Will the Insurance Company Pay for Replacing My Aging Roof?

Unfortunately, there would not be coverage from your insurance company unless they had proof that the damage was caused by a recent, direct, sudden, and accidental loss (e.g. hurricane damage, tornado, hail damage, tree falling on the roof due to heavy winds, etc.).

Insurance policies are not intended to be maintenance policies. You wouldn’t be able to get coverage from your auto company if your car overheated because you didn’t change your oil or add radiator fluid. Similarly, you wouldn’t be able to get a new roof from your homeowner insurance company because you haven’t replaced your aging, curling, and lifted shingles on your roof which are starting to cause water spots in your ceiling.

There is currently a scam that some roofing contractors are doing where they advertise, or even go door to door, saying they can get you a new roof at a very low price or even for free. Be wary if a roofing company requires you to sign a form (sometimes called an “Assignment of Benefits form”) that states that they will manage any claims with your insurance company. These companies know that you may not be able to afford to replace a new roof, so they try to file a claim on your behalf hoping that the insurance company will. Oftentimes, they will even do the repair work before submitting the claim to the company, so the company adjuster would not be able to inspect the damage.

The companies are catching on to it, though, by using their own contractors and roofers because it has been driving up the cost of insurance at a rapid rate. Also, they have changed the wording in their policy that states that the company will only cover up to 1% of the value of the home coverage amount or $1000 for “emergency repairs” (which is usually only enough for tarping) until the damage has been inspected by a company representative.

Some insurance companies are now even filing endorsements to cover roofs at “actual cash value” rather than replacement cost. This means that if you have a 15-year-old shingle roof and the life expectancy of the shingle is 30 years, the company will only pay for half of the repair, minus the deductible. The fight between insurance companies and questionable roofing contractors is causing consumers to pay more for less coverage.