What Kind of Roof Damage is Covered by Insurance?

Las Vegas is known for extreme weather, and our valley’s high winds, hail, torrential rains, or lighting can damage your building’s roof. If your roof suffered damage in an extreme event, you’ll wonder what kind of roof damage is covered by insurance. Getting your business back up and running is paramount, and the last thing you’ll need, in addition to lost business, is a bill for roof repairs. Your coverage will depend on several factors, and learning about them now can help you mitigate your liability should that oak tree next door give your business a new skylight.

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Insurance policies promise compensation should any one of the covered perils impact your roof. While these perils vary from policy to policy, they typically refer to sudden events outside your control, not the consequences of long-term neglect or your own tampering with the roof. Hail, extreme wind, fire, and vandalism are some of the damages that are typically covered by a policy.

However, even if your roof was damaged during one of these events, it doesn’t mean that you’ll receive compensation from your insurance company to cover the repairs. If they determine that there was an underlying cause for your roof to fail or become damaged, you’ll have to bear the cost of repairs yourself. Learning under which circumstances your insurance will or won’t cover your roof can help you mitigate the likelihood that your claim is denied.

When filing an insurance claim for roof damage, it helps to know in which circumstances you’re not likely to be covered.

If your roof hasn’t been properly maintained and suffers damage, your insurance company might refuse to pay you. They may cite wear and tear as the actual cause of damage, and the fact that you did not repair the roof when you had the chance leaves you financially responsible for fixing it. Related to this, ignored routine roof maintenance can also damage your roof and make it prone to further damage or failure when stressed. If an inspector finds this to be the case after your roof is damaged, then the insurance company may also refuse to honor the claim.

If your roof is too old, your insurance policy might not cover the cost of repairs if it’s damaged. Most roofs only last about 10 years and then need to be replaced, but many owners keep theirs for far longer. Unfortunately, even if you build a newer section on top of the older one, your insurance carrier might cite this older section as the cause of a problem and may refuse to pay your claim. Staying on top of your roof replacement can help you avoid this outcome.

Insurers don’t like to work with roofs that use rare or easily-damaged materials, and prefer ones that are affordable to replace and resistant to damage. Roofs made with metal, stone, and wood are difficult or expensive to insure, given the ease with which they can be damaged and the expense of their materials. You will likely pay more on your policy if you have a stone or metal roof and may have trouble finding any insurance if your roof is wooden.

A roof leak can be doubly damaging, as not only does it interrupt your business, but you may also have to foot the entire bill to repair it. Water damage that occurs as a result of poor maintenance or neglect won’t be covered through an insurance policy. This means it’s even more important to stay on top of your regular roof maintenance. However, a roof leak may be covered if it occurred as the result of a covered peril.

Your building’s roof damage insurance policy is meant to protect a critical component of your investment. For this reason, it’s vital to choose the right roof insurance policy in order to minimize disruptions should it face a disaster. However, you also need to properly maintain your roof to make full use of your insurance policy should you need it. Roofing professionals can help keep your roof in good health, protecting it and the rest of your building from damages.