Insurers rarely tell their customers what they can claim compensation for when it comes to damages. If your roof is damaged, it’s worth knowing your rights and the procedures and conditions to follow, and it can lead to the payment of a favorable and correct sum of money.
So here we’re going to show you how to get your insurance company to pay for your roof repairs. But first, here’s a quick takeaway answer, then we’ll dive into some details – as it can get a bit more involved…
How to Get Your Insurance Company to Pay For Roof Repair – If your house is insured, the policy will also cover roof damage. If, as a result of elements such as fire, wind, or water, or other damage or destruction occurs, the insurer is obliged to pay compensation for the repair costs. Backed up by appeal proceedings and/or potential court action.
When you’re looking to report any damage though, do it quickly, and often you’ll need to use the forms provided by your insurance company – in which you describe the circumstances of the event and the condition of the roof.
You’ll probably also be asked to attach photographs illustrating the condition of the roof so be sure to get plenty of photos just in case they ask for more information.
The next step will be a visit by an insurance assessor, they’ll take a look at the condition of the roof with an experienced eye, and verify whether the damage occurred in accordance with your description. After completing this procedure, the money for the repair should appear in your account within a set time period … which we’ll come on to.
Sounds easy right? But as we know form filling can take a bit of time and head-scratching, so we’re going to guide you through some of the key processes. If you need help getting it right then you can get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to offer some advice.
So let’s look at what’s covered.
Home Insurance Policy – What Losses Does It Cover?
Typical home insurance protects against the effects of fire, lightning, hurricane, heavy rain, flood, hail, water damage, falling trees, and often also damage caused by the rescue operation related to these events.
All-risk policies are also offered on the market, protecting against all risks except those specified in the contract. So you can choose between a policy in which all-risk can be calculated in… in which case it can protect aspects like flat roofs etc
That’s why it’s so important to read the GTC, i.e. General Terms and Conditions of insurance, before signing the contract. These will tell you what you’ll be entitled to receive compensation for.
How Much Roof Insurance Compensation Can I Get?
The maximum amount you can get from the compensation is the “sum insured”, i.e. the value for which the property is insured for.
But you should probably know, it’s rare for a customer to get the full compensation. It’ll be granted only in the case of complete destruction of the house, when it’s necessary to rebuild it from scratch, e.g. as a result of fire after direct hurricane damage.
Maximum Roof Insured Amount
Compensation cannot exceed the insurance sum of the building, apartment, i.e. the amount on which the premium was calculated.
Most of the policies taken out insure houses or flats placed against the real value. In the event of a disaster, then ultimately you can only count on what the property is worth.
The problem might be bigger if the property is older. The actual value of a 30-year-old building is small, but the reconstruction will be more expensive. The insurer will deduct the so-called “technical wear and tear” – from the value of a new claim, so it’ll deduct the value calculated according to the technical wear and tear tables.
In order not to risk that the compensation will not cover the costs of reconstruction, it’s really worth taking out an insurance policy from which the compensation is paid – according to the replacement value of the building.
This means that the money received will cover the costs of reconstruction based on the current prices of building materials. What you need to keep in mind with this though, is that the price of such an insurance policy is two or three times more expensive.
Liquidation of Damage
It all begins when the damage is reported. The deadlines for the commencement and termination of this process and for the payment of compensation are set out in the law. However, an insurance agreement or the T&C may contain provisions more favorable for the entitled person than those resulting from the Acts.
According to standard regulations, the insurance company must take action within seven days to determine the cause of the damage and the scope of liability of the insurer – and the amount of compensation.
Within the same period, the insurer must inform the customer of any and all the documents required to establish the liability of the insurance company and the amount of compensation. The insurer is obliged to pay the benefit (compensation) within 30 days from the date of reporting the damage. So it’s good to know it happens pretty quickly!
The reason for any delay in the payment of compensation may be due to:
- Inability to determine whether the insurance company accepts liability for the damage in a given situation and is obliged to pay compensation
- A problem with estimating the amount of compensation – This happens most often, therefore in this respect close cooperation between the insurance company and the victim is desirable
- Waiting for the police to discontinue the investigation – but only if there are doubts as to the perpetration of third parties. In other cases, the insurer should pay the compensation without waiting for the investigation to be discontinued.
If compensation cannot be paid within 30 days, the insurer must make the payment within 14 days of from the day on which all the circumstances are cleared up – in respect of determining whether the insurance company is liable for the damage – or what the value of the compensation should be.
That might sound confusing, but basically, that means the insurance company will pay within 14 days of clearing up any issues.
However, if there’s no doubt about the liability of the insurance company for the damage, and determining the amount of compensation is the problem, then the insurer must pay at least the undisputed value of the damage within 30 days of the notification.
What If the Insurer Refuses to Pay Compensation?
In some cases, the insurer may not want to pay compensation. This may happen, for example, if the insurance agent has doubts about the circumstances in which the damage occurred.
If this happens, the first step you should take is to appeal against the decision. There’ll be a re-examination of the facts, which may help.
However, if such a step does not help, it’s advisable to consider going to court, especially when the damage is significant and the repair costs are high.
Appeal Proceedings
Liquidation of the damage will then one of two ways – a decision to pay compensation, or a refusal to pay it (in whole or in part).
So the insurance company has to notify any refusal in writing, indicating the circumstances and the legal basis for their decision. This information should also include the instruction on the possibility of pursuing claims in court.
Most insurance companies, however, provide for an appeal procedure in the general terms and conditions of agreements.
The Insured (or any other person entitled to make a claim) who has been denied compensation does not have to file a lawsuit immediately. So if you disagree with the insurance company’s decision, you may request a retrial. If the renewed decision of the insurance company does not meet the customer’s expectations, the customer may lodge a complaint with the Insurance Ombudsman asking for help.
If the intervention of the Insurance Ombudsman does not bring about a resolution either – the only thing left for you to do is to take legal action. Hopefully, this is the last resort.
To Finish Up…
Let’s be honest, insurance companies aren’t easily parted with their cash. So the process of obtaining compensation for the destruction of the roof is not particularly difficult, it’s more the paperwork afterward and – dare I say it – the potential battle in getting a payout!
But it’s definitely worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the conditions for claiming it and the individual steps to be taken to avoid additional inconvenience – in an already difficult situation, and if done right, it should be an easy route to getting the money you insured yourself against
If you are in such a situation and need some support from us, we’re happy to help, why not give us a call or send us a message and we’ll try and help you through the process with some advice and our experience.