Don’t make these common mistakes when choosing a roofing company to repair your hail damaged roof
Hail storms cause everyone to stick the car in the garage and grab the kids to run inside. Let’s face it, just one short hail storm can cause a lot of damage very quickly. It can tear up your roofing shingles and cost thousands of dollars for the hail damage repairs. If you have suffered from hail damage, then you might be wondering who you should call to fix it. We want to help you to avoid some of the common mistakes homeowners make when selecting a roofing contractor.
Here’s a typical scenario:
It hailed in your neighborhood during the last week. You hear a knock at your door. A nice man tells you they are in the neighborhood offering FREE hail damage roof inspections. They casually mention they have secured FREE roofs for many of your neighbors because they handle everything with your insurance company. What should you do?
Protect your home from fires. Get a quick homeowners insurance quote today.
A few things that should concern you:
First, be wary of any out of town contractors offering to replace your roof. Some of these companies chase hail storms and travel from city to city doing roofing jobs.
Why should this alarm you?
- Are they licensed and insured for your city and neighborhood? Ask to see updated proof of license and insurance.
- If they are out of town contractors, then what happens next week when your new roof starts to leak after the next rain shower? Who will fix it and stand behind the repairs or installation?
The lesson: Hire only local, reputable roofing companies that have a record for standing behind their work to do your hail damage repairs.
Beware of shady business practices from disreputable roofers
Just suppose that you had some minor hail damage from a storm on a certain part of your roof. Then, the roofer says he can get you a completely new roof for FREE. Did you know this is fraud? It costs the insurance industry countless millions of dollars of fraudulent claims each year. This means that your homeowners insurance rates go up because of fraudulent practices.
The lesson:
- If someone comes to your door uninvited to sell you a new roof kindly tell them no thank you!
- Hire only a local reputable roofing company for hail damage repairs (or any repairs.)
Save money on home insurance and shop for multiple home insurance quotes.
How can you tell if they are a reputable roofing company?
- Ask your insurance representative for a list of approved roofing contractors in your area.
- Get referrals from friends and family.
- Check their Better Business Bureau ratings.
- Check Google for any bad reviews for poor customer service or complaints.
- Do they answer your call promptly when you leave a message for them? Think about it. If they don’t answer the phone when you are waving money at them, then what makes you think they will return your calls after they have been paid and you have a leak?
- Doesn’t it make sense to hire a company that has a 5-star rating to work on your home, whether it’s hail damage repairs or other repairs?
We hope these tips on hiring honest roofing contractors will help you save many headaches down the road. Contact your InsuranceHub agent to ask any questions you have about hail damage, claims, and a list of approved roofers in your area.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/damage-hail-increases-84-percent/story?id=19681676
