One of the first things to check if you’re doing roof repairs is your home insurance policy. You might not know it, but your policy might be able to cover some ⎯ or even all ⎯ of your roofing costs.
Of course, specifics will differ, and it will all come down to your specific policy or the country where you reside. However, there are some commonalities. Here are some potential situations, and whether you can reimburse your roof work for them or not:
Roof Damage Due to Normal Wear and Tear
This is probably one of the most common reasons most people will do roofing work. Like any part of your house, your roof is subject to normal wear and tear. Especially since it is exposed to the harsh elements, roofs and could require repairs more often.
On average, most roofing needs maintenance every 15−20 years if it’s well built using durable materials. But some homes, unfortunately, suffer from poor workmanship and materials. These could require maintenance after just ten years of existence.
There are many signs of deterioration of your roof and gutter. Things to watch out for include tiles that leak, rusted valleys, cracking or chipping of the mortar around the roof, blockages by leaf and debris, and other issues.
The problem with normal deterioration like this is that it is usually NOT covered by home insurance policies. The conventional wisdom places the responsibility of maintenance to the owners.
This distinction applies even if a calamity caused your roof to collapse or further break down. Typically, insurance would cover it, but if the ultimate cause of your roof deteriorating is lack of maintenance, it’s not counted.
Roof Damage Due to Natural or Man-made Causes
If your roof was damaged due to an outside force beyond your control, this would be covered by your insurance. Situations like these include natural disasters (storms and earthquakes), criminal acts (burglary or arson), or some other accident (fires).
However, most policies will only cover for the repairs that the calamity affected directly. So if your roof tiles get blown off because they were broken to begin with, your policy will most likely not cover this. Again, it’s a matter of root cause ⎯ whether the natural disaster caused the damage, or just exposed it.
Roof Damage Due to Bad Craftsmanship
If your roof was damaged because your roofing contractors didn’t do an excellent job with it, this wouldn’t be covered by your insurance policy. It also applies if your roof didn’t comply with building codes, and thus requires you to do some renovations to rectify those mistakes.
This is why it’s essential to be very picky with who you entrust your roofing work to. If you want the best contractor to do your construction and repairs, pick a company that has a stellar track record like Roofling.