From curling shingles, clogged or damaged vents, peeling paint, or further damage to your roof as the result of fallen trees, branches, or debris, heavy wind gusts can cause a lot of unsightly and expensive damage to your roof.
If you live in an area that is prone to heavy storm damage, it’s important to know what kind of roof damage is covered by your insurance company. Some roof types are able to withstand high winds caused by storms, but other roofing materials are more susceptible to damage from strong winds. Understanding what kind of wind insurance is included in your homeowners’ insurance policy will better help you to prepare for the worst in the event of a storm.
Our Raleigh area roofing company would be happy to send a licensed contractor to your home for a professional inspection of your roof to ensure it is ready to withstand any future weather events that might cause damage. With an annual roof inspection and roof maintenance, you can avoid structural damage to your roof.
What is Wind Damage?
While most people associate extreme weather events like tornados and hurricanes to be the main culprits to property damage, strong winds alone can damage your roof. Although a heavy wind event can cause trees, branches, flying debris, or power lines to fall on your roof and create damage, wind gusts themselves can cause any roofing material to sustain damage.
Some examples of wind damage to your roof are:
- Damaged shingles: If the asphalt shingles on your roof appear to be curling, lifted, upturned, or flapping, or your shingles show signs of granule loss, this means they have suffered some wind damage and your home is in need of roof repairs.
- Missing shingles: If you notice missing shingles, this is a sign your roof fell victim to wind speeds that lifted and blew away the shingles off of your roof, needing immediate and necessary repairs.
- Water leakage: If you have a leaky roof, this is a serious roof damage issue that needs immediate attention from a reputable and experienced local roofing company like our NC roofing contractors at Artisan Quality Roofing.
- Damp rafters: When your attic experiences moisture build-up and/or dampness or warping of the rafters your roof has sustained damage. This is possibly the result of leaky seams or excessive weight on the roof caused by heavy rain, snow buildup, or wind damage.
- Flashing: There are various stress points around your home that are more prone to damage than other areas, and the flashing around your home, particularly the chimney flashing, is one of them. Flashing at the corners of the chimney can be easily lifted, separated, or cracked by high wind speeds.
- Gutters: In addition to winds having the ability to cause clogged gutters filled with dirt, debris, tree branches, and ice and rainwater, among other things, gutters can also become loose or dented or even entirely blown away by high winds.
Causes of Wind Damage
The most common causes of wind damage to roofing systems are:
- Straight-line winds caused by thunderstorms.
- An extreme weather event like a hurricane or tornado.
- High-intensity wind speeds over 74mph.
- Hail damage caused by high winds.
- Fallen or uprooted trees.
- Flying tree branches.
- Flying glass from broken windows.
- Flying outdoor furniture.
- Dirt, leaves, and other debris.
- A roof that has not been well-maintained with regularly scheduled annual inspections.
What is the Best Roof Type for Avoiding Wind Damage?
There are tons of different types of roofs and styles of roofs for your home, all of which have their own unique set of advantages and disadvantages. If you live in an area prone to high winds that are capable of creating roof damage, schedule a consultation with a local roofing company to choose the best roof for your home.
If you are in the market for a new roof replacement, it’s smart to consider the best roof type to avoid wind damage. There is no one better to help than through a professional inspection with an Artisan Quality Roofing contractor.
Ways to Prevent Wind Damage to Your Roof
- Use lightweight landscaping materials that won’t damage a roof if strong winds occur.
- Keep trees trimmed and cleared away from your roof.
- Install storm shutters.
- Keep your gutters clean.
- Reinforce your home with protective materials when a storm is coming.
- Remove or anchor large objects like patio furniture and BBQ grills when a storm is announced.
- Properly ventilate your roof.
- Schedule annual roof inspections.
- Call a local roofing contractor if you suspect damage to the roof.
What to Do if My Roof is Damaged by High Winds?
What if it’s too late and your home has already become the victim of roof wind damage?
Here are the steps to take if your house’s roof is damaged due to strong winds:
- Check your property, including the roof, for signs of damage.
- Pick up any loose fallen sticks, branches, or debris from the yard.
- Look inside your home and attic for signs of leaky roof damage or other water damage, such as chipped or peeling paint, water stains, softened rafters, or other warning signs of excess moisture buildup.
- Take photos of any damage you find on your roof as well as interior or exterior property damage.
- Schedule a roof inspection for a roof repair or new roof replacement.
- Look to see what damage is covered by your home’s roof warranty.
- File an insurance claim with your homeowner’s insurance company.
Is Roof Damage Covered by Insurance?
In order for home insurance to cover the costs of your damaged roofs, it must be proven that an extreme weather event resulted in the roof damage.
Examples of events that most insurance companies cover damage for are:
- Damaging winds.
- Thunderstorms.
- Hail storms.
- Snow storms.
- Tornados.
- Fallen tree branches caused by weather.
- The damage took place within one to two years of your claim (requirements vary depending on the insurance provider).
Filing an Insurance Claim for Roof Damage
If you have roof damage, it’s most important to first take pictures of the damage you see, but the immediate next step should be to reach out to your insurance company by calling them. When you speak to your homeowner’s insurance representative, you will be asked to explain the damage caused by winds or a storm.
Your insurance company will send out an insurance adjuster to assess your roof damage claims. Alternatively, the insurance company may ask that you call a local roofing company to take pictures and submit signs of noticeable damage back to them for approval.
After inspections are complete, you will either be approved because there were signs of wind damage or denied because they found no signs of damage.
What Should I Do if the Insurance Company Denies My Claim for Roof Damage?
If your insurance claim is denied, you can request for your insurance company to send a second insurance adjuster for a second opinion on the roof and wind damage. Sometimes an adjuster might miss signs of damage caused by winds, which is easily resolved if a second adjuster approves your insurance claims.
If you are denied a second time, you may hire an engineer to come and assess the damage and present their findings to your home insurance company if they disagree with the previous insurance adjusters who denied your insurance claims.
What Happens After You Are Approved by Insurance for a Roof Damage Claim?
When your insurance claim is approved, you can schedule roof repairs with a local roofing contractor who is experienced in working with homeowners insurance claims as the result of roof wind damage.
Why Might My Roof Damage Insurance Claim be Denied?
As long as you can prove that the roof damage to your home was caused by extreme weather events, it would be rare for you to be met with any obstacle that keeps the insurance company from covering costs for roof repairs or roof replacement.
Here are the common reasons that an insurance claim for roof damage claim may be denied:
- There are no visible signs of roof damage.
- You waited too long to file your insurance claim.
- Your roof system was improperly installed.
How to Repair Roof Damage Caused by Strong Winds
The scope of your roof repair will depend on the amount of damage as a result of the high winds, but it is absolutely possible to repair roof damage caused by winds and storms. The most important factor is hiring a professionally licensed roofing expert who will install and repair roof materials so they can withstand future damage as best they can.
Schedule a Roof Inspection for Your NC Home Today
If your home’s roof is damaged due to strong winds, excessive snow, rainfall, or another weather event, schedule an appointment with a reputable local roofer to inspect the damage and repair your roof.
Dealing with insurance claims for a damaged roof can be stressful, but our team at Artisan Quality Roofing can help you if you experienced recent damage to your roofing system after high-speed winds or other weather events.
Call us today for a free consultation at 919-906-3791 or fill out our contact form to get started.
