times when you should give that document to a roofer and times when you shouldn’t, so, let’s talk about both situations.
Why Do Roofers Ask For My Insurance Claim Document?
There are plenty of reasons why the roofer will ask for the claim document. These include:
- When the roofer wants to review and understand your claim, looking at that document will help him know what will and will not be covered by the insurance.
- If items are missing from the claim, or items on the claim are incorrect, having that document helps the roofer know how to interact with the insurance company when requesting supplements to the claim.
- When interacting with the insurance company about your claim, the roofer will need your claim number and adjuster’s contact information. This information is on your claim document.
Do NOT Give A Roofer Your Insurance Claim Document If...
Let’s say you have already filed a claim and you’ve asked a roofer to come start the process of providing you an estimate. If the roofer asks you for your claim document at this first meeting, do not give it to him.
If the roofer has created an estimate for you and you’re meeting with him to discuss his estimate and he wants a copy of the claim document, do not give it to him.
Why?
If you haven’t chosen a roofer to do your project, there’s no need for any of the roofers to have that information. The information in that document is only for the homeowner, the adjuster, and any representative of the insurance company. It contains confidential information about your claim and your property. No contractor who hasn’t been hired to do a job should receive confidential information about your finances, your claim, or your property.
Here are three very important points to consider when you’re in the interviewing stage with contractors:
- This stage should be the interviewing stage, not the estimate-collecting stage. If your project is part of an insurance claim, the cost to you doesn’t change regardless of the cost of the project. Your out of pocket expense is, and remains, your deductible. Therefore, it really doesn’t matter what the estimates are from the contractors. <3 estimates video or blog link>
- Since this stage should be more focused on interviewing roofers and not collecting estimates, focus on finding a contractor who you trust – one who can educate you about the insurance process and your roofing needs.
- If you give all the roofers the claim document and ask them to build their estimates based on the scope of work in the claim, if the claim doesn’t include the proper work to meet code and manufacturer’s installation specs, then you won’t have any product or workmanship warranty if the job is done per the claim document.
Since this part of the process should be focused on choosing the right roofer, not the “right” price, if you have a roofer who wants to get your insurance paperwork right up-front, it probably means he’s too lazy to do the work to investigate your needs and wants for the project and the needs of your repairs. He just wants to get in and get out and move on to the next job.
What if you’re meeting with a contractor who has created an estimate for your project? Should you give him the claim?
When you’re meeting with a contractor who has created an estimate for you, it’s going to be necessary to compare his estimate with your insurance claim. A professional contractor will be able to explain to you what your claim document means and why there are discrepancies between it and his estimate. Without seeing your claim at this meeting, you won’t be enabling your contractor to explain to you how the process is going to work for your project.
At this meeting, if you still haven’t decided on which roofer to hire for your project, I don’t advise that you give the claim document to the roofer.
You SHOULD Give A Roofer Your Insurance Claim Document If...
You’ve met with a handful of roofing contractors, you’ve gained a high level of confidence in one of them, and you’ve signed a contract for that roofer to do your work.
Now is the time to give the roofer the claim document.
This will be critical for the roofer to be able to correctly and adequately discuss his costs for the project, and any differences between his costs and the claim amount, with the insurance adjuster or claim rep.
Having the claim document will enable the roofer to discuss with the adjuster where the claim is missing items, has the incorrect scope of work, or has inadequate payments for materials or labor.
At Homestead Roofing, Inc, we offer roofing services and help you file your insurance claims in Colorado and neighboring counties. You can contact us for a no-strings-attached roof evaluation or visit our website to learn more about us and our services.
