No matter how durable your roof, it’s bound to suffer some form of damage after an extreme weather event. To keep roof damage from affecting other parts of your home, you’ll need to observe certain precautions.
Here’s a list of roofing do’s and don’ts after a storm:
If storm damage is covered by your roof’s warranty, you need to document the signs of roof damage as soon as it’s safe to go outside. When you file a claim with your insurer, you’ll need to present photos of the initial storm damage.
Once you have all the necessary documents in order, file an insurance claim right away. If the storm damage isn’t fixed right away, it can affect other parts of your home, making it impossible for your insurer to assess the initial storm damage. Remember: standard insurance policies don’t cover any negligence on the part of the homeowners. To minimize the risk of delays, it’d be a good idea to keep all your roofing documents in one cabinet.
The same applies to roof repair work. The longer you put off having a leak repaired, the higher risk it will affect other parts of your home.
For one thing, it takes a trained eye to spot all the signs of roof damage. Not to mention fixing a seemingly minor leak isn’t as easy as it seems. That’s because water follows the path of least resistance. As such, the location of a water stain isn’t necessarily the source of the leak. For all you know, water may have been trapped in other parts of your roof.
Don’t forget to vet your contractors before hiring them. After all, less reputable contractors are more likely to miss signs of roof damage. Here’s a vetting tip: the number of years contractors have been working in the industry should give you a good idea of their level of expertise.
Roof Masters, a contractor with more than 25 years of experience, offers a wide range of professional roofing services, including roof maintenance services. To request an estimate, call us at (301) 230-7663, or fill out this form. We serve homeowners in Montgomery County, MD, as well as the surrounding communities.
