The roof is what covers your entire home or building. It is what prevents rain, wind, and hail from entering the interior of your property and causing structural damage to it. As you can imagine, the roof is one of the most sensitive areas of your property because of all the abuse it incurs. That is why roof maintenance is so essential for the upkeep and sustainability of your property.Of course, there are certain situations where roof maintenance cannot prevent future roof damage. In Florida, the number one cause of roof damage is heavy winds. These could be heavy winds from hurricanes, tornadoes, or standard thunderstorms. The most common roof damage is missing shingles. Once the speed of the winds is in excess of 40 miles per hour, it becomes fast enough to rip shingles right off your roof. You may see a few shingles removed or a whole group of shingles removed. It is even worse if you have an older roof because it is more susceptible to wind damage. All of these factors help determine whether an insurance company will approve your roof damage claim or not. How Roof Damage Claims WorkInsurance companies will only approve roof damage claims if the damage could not have been prevented by the owner. Reasons for Claim DenialsBelow are common scenarios where your roof damage claim would NOT get approved:

• Your roof is older than ten years and has not been renovated or maintained properly.

• Your roof had preexisting damaged that was left unrepaired.

• You fail to notify your insurance company about the roof damage in a timely manner.

• You attempt to repair the roof damage yourself without filing a claim first.

Insurance companies want property owners to take some responsibility in maintaining the strength and durability of their roofs. You cannot neglect your roof for ten years and then expect to have your roof damage claim approved after a small amount of wind causes damage to it.[caption id="attachment_33876" align="alignright" width="300"] NASA image of Hurricane Michael and Tropical Storm Leslie in the Atlantic. Michael went on to become the fourth strongest storm to hit the United States, with sustained winds of 155 miles per hour, while Leslie, weirdly, went on to batter Portugal, the strongest storm to hit the area since 1842. Photo by NASA Goddard/MODIS Rapid Response Team, via Flickr. CC BY 2.0[/caption]Reasons for Claim ApprovalsBelow are common scenarios where your roof damage claim would likely get approved:

• A tree branch falls on your roof and causes significant damage to it.

• A wild animal chews or destroys parts of your roof.

• Heavy winds blow away several of your shingles and cause other kinds of damage to your roof.

• An unexpected fire damages your roof.

• A burglar or vandal damages your roof.

As you can see from the examples above, each one of these scenarios could not have been stopped by the property owner. If your insurance company denies or underpays your claim after one of these scenarios occurred, then you have grounds to fight back against their actions. The Benefits of Hiring a Roof Damage Claim LawyerThe Louis Law Group has some of the best roof damage claim lawyers working in the legal profession today. For over 20 years, we’ve assisted hundreds of clients who’ve had to battle their insurance companies over their roof damage claims. If you’ve always maintained your roof and were not responsible for the damage that was inflicted upon it, then there is no reason for your insurance company to deny the claim. We want to help you get your claim approved for the maximum settlement amount possible. In order to speed up this process, here are some of the actions that you need to take:

• Make a list of everything that was damaged on your roof. 

• Photograph all the damaged areas

• Place tarps on your roof to temporarily protect your home. If you can make temporary repairs, then that is even better.

• If you purchase tools and materials to make roof repairs, then save all your receipts and document everything. 

• If the roof condition forces you to live in a motel or some other location, then save all the receipts from that as well. 

• In some cases, you may want a public adjuster to assist you in the documentation of these things. 

The more evidence and documentation that you can generate, the easier it will be for us to prove to the insurance company that you deserve the maximum amount of compensation possible under your insurance policy.