Show Me the Insurance!

 Should I Show My Roofer My Insurance?

Yes, if you trust him!

I get many questions from new customers about this.  For some, the start of our conversation is "I need an estimate, and I am NOT showing you my insurance."  Indeed, it's not a great way to start a relationship between a contractor and homeowner.  Instead of focusing on how I can help a customer, my first task out of the gate is to defuse a defensive situation and gain trust.  I'm on the customer's team.  Typically, when this happens, it is simply due to the insured not completely understanding the process when replacing a roof through insurance.  So, when you have a roof claim, and your insurance has agreed to total replacement, why does your roofer ask for your insurance in the first place?  This post is designed to answer that question, so let's get to it.

I need to see if your insurance adjuster has properly estimated the job

Adjusters are not roofers.  The fact is that your roofer looks at hundreds of roofs a year.  When I am looking at a roof, my goal is to understand the damage (if any) and also to understand the full scope of work.  We are in the roofing business for the same reason everyone else works...to make a living.  Part of making a living is making sure a job is properly estimated.  Your insurance adjuster does not install roofing.  He is not versed in the technical details of the job.  His job is to quickly get through each claim, itemize out a job from a pre-built macro for the carrier, and move on to the next claim.  Many times this results in an underpaid claim that is missing crucial items.  Some of the items I verify are:

• Square footage - insurance carriers use satellite imagery.  Sometimes it is not accurate.  If you have a 50 square roof, and I have measured a 60 sq roof, then that could be a difference in cost of $3,500-$4,000.  It also could mean I don't order enough materials for the job, which can introduce delays.  I must verify proper measurements and make sure insurance is paying properly.
• Accessories - Do you have lead pipe flashing or "3 in 1"?  Do you have 5 roof jacks or 3 roof jacks?  Are they 4" or 6"?  Do you have a satellite I need to remove?  If so, is it in the insurance scope?  These items all must be verified and corrected if there are any large discrepancies.
• Roof pitch - There are charges associated with different levels of pitch.  If the insurance has not properly allocated the costs for that, then it needs to be corrected.
• ACV/RCV - Which policy do you have?  Many homeowners do not understand that they have an 'actual cash value' policy.  That means the check you got from insurance is the only money you will be receiving to replace your roof.  If an inexperience roofer does not check this and goes through with the job, guess who he is coming for to obtain the remainder of the invoice....YOU.

It helps me make sure neither of us commit insurance fraud

Many homeowners have an RCV policy.  For this type of policy, your estimate is the full cost minus your deductible.  Because of this and a misunderstanding of the insurance process, some may attempt to price shop to find the cheapest roofer and attempt to put that extra cash in their pocket to cover their deductible.  This is insurance fraud.  Any roofer that tells you that they can make this happen if actively helping you break the law.  If they are willing to cheat a multibillion dollar industry, they will certain cheat you.  By allowing me to see the claim, along with everything we've already discussed, I can make sure the insurance company is billed properly, your proof of deductible payment is sent, and neither of us end up in serious trouble.

I need to understand your claim and policy

Most policies are RCV, but occasionally they are ACV.  For RCV (replacement cost value), the insurance carrier is covering the entirety of the roof job except your deductible.  For ACV (actual cash value), you carrier is only paying a fraction of the roof minus your deductible.  An experienced roofer needs to know this in order to help you make a good decision on replacement.  

Sometimes, the scope of work does not include items like drip edge, starter strips, hip and ridge cap, or any number of other code required items.  I need to see that scope of work and figure out what I need to do to estimate the right items and install them even if I have to cover the cost of them myself should insurance refuse.

Insurance companies want my estimate to look like their estimate

Nothing makes an insurance company nervous like an 'over the top' estimate.  When I am allowed to see the scope of work, I can itemize the roof exactly the same as well as include any missing items.  My estimates use the exact same software with nearly identical price lists as your insurance carrier.  This way, when I complete an estimate, it is very similar and closely priced to what you have from insurance.  It helps them understand that I am a legitimate roofer that is not trying to gouge them by overcharging or do poor quality work with low quality products by giving a cheap estimate.  If my estimate is different than your carrier's and I have not itemized out the estimate, then your carrier is going to want to know why its different and a list.  This can take weeks to sort out, so it's best to use someone that knows what they are doing and get it right the first time.

It helps me make sure you get more money for your claim

You want your insurance money in order to fix items quickly, and I want to be paid for my work.  When you allow me access to the entire insurance document, I have all of the information in order to submit final invoices, talk to your adjuster, and allow my billing staff to work out discrepancies very quickly.  This equates to a process that is much faster than it would be had you done everything on your own with independent estimates and weeks of emails and phone calls.

All of that said, there are always cheap roofers that are inexperienced or don't have the resources an established company like Infinity Roofing does.  They will attempt to use your insurance as a crutch, do only what is listed for whatever price they are given.  This often leads to errors, usage of cheap materials, misunderstanding of costs between the roofer and the homeowner, and delays with payment from insurance.

Your best option with an insurance claim is to show your scope of work in its entirety to your qualified, trusted, and established roofer.  There is nothing to gain from doing it any other way.  So...how do you know if your roofer is trusted, established, and knows what he is doing?  Well...Check this post to find out how  https://infinityrooferjason.blogspot.com/2021/06/picking-reputable-roofer.html

 My Insurance Company Said I Need Three Estimates

I have recently had a few customer tell me that their adjuster told them to "make sure you get three estimates and don't show your insurance to any roofer no matter what".  First, the adjuster cannot make or request you do either of these.  Second, they are actively helping you get a lower quality roofer for a cheap price.

When you have an RCV policy, the insurance company estimates the proper cost of that job.  It is not a number that is pulled out of thin air.  It is based on tens of thousands of closed claims.  Their database uses the law of large numbers to figure out what the items should cost and they are not going to estimate a penny more than necessary.  After all, your roof comes out of their pocket.  Because of this, they are hoping you submit to them 3 estimates.  If your carrier estimates $21,000 for replacement cost of your roof, and you submit three estimates of $23,000, $21,500, and $18,750, which one do you think they are going to encourage you to use?  More importantly, why is one roofer so cheap?  Is he using low quality materials?  Is he insured?  Has he been a roofer for more than a week?  Even more importantly than that, your only out of pocket cost is your deductible.  So, if you have to pay the same amount anyway, wouldn't you want the best roof you can get?  Of course you would.  That often corresponds with a higher price.

The example I always give is repair work on your car.  If you had a brand new Ferrari, and someone ran into the side of it, would you go price shop for the cheapest job?  No.  You wouldn't.  You would pay your deductible to your carrier and take it to the Ferrari body shop because they do the best work on the vehicle.  That's why you have insurance.

Roofing is exactly the same. Don't price shop for your carrier.  Get the scope.  Show your roofer.  Get the best roof you can.