Need advice for how to sue an insurance company for home hail damage

[Eddietruett]

The roof is about 20 years old. This company replaced it at that time, although I had to fight with the adjuster at that time too. I don't know how to post pictures but they clearly show the damage.

I sold roofs for many years and have dealt with numerous insurance companies. The fact that your roof is 20 years old is going to be a major strike against you. My guess (and I hope for your sake thst I'm wrong) is for every expert you find that agrees with you, they will find one that agrees with them. 10-15 years ago insurance companies were easier to deal with than these days. The huge change in the Carolinas in my experience came after Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. I don't want to be a turd in your ice cream, but I think you're fighting a losing battle. Here is one other thing to consider and I know this from personal experience. If you do sue and win, or even if you provide enough evidence that they change their original refusal, they will drop you like a hot potato. Getting another company to write your home owners will be a pain because they will see in the data base that you sued your previous company and your rates will be figured on a high risk basis.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Last year we had significant hail damage to our homes roof. Contacted my local agent. They told me to get quotes. Got one for over $35,000. Turned it in. They sent out an adjuster. He said he saw no hail damage to the home roof but they paid over $1,200 for damage to garage. I disputed this …

Did you get three quotes? I had roof damage back in the 1990s and they accepted the lowest of the three. No hassle back then.

Recently I had water damage and they nickle and dime me on everything. I told them we agree to disagree so I will make a Claim with the State Insurance Commissioner. Then they got reasonable and fixed everything properly. But it was six months to complete my Claim.

The Roof repair back in the 1990s was completed in seven days. Times have changed and not for the better. JMHO

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

It was a good thing I kept a couple of bundles of extra shingles from when the roof was re-roofed!

I always keep the extras of whatever I paid for.

Great tip for everyone.

 

[zeke]

No idea.

If asked "how do you know that there is damage?" how would you respond? Do you have an expert to counter their roofing engineer? That's a bigger problem than how to fill out the forms.

Claims for hail damage have become a huge problem for insurance companies, not surprised they are pushing back. I expect them to remove that coverage from policies in the midwest.

Pretty sure the insurance companies up here rewrote their coverages recently because of the hail storms over the last several years. Would estimate over 50% of the houses in our city got new roofs. If memory serves, which is increasingly sketchy proposition, a roofing shingle layer needs to be broken, not just dented. With a 20 yr old roof, there may be other issues with getting new replacement.

 

[444 Magnum]

Had my roof replaced 3 months ago. 34K and change. And it is not "quite a house". 3BR walkout rambler and garage. 46 squares.

46 squares is larger than average.
Not seeing your roof and not knowing what type roofing was installed, I don't have a formal comment, but $739/square really raises my eyebrows and curiosity.

 

[Navy vet]

About 10 years ago, I had damage to my roof and called a roofer. He came out and asked why wasn't I going thru home owners. Said I had obvious weather damage. Advised me to make a claim. If my claim was denied, he had a company that would fight for me. Fortunately I had Travelers Insurance and they didn't bat an eye. $500 got me a new 50 year roof and roofer got $20K.

 

[Alton]

In 2016 Nationwide paid me to replace my roof after hail damage $12,000 which was the exact cost from my roofer. I was lucky because it was the same roofing company I used 32 years before that when I first built my house, plus he was able to find the exact same shingle color and manufacture. 2,400 SQFT Home. After hearing all these complaints I guess you could say Nationwide is on your side?

 

[URIT]

Just curious. What did the other quotes come in at? I'm thinking you might have had better success submitting all the bids along with photos.

 

[Kinman]

My neighbor had a one of his trees blow down onto his roof, significantly damaging one eave and pushing a branch through the roof into the kitchen. He has had a number of professional people survey and estimate repair, all of them want to patch the roof. He has told me he does not want a patch, he wants them to re-roof so everthing will match. His roof is at least ten years old and faded, any attempt at "repair" will stand out like an outhouse in the fog. In my best experience he can pay the difference between the offers to repair and have a new roof put on while they are there, which seems backwards at least gets him where he wants to be. It has been six months and he is holding out for a new roof, with Fall approaching it is going to be interesting to see what transpires. As was pointed out you are going up against professionals that are not in the business of making you happy. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see traditional home owner's insurance radically changed over the next few years, already people are being denied fire insurance. Locally the only way a friend of mine could qualify for fire insurance on his rural forested property is if he had his own water suppression system installed, he has an old water truck from a local fire department set up on his property. Big business clearing forested property and installing fire suppression, if I was much younger I would think about it, it is hard work.