Expert: Bennie719 - 4/22/2009

Question
I found shingles from my roof on the ground.  I noticed my neighbor getting a new roof.  Her's was paid for by her insurance due to wind.  Her roofer came over and said ours was wind damaged.  I called my agent and he referred me to a different roofer.  He also said that coverage would be based on the age of the roof.  We bought the house in 2002, not sure of when the roof was put on.  I was also told by my roofer that my insurance would not go up because it was caused by an "act of God".  Questions:  Can the insurance only pay for a small percentage based on the age of the roof?  Is it normal for an agent to send out his roofer, not an adjuster, to look at the roof first?  We have never had an insurance claim, auto or home.  We have only been with this company for about 1 1/2 years.

Answer
Hi Chrissy,
Depending on which form # Homeowners policy that you carry, It is possible that you may have to pay a portion of the loss in addition to your deductible.
Homeowners for owned single family residences are usually issued as
Form 1, 2, 3, & 5.  If you have a form 3 or 5, there should be no payment other than your deductible, once the insurance company determines that you have a COVERED loss.

I hope that you find this to be informative.  Your feedback by rating my response to this question will be appreciated.

Sincerely,
Bennie
San Francisco Bay Area