Starting an insurance claim on your home insurance can sometimes be a bit confusing. This is especially true when you’ve never claimed the issue you’re bringing up. When it comes to flat roofs, they can get damaged due to many reasons. In today’s post, we are going to be focusing on storm damage.
You may think that storm damage isn’t a big thing here in the UK. However, over a third of UK homes were damaged due to storms in the year 2020. Does that shock you? If you are one of the people who were affected by these storms, we hope that your experiences with the insurance companies were nothing but positive.
However, we think that we can all relate that phoning to claim with your insurance provider can be the last thing you want to do. If you have experienced storm damage, you must get it logged with your insurance. They will also be able to give you direct advice on what your next steps are.
Before making a claim, we thought it would be helpful to run through a few points which the insurance company may take into consideration.
Cover and Estimated Costs
What you will be very happy to find out is that if your roof has been damaged by a storm, then you will most likely be fully covered by your insurance. This is a huge relief to many people as flat roof repairs can vary depending on how damaged your roof is. You may be able to afford to cover the cost of small repairs but if you find your flat roof needs to be completely replaced, it may be a different story.
In some instances, you may find that there are several patches on your roof which need to be repaired. It is a good idea to get a quote for the total cost of repairs and compare it to the cost of installing a new flat roof. Once you have these quotes, you can weigh up which option would be the most cost-effective.
If the quotes are similar in price, then it is advisable to go for a completely new flat roof installation. This will last the longest of the two services. We must reiterate that we only advise you to do this if you have multiple repairs needed to your roof. If you only have one or two repairs needed, it will be better to choose to repair the damaged patches before getting a new roof.
Here at Sureseal, we offer free quotes! If you have any questions or need a quote for your insurance claim, please feel free to contact our office on 01302 302 825.
The Insurance Claim Process
So, what do the insurance companies look through to decide whether a claim is justified or not? Lucky for you, we have a quick summary of the different stages of the insurance claim process. The process is quite simple and covers three main areas.
Age of the roof
The first thing the insurance company will ask for is the age of your roof. Generally, they aren’t looking for the exact date that the roof was installed. They are usually looking for a time frame. For example, a new roof is often referred to as one that has been installed within 10 years or less. Any roofs which have been installed for longer than this will be considered older during the claims process.
Condition of the roof
The next stage of the claims process is to assess the condition of the roof before the damage. This is the part that can sometimes be tricky for many homeowners. A good way to provide evidence of your roof’s condition is to show any photos to your insurance provider that have time stamps. On most smartphones, this is standard practice.
Another way to provide evidence of the condition of the roof is by maintaining your roof regularly. To do this, we recommend getting your roof checked every year and keeping any notes made by the roofer. Yearly flat roof inspections are a great way to keep your roof in tip-top condition, even if you haven’t experienced storm damage.
Cause of the damage
The last factor which your insurance company will be taking into account is the cause of the damage. The cause we are looking into today is storm damage and this is one of the causes which an insurance company is more likely to cover fully. However, it is always worth double-checking your insurance policy documents before making any kind of claim
