Hurricane Claims

NAPLES PROPERTY

In addition to damage caused by water intrusion resulting from the breach of the roof or windows during a hurricane, damage to the roof itself commonly occurs.

In many instances your insurance company is obligated to pay to completely replace your roof with a new roof following a major hurricane like Hurricane Irma. This is because Florida law requires that if 25% or more of the roof is damaged, then the insurance company must pay to replace the entire roof. In particular, § 708.1.1 of the Florida Building Code states:

Sometimes damage is obvious. Missing or damaged tiles or shingles, for example. But in many instances the damage is not obvious.

On shingle roofs, the sealant strip on the underside of the shingles frequently fails, preventing a shingle from adhering to the shingle below it. This is not obvious unless you get up on the roof and see if the shingles will lift up. If they lift up, they are damaged, and wind and water are likely to get up underneath the shingles and potentially cause damage to your home.

On tile roofs, tiles can become cracked or dislodged. Again, this may not be obvious to you, but will be obvious to a licensed roofer. Water can then get under the tiles to the underlayment and potentially cause damage to your home.

Other types of roof damage are also not obvious. Regardless, if more than 25% of your roof is damaged, you’re entitled to a new roof, even though your roof may be 20 years old.

Dealing with property damage caused by a hurricane is bad enough by itself. But dealing with your insurance company on your hurricane damage claim usually adds insult to injury. Insurance companies many times deny hurricane damage claims altogether, or offer property owners far less than what they are owed. We understand how to handle insurance companies to make sure you get the coverage you’ve been paying for.