Commercial Roofing Insurance Claims
The sheer number of storms that have made their way through the Southeast in the last ten years created thousands of unanticipated roofing claims costing insurance carriers billions of dollars. Not surprisingly, our review of many of those estimates revealed significant deficiencies that minimized the insurance company’s financial obligation on large commercial roof claims. Obvious damage that years ago would have resulted in the carrier providing the necessary monies to replace the entire roof system were being ignored or discounted.
To offset this change in attitude many roofing contractors either got their Public Adjusters license or engaged a PA to assist them with their problem claims. Rarely did this approach end successfully. Some contractors found the negotiations to be even more contentious. Others found that handling a claim through the public adjusting route provided no additional leverage and, as a result, very little additional money. In other words, they were back where they started. There is a better way.
Every commercial insurance policy has an ADR provision built into it. ADR means Alternative Dispute Resolution (think arbitration or mediation), and it provides a very effective way, short of litigation, to settle a disagreement on the value of a loss. In the world of property insurance claims, that ADR process is called “Appraisal.” It is the single most effective way to gain leverage and advance a problem claim. We’ve done over 1,000 of them in the last thirty plus years.
The Howarth Group is making a name for itself with roofing contractors across the Southeast as a company who not only understands commercial roofing systems but how to bring “problem claims” to a successful conclusion. Whether it’s a single-ply, BUR, a mod bit, or a metal roof, if the contractor and property owner identify damage that the insurance company is unwilling to acknowledge (ex: “it’s only cosmetic”) and, as a result, the negotiations have reached an impasse, then we’d like to hear about it to see if the claim is ripe for our time-tested approach.
We don’t take on every claim. Some are too small, and some we will conclude that the adjuster was correct in his assessment of the scope of the loss and, consequently, wrote a fair and reasonable estimate. In any case, our team of specialists stands ready to give you and your clients a “no-cost, no-obligation” second opinion. We will review estimates, read policies, evaluate engineers’ reports and even walk roofs before rendering an opinion. It’s necessary that we take the time to do our due diligence before obligating ourselves unnecessarily. If we conclude that the property owner is not being properly indemnified, then and only then, will we offer our services.
Our goal is to provide the fullest and fairest settlement allowed by the policy provisions in accordance with accepted industry standards and practices. Call us today with your claim questions.