Help needed: Roof replacement - insurance claim

[dexter moregone]

Hi All, I'll try to make this explanation brief.  We had hail damage on our 29' Class C Four Winds Majestic and water got underneath the rubber roof causing some buckling of the plywood subsurface.  We put in an insurance claim for the repair work for a new rubber roof.  The RV repair shop did not replace any of the wood underneath, even with my suggesting this several times.  They even put in some fasteners in some areas to pull down the wood which I could feel through the new membrane. They also did not pull the new membrane to the front completely and I had a six inch hole open up at the front of the roof where it meets the front seam.  They hacked up a few other repair items that had to be pointed out to them.  I was not happy and about to go somewhere else and the insurance agent recommended I at least give them an opportunity to make things right. I did this, and they said they replaced only a small 2 x 2 foot area in towards the back.  Fast forward 6-7 months later and the whole one side of the roof basically has ripples in it from the plywood underneath.  I don't know if water is still getting under the membrane or if this is because it is warming up now and the wood is expanding, but it is pretty bad. I will not be going anywhere near that RV repair shop ever again.  Any thoughts on actions to take?

 

[ChasA]

Name them here and put reviews on Google and Rvservicereviews.com.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Other than broadcasting their name & location to warn others, and maybe filing a complaint with the local BBB (if there is one), your only recourse if a civil lawsuit, or the threat of one.  Maybe serve notice that you are hiring somebody else to fix it right and expect the original shop to pay the bill. An attorney can advise.

Frankly , it may cost you more than eating the loss, but may bring some satisfaction.

I suggest reporting the facts (not a rant) as a service review in various RV venues, e.g. right here (Service & Repair Reviews) and the website http://rvservicereviews.com/

 

[Skookum]

Have you tried additional recourse through your insurance claim?

It sounds like the insurance company owed to replace the plywood sheathing and didn't, and now that omission has caused additional damage and ongoing issues. I would think they still owe to replace the sheathing now that it is causing issues, as it is related to the original loss. Has the adjuster done a re-inspect? Hopefully there are photos with the original estimate that can prove your position.

If you think you might have recourse with insurance, or if that's still a question, maybe try reaching out to your local/state insurance commissioner's office and ask for help.

 

[RVRAC]

You may try small court claims if the insurance does not help here.

 

[jscottt]

Hi All, I'll try to make this explanation brief. We had hail damage on our 29' Class C Four Winds Majestic and water got underneath the rubber roof causing some buckling of the plywood subsurface. We put in an insurance claim for the repair work for a new rubber roof. The RV repair shop did not replace any of the wood underneath, even with my suggesting this several times. They even put in some fasteners in some areas to pull down the wood which I could feel through the new membrane. They also did not pull the new membrane to the front completely and I had a six inch hole open up at the front of the roof where it meets the front seam. They hacked up a few other repair items that had to be pointed out to them. I was not happy and about to go somewhere else and the insurance agent recommended I at least give them an opportunity to make things right. I did this, and they said they replaced only a small 2 x 2 foot area in towards the back. Fast forward 6-7 months later and the whole one side of the roofing alexandria va basically has ripples in it from the plywood underneath. I don't know if water is still getting under the membrane or if this is because it is warming up now and the wood is expanding, but it is pretty bad. I will not be going anywhere near that RV repair shop ever again. Any thoughts on actions to take?

Anyone here have any experience with roof replacement and homeowner's insurance, from the homeowner's perspective, or from being in the roofing biz (or even the insurance biz, I guess!)? How much does a roof damage claim jack up your premiums, and/or for how long? It's probably one of those "it depends" answers...

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

This is in reference to a fixed site house, not an RV? I would not expect a home owner roof claim to have any effect at all on premiums. Unlike vehicle liability or collision insurance, there is rarely any notion of being "at fault" in a home owner insurance claim.

The more likely issue is that the insurer denies or limits the claim, e.g. because the roof is beyond its useful service life.

 

[Contributor]

Fast forward 6-7 months later and the whole one side of the roof basically has ripples in it from the plywood underneath

Didn't they give you a workmanship warranty? I would think a year warranty on workmanship would be reasonable.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Didn't they give you a workmanship warranty? I would think a year warranty on workmanship would be reasonable.

Pedro Dog... You are responding to a 4 yo post by a guy who stopped by here exactly once. The current question is by jscottt.

 

[milon]

Hi All, I'll try to make this explanation brief. We had hail damage on our 29' Class C Four Winds Majestic and water got underneath the rubber roof causing some buckling of the plywood subsurface. We put in an insurance claim for the repair work for a new rubber roof. The RV repair shop did not replace any of the wood underneath, even with my suggesting this several times. They even put in some fasteners in some areas to pull down the wood which I could feel through the new membrane. They also did not pull the new membrane to the front completely and I had a six inch hole open up at the front of the roof where it meets the front seam. They hacked up a few other repair items that had to be pointed out to them. I was not happy and about to go somewhere else and the insurance agent recommended I at least give them an opportunity to make things right. I did this, and they said they replaced only a small 2 x 2 foot area in towards the back. Fast forward 6-7 months later and the whole one side of the roof basically has ripples in it from the plywood underneath roofing vienna va. I don't know if water is still getting under the membrane or if this is because it is warming up now and the wood is expanding, but it is pretty bad. I will not be going anywhere near that RV repair shop ever again. Any thoughts on actions to take?

Our home has its original roof that is ~25 years old. Our insurance covers replacement cost, not depreciated value. We were just notified by our insurance that due to no recent claims we would have forgiveness from rate increase on our next claim.

We're 99% sure there's enough lifetime of hail damage and whatnot to get a roofer to say its damaged enough for a claim.

Should we try to claim the roof and get it replaced or should we just pay to have it replaced?

 

[Onyrlef]

Our home has its original roof that is ~25 years old. Our insurance covers replacement cost, not depreciated value. We were just notified by our insurance that due to no recent claims we would have forgiveness from rate increase on our next claim.

We're 99% sure there's enough lifetime of hail damage and whatnot to get a roofer to say its damaged enough for a claim.

Should we try to claim the roof and get it replaced or should we just pay to have it replaced?

You’re unlikely to get a hail damage claim by an adjuster for hail damage that may or may not have occurred who knows when.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If you cite storm damage in a claim, it generally has to be a specific event and it is likely that event would have to be verified by a weather service unless it was recent and reported in public media. The roofer who does the estimate would likely be aware of this and could offer an opinion as to whether your roof would qualify under typical insurance policy guidelines.

 

[DutchmenSport]

If you have not done so, I would start by going back to my insurance agent and having a sit-down talk with him/her(???) See what kind of recourse they may suggest, and what they can do to help you out --- if anything. At least you have a starting point.

I you have not done so, hold off confrontation with the RV repair shop until you have talked to your agent. Then .... actually .,... let the insurance company battle with the repair shop. This keeps you on the more neutral side.

Just be warned .... at the first mention of the word "lawyer" or "legal action", the repair shop will shut the door completely on you. These scare tactics only result in one thing and that is a shut down of them doing any work, or dealing with you on any level, as they are now expecting court proceedings to follow. They are done with you until a final ruling is done by the courts (or via the lawyers bartering out a resolve.... and that could take years).

Stay away from that word "Lawyer" if you want a resolve. Go to your insurance agent first and discuss the issue with them. That is your absolute first, and best recourse. After their consult with you, you can move to the next level, whatever that may be.

 

[DutchmenSport]

Anyone here have any experience with roof replacement and homeowner's insurance, from the homeowner's perspective, ...

In November 2019 we had our entire house re-roofed (2800 square feet of foot print) and a separate 4 car garage that our insurance paid everything but our deductible.

Our roof was nearing 15 years old and I'd been patching blown and torn shingles for years. We had a tornado that hit a nearby area and the winds from that tornado brought hail and a lot of wind damage.

I didn't think anything about it, I simply picked up the broken shingles from the yard and glued them back down.

About 3 months later some guy from a roofing company pulled into our driveway convincing us we would qualify for a new roof because of the storm damage that happened 3 months earlier and he would work with our insurance company and all we would pay would be the deductable.

It really was too good to be true, but we thought .... you know ... we really do need a new roof on both the house and the garage.

So he went to work, and the insurance company approved it all. Well, we had our ups and downs with this company trying to keep them working, but after 6 weeks we had a new roof.

In fact, he fudged the price (over priced the insurance company) .... that the insurance company approved ... and that actually covered our deductible and we never had to pay anything.

We feel we got a brand new roof for both the garage and the house for zero dollars!

We had issues for a couple months, because the work was done in November and weather was cold. Before the shingles had a change to glue down, high winds kept ripping them up. Eventually, they got it right .... that's what took so long. They are 50 year shingles.

Did that affect our insurance rate? No. It's the ONLY claim we've had on the house (or any of our properties) in 30 years. In fact, it had been more than 15 years since we had any claims with our vehicles also with the same company.

(AllState).

I suppose the way home-owners insurance works all ... all depends upon your insurance company, your agent, and the way your insurance policy reads. We have a "replacement" policy on absolutely everything. The premiums are a bit higher than a normal type policy, but "replacement" means they have to replace what currently exists ... no matter what it costs. THAT is how we got a new roof.

 

[TheBar]

A lot of roofers charge more during peak storm season because all the other roofing companies are also busy. Where I live roofers and even my dentist charge less if they know your insurance won't cover all your costs.

 

[whiteva]

Florida passed an amendment so insurance companies would only be responsible for a percentage of the total roof cost based upon the age of the roof. I seem to remember something like shingle roof over 10 years old would be prorated. Metal roof prorated after 20 years.
I wondered what would be paid if a 12 year old shingled roof was blown completely away (including the truss and plywood)? My agent was not able to give me a straight answer.

Insurance companies are not in business to pay claims!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Insurance companies are not in business to pay claims!

That's actually a misconception. Insurance companies plan to pay claims and make no attempt to profit from them. There merely try to never pay more in total claims than they collected in total premiums, i.e. they want to break even on claims vs premiums. Insurance companies make their money by investing the "float", i.e. the premiums they hold pending payout for claims. That's free money that can earn them a bundle, especially when loan rates grow higher as they are right now.

Insurance companies get in trouble if their estimate of claims costs was too low and there aren't enough premiums to cover them. They have reserves to help cover mistakes like that, and they use "reinsurance" to spread the risk, but sometimes it isn't enough, e.g. in a major natural disaster.

 

[Kirk]

Insurance companies plan to pay claims and make no attempt to profit from them.

Most of them are not scam artists at all and they are regulated by the state insurance department in each state.

 

[Larry N.]

Insurance companies are not in business to pay claims!

Actually, paying claims is the only reason they exist, spreading the load among their customers for each occurrence! They just don't want to overpay, as Gary elaborates on so well.

Insurance companies plan to pay claims and make no attempt to profit from them. There merely try to never pay more in total claims than they collected in total premiums, i.e. they want to break even on claims vs premiums.

 

[milon]

Hi All, I'll try to make this explanation brief. We had hail damage on our 29' Class C Four Winds Majestic and water got underneath the rubber roof causing some buckling of the plywood subsurface. We put in an insurance claim for the repair work for a new rubber roof. The RV repair shop did not replace any of the wood underneath, even with my suggesting this several times. They even put in some fasteners in some areas to pull down the wood which I could feel through the new membrane. They also did not pull the new membrane to the front completely and I had a six inch hole open up at the front of the roof where it meets the front seam. They hacked up a few other repair items that had to be pointed out to them. I was not happy and about to go somewhere else and the insurance agent recommended I at least give them an opportunity to make things right. I did this, and they said they replaced only a small 2 x 2 foot area in towards the back. Fast forward 6-7 months later and the whole one side of the roof basically has ripples in it from the plywood underneath. I don't know if water is still getting under the membrane or if this is because it is warming up now and the wood is expanding roof repairs canberra act, but it is pretty bad. I will not be going anywhere near that RV repair shop ever again. Any thoughts on actions to take?

There are probably a lot of factors that make this not an easy question.

Our home has its original roof that is ~25 years old. Our insurance covers replacement cost, not depreciated value. We were just notified by our insurance that due to no recent claims we would have forgiveness from rate increase on our next claim.

We're 99% sure there's enough lifetime of hail damage and whatnot to get a roofer to say its damaged enough for a claim.

Should we try to claim the roof and get it replaced or should we just pay to have it replaced?