What to Do After Storm Damage

Your corner of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has just experienced a storm and you fear your home has been damaged as a result. You’ve noticed your neighbors are talking to insurance adjusters and roofing companies. Your front door is inundated with brochures, sales materials, business cards and door-knocking salespeople. You’re not sure who to call first or who to trust. What should you do?

Do Your Neighbors Have Storm Damage?

If you see trucks and roofers on ladders scattered everywhere, it’s a good indication that some damage has occurred in your neighborhood. Are vehicles or gutters in your area dented by hail? Have trees been stripped of their leaves? Are there dings along fence lines?

When you see these signs of neighborhood storm damage, it’s vital you arm yourself with information regarding the reroofing process, the important role your roofing company plays and your rights regarding your insurance contract. You need someone you can trust with your best interest at heart to help you navigate the storm damage recovery process for your Dallas home.

Know Your Roofing Options

Hire the right company to work with you through the entire process – from claim submission to successful project completion. Be prepared! Within a week of the storm you’ll be inundated with information from multiple contractors about their services. Piles of literature, door hangers, postcards and radio and TV commercials regarding storm damage to Dallas homes will take over!

You’ll have an opportunity to check out a plethora of contractors without even picking up the phone. Look at company reviews on reputable sites like Google and Houzz, and check the companies’ Better Business Bureau standings.

Then choose 2 or 3 reputable roofing companies and conduct interviews. Evaluate their true capacity to repair the storm damage to your Dallas roof.

Ask the right questions:

• How long have you been in business?
• Is your company bonded and insured?
• What options do we have in terms of roofing solutions?
• Can you explain how your warranty process works?
• Will we be able to retain half of our payment until we see that the work has been completed satisfactorily?
• Will we have assistance with the insurance process?

Knowing your options arms you with the information you need to make a sound choice.

Dealing with Home Insurance After a Storm

Understand what is and is not covered by your insurance policy and how your insurance reimburses you for a roof repair or replacement. Make sure you receive everything promised in your policy. If there is damage to your home or business, the next step is to call your insurance company and open a claim. Be prepared with the information they’ll need, including:

• Your policy number;
• Date/time of the storm;
• Type(s) of damage: wind, hail, water, etc;
• Any issues caused by the damage that you have observed;
• Whether you have leaks that need to be covered with a tarp to prevent further damage

Don’t Let Someone Convince You to Commit Insurance Fraud!

Big storms bring on big promises from unscrupulous contractors. Some contractors claim they will complete the work for your insurance proceeds amount AND offer to pay your deductible. In Texas, it’s illegal for a roofing company to waive, rebate or otherwise pay your deductible; agreeing to do so makes you guilty of insurance fraud. Additionally, beware if a roofing company claims they will do the repairs/replacement for less than the insurance proceeds. Insurance companies leverage hundreds of thousands of data points to estimate your roof replacement cost, and often the only way to bid lower than those estimates is to cut corners somewhere to make up the difference. Usually, you take the hit in inferior materials and workmanship. Nobody wants that!

If you need help dealing with storm damage to your Dallas home, don’t read another blog post or take another step until you read my book, The Informed Consumer’s Guide to a Successful Roofing Project.

This book is not a sales piece I wrote to sell you on our company. Instead, it’s designed to arm homeowners just like you with everything you MUST know to protect your home and bank account when undertaking a roofing project. Just click here for your FREE copy!