State Farm denied my roof claim, but I didn’t let them get away with it. Here’s what you need to do if State Farm denies your claim too!
Document the Damage
I’m not sure what to do. state farm denied roof claim and now my roof is leaking and my house is getting water damaged. I can’t afford to fix it.
I called State Farm customer service last night, but they said they need a letter from the roofing contractor that inspected the roof and found the leak before they’ll authorize coverage again. But the inspector hasn’t come yet because it’s been raining so much lately. And he probably won’t come until this rain stops, which could be weeks away! What do I do? Should I just let it go? Is there anything else I can do? My homeowner’s insurance company will only pay for damage caused by storms or fires. The only time they cover a leak is if they discover it themselves, or if I have some kind of water alarm system installed in the home.
I’ve heard about companies like Home Serve USA who offer homeowner’s insurance on top of their other services such as repairs.
But State Farm wouldn’t tell me if their policy would cover me in situations like mine where damage was caused by heavy rainfall and flooding outside my home.
What should I do? Am I stuck with paying for the repairs myself?
I went online and checked out state farm denied roof claim competitors to see if any had more affordable rates than State Farm. One thing that stood out was Nationwide Insurance, whose commercials promise $1 million worth of protection at a price anyone can afford. After reading reviews online and comparing prices, I decided to switch over to Nationwide Insurance after speaking with them about how my situation might impact them (they were very understanding).
Get a Second Opinion
When State Farm denied my roof claim, I was upset and confused. But instead of getting discouraged, I had a second opinion. After all, it was only one insurance company that gave me the bad news! It turns out that the other company agreed with State Farm’s assessment and said that my home was not in such bad shape. The first thing to do when you’re denied for any type of insurance is to get a second opinion so you can be sure to ask all the questions you need answered before making your decision about what to do next. With state farm denying my roof claim, I wanted to know why they felt it wasn’t worth paying for. So I contacted another insurance company and got their input on what needed to be done on the roof – they agreed with State Farm but felt that more needed to be done than just resealing the shingles.
The best thing you can do is research as much as possible on how the policy works – like if there are caps set or anything like that – before doing anything else.
File an Appeal
I was disappointed when state farm denied roof claim, but it didn’t discourage me. That’s why I filed an appeal. State Farm felt that the damage to my roof was caused by a wind-related event and not by hail. However, in reviewing the photos that I took of my roof after the storm and looking at the images on Google Earth (which shows where all of the hail went) it is clear that there must have been a mix of both events occurring during this storm. And so, even though State Farm denied my claim, I appealed their decision with some more evidence about what had happened to my roof and how it got damaged. State Farm accepted my appeal, they were able to look at the images I provided and they agreed with me – State Farm denied my roof claim because they thought that just one event had caused the problem when there were two events happening. State Farm reimbursed me for all of the expenses incurred due to the hail damage and then paid for my new roof!
Go Through the Insurance Company’s Dispute Resolution Process
I contacted State Farm and they sent an inspector to examine my roof. The inspector agreed that the shingles were damaged but claimed the damage was due to a lack of maintenance, not due to weather-related issues.
I called State Farm customer service and told them the inspector said it wasn’t their responsibility for the damages, but they told me that if the policy holder doesn’t agree with the inspector’s conclusions, then I would have to hire an independent contractor to do an evaluation.
I hired a contractor who inspected my roof and determined it was weather-related damage. State Farm paid out on my claim.
Hire an Attorney
When state farm denied roof claim, I knew it was time to hire an attorney. There is a lot of legal jargon surrounding insurance claims, and when you’re in the middle of trying to get your home repaired or replaced, it can be hard to know what you need to do next. With the help of my attorney, we were able to file a formal appeal with State Farm. The process was long and drawn out. Thankfully, my attorney was there for me every step of the way-helping me stay on top of deadlines and pushing for the best possible outcome for me (and other homeowners in similar situations). Finally, after months of back and forth, State Farm approved my roof claim!
The bottom line? If you are denied coverage by your insurer and think they’ve made a mistake, speak up! It doesn’t cost anything to talk to an attorney about your rights as a policyholder. They’ll be happy to tell you whether or not they think filing an appeal might help. And if it does, they’ll take care of all the paperwork for you. All that’s left is to wait patiently while everything gets sorted out.
