Home Owners Insurance

[dusty]

It is call depreciation but nothing was depreciated other than the initial payout. Again it is to prevent a home owner from fixing it cheap and taking the rest of the money and spending else where. If they are paying for a new roof then that is what should be done.

The problem is that many homeowners are capable of putting on a quality roof themselves but the system will not allow that. In order to collect the allocated monies from the insurance company, the owner must be able to submit invoices for the work performed. I do not believe that I can legitimately generate those invoices and associated receipts for the work I might do.

I also cannot get a licensed roofer to generate the required documentation unless he also did the work. Doing so would be insurance fraud.

[Ed in Tampa]

The problem is that many homeowners are capable of putting on a quality roof themselves but the system will not allow that. In order to collect the allocated monies from the insurance company, the owner must be able to submit invoices for the work performed. I do not believe that I can legitimately generate those invoices and associated receipts for the work I might do.

I also cannot get a licensed roofer to generate the required documentation unless he also did the work. Doing so would be insurance fraud.

I think you can do the work yourself if you pull a permit get it inspected and have receipt for supplies. As far as charging for your services that may be another thing. Best let a licensed roofer fix it and let the insurance pay him.

Again too many people did "fix" the house/car themselves and pocketed the cash. However it was then found out that many of the fixes were substandard and had to be redone. Or in the case of a car people drove around with the smashed fender.

[JPG]

I have both seen the results and the process of replacing roof shingles by local 'professionals' and would not have them reroof a doghouse.

I may take me many times longer, but when I'm done, shingles are laid in a straight line, the exposure is constant eave to peak and the sealing is effective on all shingles. Also the coloration differences between and within bundles is not obvious a few years later. I hate those stair stepping flaws.

Oh and the proper number and location and length of nails is correct.

And the felt is 30# and overlapped sufficiently and the valleys do not leak and are both 'tinned' and shingles interlocked/overlapping.

JMHO!;)

[claimdude]

The problem is that many homeowners are capable of putting on a quality roof themselves but the system will not allow that. In order to collect the allocated monies from the insurance company, the owner must be able to submit invoices for the work performed. I do not believe that I can legitimately generate those invoices and associated receipts for the work I might do.

I also cannot get a licensed roofer to generate the required documentation unless he also did the work. Doing so would be insurance fraud.

Dusty,

Different states and different insurance carriers handle that differently. In New Mexico the state requires all monies (Replacement Cost) less deductible be paid up front. In Texas depending on your carrier you can replace the roof yourself, provide receipts proving your purchased the materials and get your entire depreciation back (basically profiting from your damages). The carrier has the right to reinspect before releasing the depreciation.

Jack

[dusty]

Dusty,

Different states and different insurance carriers handle that differently. In New Mexico the state requires all monies (Replacement Cost) less deductible be paid up front. In Texas depending on your carrier you can replace the roof yourself, provide receipts proving your purchased the materials and get your entire depreciation back (basically profiting from your damages). The carrier has the right to reinspect before releasing the depreciation.

Jack

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback on this. However, I don't know why I even went there. With my knees there is no way that I can get up on the roof to do the work myself even though I have roofed more than a few buildings over the years. Yeah, a couple of them were dog houses.

Besides, my insurance has already allocated enough money to do what needs to be done to the roof. They have approved the same methods and materials as those used when I had the roof done the last time.

The "recoverable depreciation" seems as though it will be more than enough to cover the unanticipated costs (like new sheeting) that cannot be evaluated until the current roof is removed.

I am very pleased with how the insurance company has handled this project. I am in good hands even though they are not State Farm or is that All State.

[robinson46176]

About 3 weeks ago we were over in the next county west of here where the company I have used for some years has their office that serves us and stopped in. My wife paid in cash for the two Farm-Guard policies we have with them and they stamped her copy as paid. We pay quarterly, always have. About a week later we got a "notice of cancellation" in the mail... She grabbed the phone and called our agent. He finally got it straightened out. Some idiot had decided that we were paying twice a year and had not paid enough. Note that there was no other contact by them, not even a message to their/our local agent. Just BAM!! A notice of cancellation... Not a good way to do business...
Then last week we got a "Notice of non-renewal" from them next quarter on our mini-farm in the next county east (One of the two policies). No explanation of any kind... The agent has not gotten back with us yet on that one...
We only had one claim over many years and they handled it fine but I think I need to make a change... It has been a constant battle over those years to keep stuff listed correctly on the policies. The biggest problem is them listing stuff under the wrong locations. Not long ago we were checking stuff and I found where some twit had reached back in the old records and pulled out location information for a little business complex of 3 buildings that we used to own, and had plugged that location in as the location of the mini-farm which we had owned and insured many years before we bought that little business complex (which we sold clear back in 1996).
I don't have a clue how they manage to keep screwing up so much stuff or even why they keep stirring about in the old records????
Changes are coming...

.

[db5]

The problem is that many homeowners are capable of putting on a quality roof themselves but the system will not allow that.

Don't know what insurance company you deal with but almost all of them will pay, up front, based on an estimate from a roofer as well as their own adjustor. What you do with the money is your business, just like when your car is in a collision; you can collect the money and get it fixed or not. Some companies want to pay the roofer directly but you can say "no" and, unless it is written in the policy (which it seldom, if ever is) they don't get to do it their way.

[dusty]

[quote="db5"]Don't know what insurance company you deal with but almost all of them will pay, up front, based on an estimate from a roofer as well as their own adjustor. What you do with the money is your business, just like when your car is in a collision]

Oh yes, I got a check right upfront from the adjuster before she left. But that check was for only part of the total settlement. The other part (the recoverable depreciation part), which was about 1/3 of the settlement, will not be issued until I show evidence that I finish all of the work detailed in the estimate.

[db5]

Oh yes, I got a check right upfront from the adjuster before she left. But that check was for only part of the total settlement. The other part (the recoverable depreciation part), which was about 1/3 of the settlement, will not be issued until I show evidence that I finish all of the work detailed in the estimate.

Check with your state insurance department. Type in "Insurnance department - your state" to get the connection. I doubt that your insurance company is in compliance requiring you don't get full payment up front. They all pull this crap. I had it happen in California and here. They do it because they get away with it. It is just like a settlement on a car. If you don't get it fixed and have proof it isn't covered on the next accident. So, if you do the repair yourself, keep records and pictures and pay to have a roof inspector certify in writing that the repair was done correctly.

Insurance companies (auto, home, health don't care about you. They care about profits and keeping payouts minimal.

Fight back!

[swampgator]

Two points: First, be thankful that you can get homeowners insurance on your house and property. Many of us in Northwest Florida can't get insurance on our houses or it cost more per year than you could ever recover from a serious hurricane. Several houses sitting right around me have no insurance because the houses are old and the companies won't touch them. Can't even get liability insurance. Argh!

Secondly, I've replaced roofs on houses and farm buildings much of my life until just about 15 years ago. You can pull the permits if you have a licensed contractor do the work. You can not put on or repair your own roof in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties. Last time I was recovering my house, even with a builders permit, because I was not a licensed contractor, I received a cease and desist order. Same goes for replacing your windows, electrical and plumbing. And, some inspector comes while the job is being performed and after it is finished. I would much rather do my own than some of the roofers we had had around here. I take the care to insure it is done correctly or better. They slap a roof on it a day and it begins to leak in 10 years or so. Watched a bunch of "professionals" put up sheetrock in our new church. Rather than lay the sheet on its side, they stood each sheet on end. Stand in a hallway and look at the wavy walls. And, these folks barely put paint on the walls. Talk of holidays and vacations.

I would love to have the old homeowners policy such as we had 40 years ago, but they didn't make enough money from us. I'm just praying that we don't get hit with a serious hurricane this year.