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Tips on Working with your Insurance Company for Wind Damage

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When leaving in coastal environments and even inland 50-100 miles, tropical force winds are a real threat. Recently, we had Super Storm Sandy in PA and NJ that caused Billions of Dollars in Damages. But how do you make sure that your claim gets recognized and settled properly among all the chaos?

5 Must-know Tips When Working With Your Homeowners Insurance:

  1. Don't worry about your rates going up because you call your insurance company. Homeowner's insurance is not based off of your individual home record, unlike drivers insurance. Insurance actuaries look at the hundreds of thousands of homes in an area and then determine risk. For "Act of God" accuracies like wind, storm and hail damage they will not raise your individual rate based on if you call or not.
  2. Avoid out of town storm chasing companies. When disaster strikes so do opportunists. It is important to find a local company that knows what they are doing and can actually help you with your insurance claim. In some neighborhoods you will see 10-30 job signs pop up from a company you never heard of. They have a great pitch and often times set up temporary offices but when the work is done they leave for the next storm. The major problem with this is, with no long term plans of sticking around, these companies often take short cuts when installing your roof, siding or windows!
  3. You Don't Need 3 Estimates to Submit. Many homeowners think they need 3 estimates to submit to the insurance company when in actuality all they need is one. Insurance estimates do not look traditional home improvement estimates and if you find a company or adjuster who knows what they are doing, they will submit a thorough insurance estimate for you. Insurance estimates have many line items with standard pricing for 3-tab shingles, dimensional shingles, removal, disposal, depreciation and more.
  4. 4.      It's all in the Details. When submitting a proper insurance company do not forget the details. Remember, insurance estimates need to include company overhead and profit of 10-15% (contractors need to make some profit, even a modest one) and should include all removal, disposal, any temporary fixes you did. In addition, make sure if they are not replacing the entire project of siding that they include painting of the other sides to match. Often times this will make it feasible to replace the whole house. In addition, the claim isn't closed till after all the work is complete so if there is any interior water damage to plywood (not originally seen) you can submit that for additional payment. 
  5. 5.      Public Adjuster or Not. For whole house claims it may make sense to hire a public adjuster but the best way to go is to hire a local contractor with a background in insurance estimates like Global Home Improvement out of Feasterville, PA. Public Adjusters can get you 10-20% more money from your insurance company but often times that just covers there fee while you avoid the headache of dealing with the insurance. At Global Home Improvement, we act on your behalf for FREE! All we ask is that we do the work once the claim is complete. And who wouldn't want Global doing their work? Check out globalhomeinc.com to schedule your free insurance consultation so you can get the money you deserve.

For more information on insurance estimates for wind damaged roofing and siding check out globalhomeinc.com or call 888-234-2929 to schedule your free insurance consultation so you can get the money you deserve.

Copyright Global Home Improvement 2013. Serving PA, NJ and DE.

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