What You Didn’t Know About Roof Wind Damage

Extreme weather with strong winds can do serious damage to the roof of your home. That’s why we’ve outlined everything you need to know with regards to what is covered by your home insurance policy.

Damage to your roof caused by wind can lead to missing shingles or even worse, severe damage from fallen trees or debris. After a windstorm, repairs may be necessary, so you should understand whether your home insurance policy will cover such damage.

Five Mind Numbing Facts About Wind Damage and Home Insurance

#1 Determining How Severe the Roof Damage is

Following extreme weather, if you notice roof damage, contact your insurance broker immediately. It is important to know that your insurer will generally try to repair the damage before replacing the entire roof. However, depending on the amount of damage, your roof may be fully replaced if necessary.

#2 What Type of Home Insurance Policy Do You Have?

There are two different ways a home insurance policy may be written:

Replacement cost basis
Actual cash value basis

To simplify, if you have home insurance with a replacement cost basis, this means your claim payout would replace the damaged item(s) with something similar. An actual cash value basis means your payout would be equivalent to the damaged item(s) current worth (taking depreciation into consideration). For wind damage, a replacement cost basis would be ideal since it will not consider the actual age of your roof. Be sure to contact your insurance broker to check what type of home insurance policy you have.

#3 Wind Damage Claim Options

If you ever experience wind damage to your roof, call your broker to discuss claim options. Ensure you are prepared with details about the damage – providing pictures of the damage can help the process.

It’s always important to understand what your home insurance policy covers, and in this case, you’ll want to know how you are covered when it comes to wind damage to your roof. We hope our guide provided you with some insight.

Click here for an INSTANT Auto Quote »