Roof damage is not only a frustrating ordeal for the homeowner, but it can be immensely stressful as well. Yet, what can make this situation that much worse is if an insurance adjuster ends up denying your roofing claim. And the first thing these homeowners want to know is- What do I do now?
In this blog post, we will examine two ways that an adjuster can deny your claim (getting on your roof and by drone) and what you can do to get that decision by your adjuster reversed.
Adjuster on Your Roof and Denied Claims
So, what do you do if your adjuster gets on your roof and denies your claim, especially if you had a roofing contractor confirm that you DO have hail damage? We are going to take a look at two perspectives on this issue, from an insurance adjuster and a roofing contractor.
From an Insurance Adjuster Perspective:
It's fine to request a second inspection-or a re-inspection of your roof. Customers are entitled to this, especially if they believe there is valid damage. An adjuster, however, may try to convince a homeowner that unless there was some kind of unfortunate customer service situation, most insurance carriers are not going to honor a request for a new adjuster. The insurance company will likely view a request for a new adjustment as an attempt to get a second opinion from the same company, or in other words, "let's try as many adjusters as we can until we get what we want."
In our opinion, a negligent or inexperienced adjuster who denies a claim for obvious damage, is, in fact, an "unfortunate customer situation." In theory, all adjusters at a company are trained in the same standard of estimating guidelines, so again, in theory, the outcome should be the same.
From a Roofing Contractor Perspective:
From our perspective, if a roof has actual damage on it, and the insurance company denies your claim, we have instructed clients to call the insurance company and request a re-inspection with a different adjuster. In our experience, we have had success with this option. For example, we had one claim where the hail damage was pretty visible, and the first adjuster denied the claim. When the second adjuster came out for the second assessment, he indicated that the first adjuster was in the wrong, and there was, in fact, hail damage.
That is why, if you have a situation where you have had roof damage, and an adjuster denies your claim, all is not lost. There is still a possibility that as long as a roofing contractor has confirmed that damage does exist, you should request a re-inspection with a different adjuster. However, if there is no damage, then the above insurance adjuster perspective could ring true.
Drones and Denied Claims
What if your adjuster inspects your roof with a drone and denies your claim?
Drone use has become a hot topic, and more adjusters are using them to inspect roof damage, without actually getting up on the roof. So what do you do in this situation? Well, it is not very different from any other denied claim. The overall process is still the same:
- Call the insurance company and ask for a second inspection, preferably with a second adjuster, and be sure to request that a drone not be used.
- If working with a roofing contractor, the contractor can call the insurance company themselves and ask for a re-inspection.
However, one important note- make sure that after that second inspection that your insurance company does not charge that as a second claim on your record. Rather ensure that they know that is just a re-inspection.
If you have any more questions about re-inspections, insurance companies, or your roofing needs, do not hesitate any longer. Contact us today and let us get you the professional roofing help that you want and need.
