Age of Roof and Insurance Claims
The age of your roof will be one of the elements influencing your capacity to properly document an insurance claim for roof damage. Many insurance companies evaluate claims based on the state and age of your roof, so considering this will help. If your roof is more than ten years old, you could have problems claiming, particularly if the deterioration of the roof results from natural wear and tear instead of rapid damage from a storm or other insured risk.
Limits on Coverage for Older Roofs
Older roofs are sometimes covered under limits or restrictions imposed by insurance companies. For roofs older than ten years, for instance, certain insurance firms might provide actual cash value (ACV) coverage rather than replacement cost coverage. They would thus pay for the reduced worth of the roof rather than the replacement cost. Should your roof have lost a lot of value over the years, this reimbursement could be far less than what you would need to install a new one.
In other situations, if the roof is in poor condition because of age, insurers may flatly reject claims for damages, noting normal maintenance or replacement should have been done. They would basically contend that the damage could have been avoided and that the policy excludes wear and tear or neglect of the property.
Value of Roof Maintenance
Maintaining a good state of your roof and preventing claim denials depend on regular maintenance. Most insurance policies call for homeowners to do regular maintenance to prevent avoidable damage. Should your roof have deteriorated noticeably and you have not replaced or fixed it in more than ten years, your insurer could see any damage as a result of neglect rather than an insurable incident. Regular inspections help to prevent this by means of required repairs to maintain the state of the roof.
Should A Denial of A Claim Arise, What Follows?
Should your claim be refused because of the age or condition of your roof, you can ask for a review or offer other proof, such as a professional roof inspection, to show that a particular incident covered by your policy caused the damages. Reviewing your policy and talking with your insurer can also help you to completely know what is covered and under what circumstances a claim might be denied.
Conclusion
Ignoring or neglecting your roof for more than ten years could result in claim denials, particularly if wear and tear is the source of the problem. Homeowners should routinely check and repair their roofs and be aware of the conditions of their insurance policy for older roofs in order to avoid this.